Australia a team in steady decline but UAE know Socceroos are a tough nut to crack

Memories of 2019 Asian Cup win still fresh in the mind as Aussies struggle to replace stars of Golden Generation

As Japanese referee Ryuji Sato blew for full time, Australian bodies slumped to the turf in disappointment and disbelief.

Around them, Emirati players and fans inside Al Ain’s packed Hazza bin Zayed Stadium were delirious in celebration. Goalkeeper Khalid Essa dropped to the ground, overcome with emotion as towering defender Ismael Ahmed wrapped his arms around his teammate.

The UAE, led by Italian tactician Alberto Zaccheroni, had just knocked Australia, the defending champions, out of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup at the quarter-final stage thanks to a goal from Ali Mabkhout, who capitalised on a mistake by Australia defender Milos Degenek.

It was the first time the UAE had beaten Australia in six attempts, and while far from a vintage performance, it was a milestone win all the same.

From an Australian perspective, the premature exit from a tournament they had visions of winning, perhaps provided a glimpse into the future and the struggles that lay ahead on the road to Qatar 2022.

The prevailing view in Australia is that the Socceroos have been on a steady decline since the early-to-mid 2010s when the last of the so-called Golden Generation - with the likes of Mark Viduka, Harry Kewell, Lucas Neill and Mark Schwarzer - hung up their boots.

UAE beat Australian at 2019 Asian Cup

Since the late Pim Verbeek guided Australia through qualifying for South Africa 2010 with relative ease, each subsequent qualifying campaign has become that little bit tougher and harder to navigate.

It took until the final game - and the final moments - in qualifying for Brazil 2014 before Australia secured their berth, while the road to Russia was even more difficult as they had to navigate the sudden-death playoffs, as they do this time around as well.

They survived that scare for 2018, overcoming Syria and Honduras, but gradually the quality of talent at the disposal of coach Graham Arnold has withered away to the point that, far from being one of the elite teams on the continent that they were for the first decade of their membership of the Asian Football Confederation, the Socceroos have since become one of a number of teams in that second tier; capable of the odd surprise result, but not of consistently challenging the best teams in Asia.

That they had to draft in two Scottish-born players in Martin Boyle and Harry Souttar, neither of whom had set foot in the country before pulling on the green and gold, but who are eligible through their parents, speaks to the lack of available talent capable of playing at international level.

Try as Arnold might, he simply hasn’t been able to piece together a team with enough depth and quality to compete.

UAE squad arrive in Doha

When looking at this qualifying campaign, and the final round where they were drawn against heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Japan, the stats don’t make for pleasant reading.

In the four games against the Green Falcons and Samurai Blue, Australia lost three times and drew once, amassing just one point from a possible 12. Worse than that, they only scored once.

It highlights why Australia are in the position that they are. They haven’t been unlucky, they’re simply not as good as they once were.

That Australia, when faced with these situations in the past, have always found a way to prevail has perhaps shielded fans from the harsh reality of the situation. The old Aussie maxim of “she’ll be right” has been the prevailing attitude.

But on a balmy night in Al Ain - which ironically was in the early hours of Australia’s national holiday, Australia Day - it for once wasn’t right. Three-and-a-half-years on, fans in green and gold are hoping that history doesn’t repeat.