Match report
Here is Joey Lynch’s report from CommBank Stadium in Parramatta:
Australia has now played three games on the road to the 2026 Fifa World Cup. They have emerged triumphant in all three games and after their 2-0 win over Lebanon, they already have one foot in the third round of Asian World Cup qualifying. But the victory over the Cedars in Sydney’s West has extracted a significant price on Graham Arnold’s side.
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Summary
Thank you for joining me tonight. We’ll be back here to do it all again on Tuesday, this time for a Lebanon “home” fixture from Canberra. I’ll see you then.
It devolved into a tricky game to appraise. For the first half-hour or so Australia looked well drilled, urgent, and worth their 1-0 lead. But as the game wore on the Socceroos lost their rhythm and Lebanon grew in belief. By the end the visitors were the more likely side to score.
Despite bossing possession the Socceroos created few clear chances and there was no shortage of fortune about both goals. Adam Taggart will be disappointed with his night’s work after being repeatedly caught offside and failing to execute an assured first touch as shooting opportunities unfolded.
Ajdin Hrustic shone amongst the chaos, but his free roaming role drifting in from the right played its own part in the unstructured second half, one in which Keanu Baccus was increasingly isolated at the base of midfield. Earlier injuries to Riley McGree and Jordy Bos disrupted what was already an experimental line-up.
“We can do better,” bemoans Connor Metcalfe immediately after the final whistle. Adding, “sloppy… individual errors… it’s not easy switching between systems.”
Full-time: Australia 2-0 Lebanon
Much to Australia’s relief, the referee blows the whistle for full-time. Two-nil, three points, three wins from three in this stage of qualifying, but that was not a convincing performance from the Socceroos.
90+5 mins: Darwich takes it – and it draws a tremendous diving save from Ryan away to his left. Lebanon keep the ball alive and the cross is hurled over for Lajud to glance wide!
90+4 mins: Handball against Hrustic right on the edge of Australia’s box. Lebanon with a decent set-piece opportunity to snatch a consolation goal.
90+3 mins: Australia’s inability to retain possession in midfield has become a chronic issue late in the game. Better opposition would have punished them for it by now.
90+2 mins: Just five minutes of stoppage time for Australia to navigate and they can look ahead to Tuesday’s return fixture.
90+1 mins: The corner is dangerous but Matar does well to punch the second effort clear. Baccus keeps the opportunity alive and eventually Metcalfe drills a sweetly struck effort straight at the keeper.
90 mins: Irvine has a clear sight of goal running with the ball into the penalty area, but his sidef-ooted effort is deflected wide of the post and out for a corner.
88 mins: Iredale has a decent shot from range that’s saved comfortably. Australia haven’t had too many efforts on goal tonight.
85 mins: Superb lone-striker play from Duke, leaping to win the clearance then finding Metcalfe with the second ball, but the cross is poor and cleared easily. Lebanon are playing with belief now. Probably too little too late, but they’re making Australia scrap in these closing stages.
83 mins: That was a major scare for Australia who have lost control of the physical and tactical battle in the past 10-15 minutes. Lebanon’s substitutes have made an impact and the stop-start nature of the game has robbed the Socceroos of any fluidity.
81 mins: Australia break out of defence but Irvine doesn’t free Hrustic bursting through the middle. Instead the skipper retains possession and the ball is rolled across the Socceroos defence… but Burgess takes his eye off the ball and red shirts swarm around him. Lebanon have numbers, and fashion a chance for Lajud – who curls an effort against the inside of Ryan’s near post! So so close for the visitors.
79 mins: Decent effort from Lebanon who work the ball out of congestion on the right for Lajud to have a lash on goal but his swipe skews well wide.
Omar Bugiel and Ali Sisi replaced by Karim Darwiche and Nader Matar
— Fa Lebanon | Lebanese Football Media (@FALebanon) March 21, 2024
78 mins: Now Baccus is booked for legging Haidar. The opening goalscorer will now be suspended for Tuesday’s clash. This match is no longer a thing of beauty.
