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Australia Cruelly Beat All Whites With Last Kick Of Game
by Jeremy Ruane
How cruel a game football can sometimes be was emphasised once again on May 24 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where 55,569 fans saw Australia come from behind to undeservedly down New Zealand 2-1, winning the match with quite literally the last kick of the game.
The additional amount of stoppage time to be played at the end of the second half had elapsed some twenty seconds earlier when Brett Holman broke Kiwi hearts to end a game in which the All Whites had more than played their part - they deserved a draw at the very least, and on the balance of clear-cut openings created, perhaps a win.
Both teams generally started in cagey fashion, but after Tim Cahill’s ninth minute shot had deflected to safety off Ben Sigmund, the gloves came off, and in true trans-Tasman fashion, the latest chapter in the Australia - New Zealand rivalry became a friendly in name only.
Within two minutes, the All Whites responded with a neat move, Leo Bertos’ flighted ball being headed down by Rory Fallon into the stride of Tim Brown, whose fifteen-yard half-volley flashed a foot past the far post - it deserved better fate.
Australia failed to heed the warning, and after Vince Grella volleyed wildly over after Mark Paston had punched a Mark Bresciano free-kick clear to the edge of the penalty area, the home fans were stunned into silence as New Zealand scored just their fifth goal against Australia in senior internationals since 1990!
A neat move, begun at the back by Ryan Nelsen, flowed through Ivan Vicelich, Tim Brown and Tony Lochhead to Simon Elliott, who sprayed the ball wide towards Bertos. It wasn’t an accurate pass, but the wide man managed to win it back off David Carney and steer the ball back to Elliott, who had raced across in support.
The midfielder instantly sized up the situation and clipped the ball towards the edge of Australia’s penalty area, where Shane Smeltz was unmarked and perfectly placed to flick the ball on.
The defence stood and admired the ball, then looked on in horror as Chris Killen appeared on the scene and deftly steered the sphere across debutant goalkeeper Adan Federici and in by the far post to give the All Whites a lead they went on to fully merit.
Australia don’t like being behind on the scoreboard, and it showed in the savage nature of their tackling in the fifteen minutes which followed the opening goal. Referee Ricardo Salazar brandished the yellow card three times in this period, but there would have been few arguments if the colour mix had been one yellow and two red cards.
Airborne knee-high challenges on Bertos by both Vince Grella and Tim Cahill were little short of disgraceful, and combined to see the All Whites wing-back leave the field on a stretcher, the sight of which served to quell the violent nature of Australia’s antics.
Before his premature departure, Bertos had given the Socceroos cause for concern aplenty. After Tony Lochhead had been taken out on the left flank - a foul which brought the night’s first booking - Bertos flighted in a free-kick which Ivan Vicelich deftly headed on towards Killen. He executed a superb volley on the turn which crashed against the outside of Federici’s right-hand post.
Five minutes later, another Bertos free-kick wasn’t cleared, and Elliott picked out Fallon with a cross which the target man directed over the crossbar with his head, much to the chagrin of the vocal White Noise contingent camped behind that goal, who were soon howling their "Same old Aussies, always cheating" cry once again as Bertos’ night was brought to a premature end.
His departure ironically brought a sense of order to proceedings - the Australian players perhaps realising that the same fate could befall any one of them, and bring to an end their hopes of playing in next month’s World Cup Finals.
The Kiwis took full advantage of their opponents’ subdued nature, and produced a lovely move ten minutes before half-time from which they should have scored a second goal. Killen, Elliott and Lochhead combined on the left, with the wingback whipping in a wicked cross beyond all bar Smeltz, whose first touch let him down when he had just Federici to beat.
The Socceroos’ best chance of the half came two minutes later, following a short free-kick by Bresciano to Carney. His teasing cross picked out Scott McDonald beyond the far post, and the striker let fly with a first-time effort. Paston parried it straight back to him, but McDonald snatched at the rebound, and the outcome pretty much summed up Australia’s first half showing - abysmal!
