ADELAIDE, Australia - Relief! It was palpable as the full-time whistle rang out at Adelaide Oval on Thursday evening, confirming Australia's 3-1 win over China, and, with it, their first three points in the third phase of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Sometimes it can be far too easy to focus on results like this in the short term, and miss the forest for the trees, but after the month the Socceroos have had, and what a failure to secure victory could have meant for their broader campaign, the importance of Thursday's win meant it might as well have been the "tree of life".
Just 20 minutes into the contest, a route-one ball thumped forward by China had been won by Zhang Yuning, who shook off Thomas Deng to knock it down for teammate Xie Wenneng. Xie then split Kye Rowles and Harry Souttar with alarming ease before shooting the ball beyond Joe Gauci into the bottom corner of the net. 1-0 China.
Simple as it was effective, this was the first attack the visitors had produced -- fashioned with all of 20% possession. And now, a month after losing 1-0 loss to Bahrain and being held to a 0-0 draw by Indonesia -- results that led to the shock resignation of Graham Arnold as coach, and his rapid replacement with Tony Popovic -- the Socceroos were staring at the prospect of dropping more points against a side they should be beating. It was happening again.
In the sober light of morning, we know that Lewis Miller equalised 27 minutes later, heading in a Craig Goodwin free kick on the stroke of half-time. Then, as if tapped by destiny itself, Goodwin, the beloved hometown hero, powered a long-range blast beyond Wang Dalei to put the Socceroos ahead before Nishan Velupillay sealed the result with a 93rd-minute goal on debut.
At the moment Xie wheeled away in celebration, however, a level of dread began to seep into the collective consciousness of a large proportion of the 46,291 spectators in attendance. Failure to secure a win on Thursday would have almost drawn a line through the Socceroos' hopes of securing one of the two automatic qualification slots available to Group C in Asian qualifying's third stage, making yet another long, fraught journey to the World Cup something of a best-case scenario. Had they taken just a point from their opening fixtures against the three lowest-ranked sides in the group, with clashes against Japan and Saudi Arabia to come, whispers would have started about a genuine risk of missing even a top-four place that secures a place in a fourth-round of qualification. Something of a doomsday scenario.
For the players, it's impossible to think this all wouldn't have delivered a mental blow. Resilience, determination, and, to borrow an Iain Dowieism, "bouncebackability" have been hallmarks of this unit across the past six years, but that has its limits. After a tumultuous month, several players had moments of uncertainty on Thursday, with even leaders such as Jackson Irvine and Souttar making the kind of skill errors and lapses in judgement that weren't reflective of their ability or the level of competition they face with their clubs.
"Going down in this game, especially after the first two results that we've had, it could have been very easy for us to go into our shell," Goodwin said. "But we showed great character in playing the way that we did and sticking to the structure."
Indeed, football can often be just as much a mental game as it is physical, confidence begetting creativity and bravery on the pitch. Thus, in time, Miller's equaliser might come to be seen as vital -- not just in the the context of Thursday's game but in the broader campaign. Had Xie's goal proved decisive, who knows what mindset the side would have taken to Saitama next week, when they face a Japanese side that has already defeated China 7-0 to show its ruthlessness. Instead, results elsewhere overnight mean the Socceroos head to Japan second in the group -- back in those automatic qualification slots -- with Popovic remarking that, while there was respect there, "there's nothing to fear."
The new coach moved quickly to put his stamp on things in his first game in charge, inserting Miller as a right wing-back and putting Aziz Behich on the other flank as the team moved away from the four-player backline utilised by Arnold and instead deployed a back three -- freeing the flankers to maraud forward and provide width in attack. In turn, Goodwin and Nestory Irankunda took up position on the flank opposite to normal, moving to drift into the pockets of space between attack and midfield -- the half-spaces -- and combine with midfielders Irvine and O'Neill as well as have the chance to cut inside and shoot off their preferred foot, just as Goodwin did for the go-ahead goal after being found with a ponpoint Irvine pass.
In a surprise, long-standing No. 1 and captain Mat Ryan was replaced by Gauci. "It's just my selection," said Popovic. "It's just a choice that I made. I wanted to give Joey an opportunity"
Clearly, there were growing pains and lessons to be taken. Trying to establish patterns of interplay that would springboard them into space to shoot, the Socceroos repeatedly blunted themselves in the tight areas created by the packed Chinese defence, failing to create a single shot on target from open play in the first 45 minutes. Things improved as Popovic swung the changes to introduce players who appeared more suited to the task at hand, but it should also be noted that this was aided by China being forced to come out of their shell a bit and at least try to take something from the game; despite 73% possession, the Socceroos had just four total shots on target, so breaking down low blocks is still a work in progress even though they scored three goals.
"I feel there are a lot of creative players in the squad and in those pockets, those half spaces," Popovic said. "I feel we have a lot of good ability. We turn on the ball quickly, we can combine quickly, and it's just trying to work out in which position each player is better suited; but they're versatile."
Irankunda didn't look comfortable in the tight areas he occupied in the new system, and he seemed somewhat overawed by the occasion before being replaced by Riley McGree at half-time. McGree, conversely, playing a similar role to that at club side Middlesbrough, was one of the key drivers behind a much-improved second-half display, alongside Goodwin, and put his name forward to start against Japan. Irankunda, still so young and developing as a player, is, perhaps, better served as a weapon off the bench in this kind of huge game, especially when players such as McGree and Ajdin Hrustic are available to start.
Jason Geria also pressed a case for an expanded role, replaced Deng at the main break and looking a more assured presence, especially in the air. So, too, did Jordy Bos, despite Behich not doing much wrong; Bos appears to be a perfect fit as a wing-back in the new system -- it's the role he plays with KVC Westerloo in Belgium -- but he also has the immense upside and game-breaking ability the Socceroos have needed.
Ultimately, though, there are limits to the conclusions to be drawn from Thursday.
Just 20 days into his tenure, Popovic is still getting to know his players; there's going to be an inevitable level of trial and error as he seeks to find the right contributors, with the right attributes, who meet his standards, to execute how he wants the side to play. Adjustments will come for the Japan game not only because of the sheer leap in quality between the Samurai Blue and China, but also because some players can't back up with the level of physicality he demands on a short turnaround.
"The players are slowly realising that there's a step up from club football to national team football," Popovic said. "It needs to be that way; if they find this environment difficult, that's how it should be. It shouldn't be easy or the same as club level. That's the environment we're trying to create. If you come in here, it will be hard. And if you want to come back, you need to be at an elite level away from here."
But given the way that Popovic set his side up in Adelaide, he has quickly demonstrated that he wants to bring more than just a simple vibe shift to the Socceroos. He's got his own ideas. His own pride. Now we begins the process of assessing his ability to deliver.