76 mins: Good effort for a school night.
2️⃣7️⃣,0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣ at @commbankstadium tonight for #AUSvLBN 🏟️#Socceroos #DifferentBreed pic.twitter.com/7Jgef1z0zI
— Subway Socceroos (@Socceroos) March 21, 2024
74 mins: Gorgeous outside-of-the-left-boot flick from Hrustic into the right channel, but Duke is offside in pursuit of it. There is a touch of class in the playmaker that nobody else in Australia is currently capable of. If the Socceroos are to progress against better opponents Arnold is going to need to figure out a formation that allows Hrustic to flourish.
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73 mins: Ryan finds Atkinson with an early throw but the fullback eschews the angled run of Duke in favour of a long hopeful whack to the isolated Metcalfe. Lebanon clear.
71 mins: News from ptichiside is that Jordy Bos’s knee injury doesn’t appear too serious, which is excellent to hear. Meanwhile the scrappiness continues out on the field.
69 mins: Australia have lost those patterns of play that served them so well in the first half. The game is becoming increasingly fractured and reliant on individual moments.
67 mins: It’s subs o’clock in Parramatta with both sides making changes. The Socceroos elect to replace their forward line with Duke and Iredale coming on for Yengi and Taggart. While for Lebanon Hassan Maatouk is replaced by Daniel Lajud.
66' | Substitution: Our final changes.
— Subway Socceroos (@Socceroos) March 21, 2024
⬆️ Duke, Iredale
⬇️ Yengi, Taggart
🇦🇺 2-0 🇱🇧#AUSvLBN #Socceroos #DifferentBreed
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65 mins: Australia finally find some timing and isolate Metcalfe one-on-one on the left. He goes outside his marker but then overhits his cross.
64 mins: It’s all got a bit scrappy again with neither side able to assert any control in midfield.
61 mins: Well, Martin, it very nearly did! From a very narrow angle Ryan is forced into his first acrobatic save of the night, forcing the ball clear at full stretch from a fierce Tneich drive.
Nathaniel Atkinson is then booked for making slight contact in midfield. Lebanon’s propensity to go to ground is not endearing them to me.
60 mins: Cometh the hour, cometh the man. That man is Martin Turnbull: “Not a bad game to date. Shame about Bos. Lebanon are an extremely limited side. Hope that doesn’t come back to bite me!”
58 mins: As if scripted, another example materialises when Hrustic conjures an impudent flick on the edge of the box to unpick the Lebanon defence, but Taggart is not alert to the moment and his touch evades him yet again.
56 mins: Lebanon will have to come out of their shell now and allow Australia more room to play. Hrustic anticipates just that and picks out the running Taggart (onside this time) but the striker’s layoff to Atkinson misses its target. Taggart has got through a power of work tonight but his touch has been found wanting often.
GOAL! Australia 2-0 Lebanon (Rowles, 54)
And from the resulting corner Australia go 2-0 up! The corner to the near post comes off a bundle of bodies and drops to the feet of Kye Rowles. He swings a left boot at the ball like a novice golfer might a driver, and he makes solid enough connection to slice the ball awkwardly in off the near post.
53 mins: Haidar wins a free-kick on halfway on the left but instead of turning it into an attack the ball is played all the way back to the goalkeeper. The Socceroos pounce, force the turnover and Irvine has a snapshot deflected into the side-netting.
51 mins: Australia have dominated possession since the break, calmly keeping the ball out of Lebanon’s reach. For the time being the Cedars are happy to sit in and hold their shape.
49 mins: … once more for luck! Hrustic to Taggart through on the goal but there’s no end product because the forward didn’t bend his run enough before accepting possession. Three near identical incidents in a matter of seconds.
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49 mins: … and again! Hrustic to Taggart, the crowd anticipates a shot but the flag is up for offside.
49 mins: Hrustic again, switching from touchline to touchline to open the play and find Metcalfe, then slipping Taggart through with a delightful pass only for the Perth Glory striker to be caught offside.