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Au contraire the All Whites, who were excellent value for their half-time lead, a spell which featured the international debut of Bertos’ replacement, Winston Reid. Seven minutes into the second half, the visitors came close to doubling their advantage when Fallon’s wickedly struck twenty-five yard angled volley swerved narrowly past the right-hand post of goalkeeper Brad Jones, one of five Socceroo substitutions made at half-time.
Among them were Michael Beauchamp, whose aerial presence did much to counter the threat posed by Fallon. But it was the decision to bring Jason Culina more into the game which did much to swing the game’s momentum towards Australia, although the withdrawal of Brown with an injury didn’t aid the All Whites’ cause on that score.
In the 54th minute, the Socceroos produced their best move so far, a sure sign that they were starting to pick up their game. Dario Vidosic careered down the left before linking with Mile Jedinak, who steered the ball into the path of Mark Milligan. His rasping twenty-five yarder fizzed an inch - if that! - past the right-hand post of Paston, who had had little to do to this point.
His next task was to fish the ball out of the net, following Australia’s 57th minute equaliser. Culina was the architect of the goal, working a slick one-two with McDonald before using the retreating figure of Killen to inadvertently divert the ball into the stride of Vidosic.
From a tight angle, he hit a volley on the turn into the ground, the ball bouncing over the diving figure of Paston and into the far side of the net - 1-1, and what better way to stake your claim for a place in Australia’s World Cup squad than to score your maiden goal in international football.
Vidosic and company, particularly, Culina, now had their tails up, and their dominance of possession kept the All Whites on the back foot. The departures of Ivan Vicelich and Lochhead meant New Zealand’s left flank was now an avenue to explore from a Socceroos perspective, and the runs and crosses of Milligan, in particular, gave Paston cause for unease on a few occasions in the next few minutes.
With twenty minutes to go, the All Whites fired a warning across Australia’s bows. Elliott sprayed the ball wide to substitute Tommy Smith. He delivered a gorgeous cross to the far post where Fallon was arriving on cue, and a goal looked certain. But the big man was denied by Jones, who somehow battered this bullet header to safety.
Australia continued to press, leaving New Zealand to feed off crumbs, some of which were, on occasions, highly promising. But at both ends of the park, in the face of such raids, defenders prospered, although the natives were easily the better team in the second spell.
A draw appeared inevitable, although the All Whites could have changed all that five minutes from time, when a neat one-two between substitutes Wood and Smith resulted in the latter delivering the ball into the danger zone, where Fallon rose to head the ball down for Michael McGlinchey.
His effort was thwarted, which sparked a counter-attack culminating in a Culina shot being blocked by the terrier-like McGlinchey - "If you won’t let me score, damned if I’m going to allow you the privilege!"
Unfortunately for the All Whites, Australia enjoyed that privilege with the very last kick of the ball. Three minutes of added time had been played when Carney cut inside off the left and played the ball to Holman, who laid the ball off to Culina on the edge of the penalty area.
The Socceroos’ star turn passed the ball to Jedinak, whose steepling lob over the defence found the All Whites ball-watching. Holman was, too, and as the ball dropped he darted into position to deftly steer a first-time strike across the startled figure of Paston and in by the far post to win the match for Australia.
The All Whites were seething, none more so than captain Ryan Nelsen, who was seen remonstrating with referee Salazar after the game about the time issue which denied the visitors the draw they thoroughly deserved, rather than the heart-breaking loss to the old enemy with which they must live.
Socceroos: Federici (Jones, 46); Milligan (booked, 23), Moore (Beauchamp, 46), Neill, Carney; Vidosic (Oar, 78 (booked, 87)), Culina, Cahill (booked, 30) (Holman, 46), Grella (booked, 28) (Jedinak, 46), Bresciano (Valeri, 46); McDonald (Rukavytsya, 71)
All Whites: Paston; Sigmund, Nelsen, Vicelich (Boyens, 51 (booked, 66)); Bertos (Reid, 33), Brown (McGlinchey, 46), Elliott, Lochhead (Smith, 59); Smeltz (Brockie, 66), Fallon, Killen (Wood, 66)
Referee: Ricardo Salazar (USA)
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