Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Brisbane: With the AFC Asian Cup entering the do-or-die phase, Australia are determined to not let up in Thursday's quarter-final against China as they did momentarily in their first-round defeat to Korea Republic, said Socceroos playmaker Robbie Kruse.
Ange Postecoglou's men finished runners-up in Group A after a defensive lapse saw them lose 1-0 to Korea and, as a result, they are now on course to potentially face holders Japan in the semi-finals.
Match highlights: Australia 0-1 Korea Republic
Kruse agreed with his coach that Australia should have never allowed the winning goal and needed to capitalise on the opportunities they created at the other end.
While fully respecting China, Kruse is convinced his team will walk away as winners if they don't make the same mistakes on Thursday.
"I still think we played some good football," the Bayer Leverkusen man said of Australia's effort against Korea. "Based on the chances we created we should have won the game. They scored early on from a loss of concentration by us. We had numerous chances but we didn't take them.
"In international football, you don't always get next week like you do in club football. We make the same mistake (Thursday), we lose and we're out of the tournament. But the basis of the football we played was quite good.
"(China are) fit, they're very fast and they have a game plan, very disciplined. They don't lose concentration and they're always fighting. It's a credit to them that they're through with three wins. But we're confident if we play the way we have in the past three games, then we'll win the game."
Kruse acknowledges China do not have the individual talent Korea Republic have but given the resolve Alain Perrin's men have shown here at the AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015, they are certainly not to be underestimated.
"They're probably not as good as Korea but in saying that, they won their three games against good opposition in the group," said Kruse. "Football's not always about the better team winning. It's about working hard, the simple principle of fighting, looking after one another and they do all those things extremely well.
"If they sit back, we will try to take the game to them - the way we did to Oman and Kuwait because they sat back very deep. We were a goal behind Kuwait and eventually our football spoke and we came out on top.
"We're very fit and we're very strong and you see that at the back end of games. We usually overrun our opponents and the same thing happened against Korea - but unfortunately we didn't get a goal. As long as we stay concentrated, we should be all right."
While winning and not winning this Asian Cup in their own backyard will make a huge difference for the Socceroos, equally important for them is to build on the performances they turned in at last summer's FIFA World Cup. Australia lost all three games in the first round, but were praised for their efforts against Chile and the Netherlands.
In the relatively brief time he has been at the helm, Postecoglou has repeatedly spoken about the importance of developing and maturing the team over a four-year cycle toward the next World Cup in Russia.
Goalkeeper Mat Ryan said Brazil was an eye-opener for many Australian players - including the Club Brugge custodian himself - and the experience has led to the impressive showing they've had at this Asian Cup.
"He (Postecoglou) always makes us aware that we're not going to necessarily be there in four years’ time," said Ryan, named the top ‘keeper in the Belgian top flight the past two seasons and recently linked with a move to Liverpool. "In life, in football, anything can happen. He doesn't want anyone taking anything for granted.
"Within the team we believed we could do things at the World Cup and now we've moved on to the Asian Cup. It's always been an in-squad goal to win the tournament and if we don't, I think it'll be seen as a failure - we're off to a good start.
"In the quarter-finals it's a different ball game, elimination football, and if you have a bad day or don't get the luck in big moments, you could be packing your bags and the tournament will be over.
"For me personally, (the World Cup) was the biggest learning experience I've ever had in my football career. It was my first time playing at such a level and it really opened my eyes. You watch leagues like the English Premier League but it's only once you get the game time that you realise how quick they do things and how skilful they are to do things in such areas. It was very mind-blowing."
Added Kruse, "In Brazil, we may not have gotten the results we wanted but the performances we put in definitely made the fans and the public take note of the way we played.
"With a little bit of luck we could have probably won the game against the Netherlands. We learned a lot of lessons, that if you don't concentrate for the 90 minutes and take your chances it comes back to bite you - like in the game against Korea."
Photo: WSG