47 mins: Hrustic is quickly into the game, drifting in from the right and lofting a cross that almost reaches the poised Yengi.
46 mins: A change for Lebanon at the break with attacking midfielder Mohamad Haidar coming on for the more defensively minded Hasan Srour.
The teams are back out in Parramatta ready for the second half.
Half-time: Australia 1-0 Lebanon
The Socceroos take a slender lead into the break. Their performance has been bright and energetic but they have created very little in front of goal for all their endeavour. The first-half headline may yet prove to be the injuries to McGree and Bos that forced both left-sided attackers off the field.
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45+4 mins: Both sides fail to find their intended targets with crucial passes as the game suddenly opens up. It’s all become fractured towards the end of the half.
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45+2 mins: Australia break swiftly and free Metcalfe on the left but he dwells on his cross and a red shirt flies across to deflect the ball behind. The corner leads to nothing.
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45 mins: Sabra’s down again. He doesn’t need to be.
43 mins: Hrustic has actually entered on the right side of midfield with Metcalfe switching to the left.
42 mins: Australia call on their third left-sided attacker of the night with Ajdin Hrustic replacing Jordy Bos. Fingers crossed neither Bos nor McGree are badly injured.
40 mins: Chaaban goes down theatrically in the box, but there’s nothing doing. Then the follow-up shot needs saving low to his left by Ryan. Lebanon’s first look at goal for the night.
Meanwhile, Bos is back down on the turf shaking his head. That knee injury looks to be forcing him off.
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38 mins: … not just into the fray but whipping in a gorgeous left-footed cross from the touchline that is begging to be thumped home by either striker, only for it to evade both Taggart and Yengi.
36 mins: But Arnie will not be happy to see another left-sided attacker down injured. Bos landed heavily in a shoulder-to-shoulder clash in the left corner and at first it looked like he could have done himself a serious mischief, but he’s eventually back to his feet and into the fray.
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34 mins: There’s an organisation to the Socceroos that is pleasing to see. Players all seem to know what’s around them, where they should be running, and what patterns of play to execute.
32 mins: Taggart’s first touch again deserts him as an opportunity unfolds following a sweeping counterattack. Rowles then glances the resulting corner across the face of goal. The Socceroos have been energetic and purposeful so far. Graham Arnold will be delighted with the endeavour.
30 mins: A couple of lovely passages form the Socceroos, both ending in corners. Jackson Irvine to the fore in both, acting as the point man in midfield, keeping the ball moving with one-touch passes, letting the runners around him create the space. The first corner was won in the air by Irvine but Lebanon cleared the second ball. The second corner was swiftly halted when a stray finger glanced a visiting eyebrow. The Cedars have made sure to highlight the slightest contact this evening. It’s made for a stop-start affair.
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28 mins: Good save from Matar following a fierce drive from Yengi that was deflected awkwardly after the keeper had made his initial move.
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27 mins: Here’s the early goal, in case you haven’t caught it yet. Cross or shot?
And from another angle… 📐🤤#AUSvLBN #Socceroos #DifferentBreed https://t.co/zjuoVe5ADc pic.twitter.com/96NASzaYjZ
— Subway Socceroos (@Socceroos) March 21, 2024
25 mins: The split striker formation requires both forwards to put in plenty of unselfish runs into the channels. Taggart is doing just that non-stop, but Yengi doesn’t demonstrate the same instinct, forcing Australia to play in compressed areas. The one time Taggart holds his ground and slips the offside trap his control lets him down and Lebanon smuggle clear.
23 mins: Taggart is penalised again for being too physical and his marker, Maher Sabra, is sick of it.
21 mins: Souttar is the target of another corner, this time from the left, but he can only knee a first-time effort over the bar under pressure. He is such a set-piece threat. Not just his size but his ability to get to the ball first and win the contest.
19 mins: Another Lebanese player goes down in contact. This time Taggart is the culprit. Australia have been penalised repeatedly in these early stages.
News from the touchline is it appears to be a foot injury for McGree.
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17 mins: On comes Bos for McGree on the left wing. His first act is to watch Souttar almost loop a header back across the goalkeeper and in at the far post following a deep corner. In his urgency to force the ball home Rowles flattened Mostafa Matar and the whistle blows.
15 mins: Riley McGree doesn’t look happy. He signals that he suffered a knock in contact and Jordy Bos is being readied on the bench. Not great news for the Socceroos.
From a @FootballAus spokesperson, the #Socceroos are wearing black armbands against Lebanon in memory of former Socceroo Steve Maxwell, who passed away earlier this month. #AUSvLBN
— Joey Lynch (@joeylynchy) March 21, 2024
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13 mins: Lebanon enjoy their first break of the night and slip the ball in behind Rowles on the right flank. Burgess comes across to concede a corner. Australia deal with the delivery comfortably in the air. However, it is noticeable how loud the crowd became during that incursion. Plenty of Lebanese fans in Parramatta tonight.
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11 mins: Souttar picks out McGree with a 50m diagonal pass that Ronald Koeman would have been proud of. Unfortunately McGree tires to do too much instead of whipping in an early cross to his twin strikers.
9 mins: Australia are playing brightly, looking to move the ball quickly and drag Lebanon out of their shape. The key move is the diagonal run from a central area to the channel, which Metcalfe times well to fashion an opening. The initial effort is defended easily but Baccus isn’t far off with the follow up from the edge of the box.
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7 mins: That was exactly what Australia wanted, the early goal to force Lebanon out of their 5-4-1 shell. It came out of nowhere but was unstoppable as soon as it left Baccus’ boot.
GOAL! Australia 1-0 Lebanon (Baccus, 5)
Was it a cross? Was it a shot? Keanu Baccus doesn’t care! 30m from goal the midfielder forces the turnover, drives forward, shifts the ball towards the right corner of the penalty area and hooks his foot around what is surely a cross – only to see the ball float over the goalkeeper and into the far corner of the net.
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4 mins: The Socceroos are missing a host of leading wide men so McGree has drifted to the left and Metcalfe the right. The latter is involved as the ball is slipped in the right channel for Taggart – who goes down just outside the box under pressure – but the referee isn’t interested.
2 mins: Straight from the kick-off Lebanon drop into a deep block and Australia are invited to break through. They build neatly and fashion a cross form the left but Taggart is penalised for roughhousing in the box.
Kick-off!
We’re under way in Sydney.
Plenty of cheers greet the teams as they step out onto the turf. There’s no shortage of red on display in the crowd as the Lebanese anthem plays.
The teams are lined up in the tunnel, Lebanon top to toe in red, Australia in gold jerseys, green shorts, white socks.
Conditions are ideal for football in NSW tonight with temperatures in the high teens, no rain, and little wind. The surface hasn’t been played on in almost two weeks so that should be in tip-top condition too.
Fish eye perspective 👁️🐟
— Subway Socceroos (@Socceroos) March 21, 2024
🏟️ @commbankstadium#AUSvLBN #Socceroos #DifferentBreed pic.twitter.com/Ors8EMUWwR
More from Arnie from his media rounds earlier this week.
Australia’s selection stocks are hardly overflowing, and the challenges facing Graham Arnold are not being helped by the old club vs country argument rearing its head again.
If Josh Nisbet makes his international debut tonight the 1.6m Mariner will become the shortest Socceroo in history. I presume. I don’t know if there’s a list of heights somewhere, but he’d have to be at the bottom, right? He’s tiny.
Even if he doesn’t get a cap tonight hopefully Nisbet will spend some time in the vicinity of the 1.98m Harry Souttar for a quick photo op.
Lebanon XI
Lebanon will be led out tonight by 36-year-old Hassan Maatouk, his country’s most capped player and record goalscorer. Only two members of the starting XI ply their trade outside Lebanon: Bassel Jradi at Bangkok United, and Omar Chaaban at AFC Wimbledon.
📋قائمة منتخبنا الوطني 🇱🇧 امام أستراليا في في #التصفيات_الآسيوية المشتركة.
— Lebanese Football Association (@thelfadotcom) March 21, 2024
⏱️الساعة 11:10 صباحًا بتوقيت بيروت
🏟️ستاد غرب سيدني
📺مباشرة على قناة LBCI Lebanon#منتخب_لبنان #رجال_الأرز #AsianQualifiers pic.twitter.com/wAp4QFNtJr
Australia XI
The big selection news for the Socceroos is that Adam Taggart and Kusini Yengi will start up front together as dual prongs in a rejigged 4-4-2, while Kye Rowles shifts from the middle to the left of defence.
There’s some quality on the bench, including Jordan Bos and Ajdin Hrustic, but with a second match against Lebanon to come on Tuesday, expect them to feature more heavily then as Graham Arnold manages his squad’s workload.
Craig Goodwin is ill, Mathew Leckie, Martin Boyle are Aziz Behich are all injured.
📋 Here’s how we line up against Lebanon tonight!
— Subway Socceroos (@Socceroos) March 21, 2024
🇦🇺 v 🇱🇧 - 21.3.24 - 8:00pm AEDT
📱💻📺 Live on 10 Bold, Paramount+, 10 Play#AUSvLBN #Socceroos #DifferentBreed pic.twitter.com/Zw46nQTy2P
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Thank you 🤍🙌🏼🇱🇧#YallaLebnen #AUSvLIB
— Fa Lebanon | Lebanese Football Media (@FALebanon) March 21, 2024
pic.twitter.com/RLEBOj4LSb
Paul Williams sets the scene for what will feel like a local derby in the western Sydney stands.
Such is the size of the Lebanese community in western Sydney that this week’s visit of Lebanon to play the Socceroos in the latest round of World Cup qualifiers may at times feel like a home game for the Cedars; more Beirut than Blacktown.
Preamble
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of Australia v Lebanon from CommBank Stadium. Kick-off in Sydney for this 2026 World Cup qualifier is 8.10pm AEDT.
It’s been a while, so let’s quickly recap.
We are in stage two (of what should be three, but could conceivably be five) of the AFC qualification process for the 2026 World Cup in North America.
Stage one eliminated the weakest 10 of Asia’s 46 member federations.
The surviving 36 include the top 26 ranked teams for the first time, and they have been drawn into nine groups of four. The top two in each group progress to stage three, as well as qualify directly for the 2027 Asian Cup.
As expected, the Socceroos have won their opening two fixtures: at home to Bangladesh, and away to Palestine. Lebanon drew with those same opponents.
Progress to stage three of the qualification process should now be a formality for Australia, and it would be a major upset if that in turn did not lead to a spot in the bloated 48-team finals.
But that prize is more than two years away. Right now, we have FIFA ranked 23 vs 115 to deal with.
For the hosts it’s a first run-out since exiting the Asian Cup at the quarter-final stage in February. It was a tournament that ended with an agonising defeat to South Korea, a result that snapped an eight match unbeaten run. It also highlighted that while the Socceroos are clearly capable of dismissing the continent’s weaker sides they lack the guile to overcome sterner tests. With the limited talent at Graham Arnold’s disposal it’s hard to see that pattern changing any time soon.
Lebanon were on a plane home from Doha even earlier this year after failing to make it out of their Asian Cup group. In four matches in 2024 they have scored only one goal, contributing to a run of just one win in nine outings – and that required a 93rd minute penalty to force a result against Jordan.
But while tonight’s result might not be in dispute for long, the occasion should still be one to celebrate. Sydney has a large and passionate Lebanese population, for whom the opportunity to show their colours should make for a great spectacle.
I’ll leave it there for now, but if you’d like to get in touch while I’m on, please fire all communication to jonathan.howcroft.casual@theguardian.com.
Footy. pic.twitter.com/dO6gNcDOPk
— Joey Lynch (@joeylynchy) March 21, 2024
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