Germany 2 Australia 2
Australia’s first real step on the road to Russia to 2018 should, in all likelihood, be its hardest, and the new kings of Asia depart the home of the world champions with positive signs ahead.
Joachim Löw promised an experimental line-up, but he was hardly scraping the bottom of the barrel bringing in second stringers of the calibre of Bayern Munich’s Holger Badstuber and Borussia Dortmund’s Ilkay Gündogan.
Ange Postecoglou, on the other hand, had to cobble together what team he could. Injuries meant the Australians were playing without their eternal saviour, Tim Cahill, and their star of the Asian Cup, Massimo Luongo, nor the two centre backs who served them served them so well during that tournament, Trent Sainsbury and Matthew Spiranovic. His bench might have suffered sunburn for its shortage of caps.
There were scrappy moments for sure, but the visitors showed plenty of intent in the early stages, comfortably working the ball around the German’s half, though without the firepower to finish it off.
Their makeshift defence, however, looked in all sorts of trouble as the home side produced wave after wave of attack. They found the back of the net midway through the half, only for it to be called offside. Little matter. Barely a minute later, Sami Khedira intercepted a pass in defence, ran it across the halfway line and up the wing to set up a waiting Marco Reus. Germany 1-nil.
The Australians began to work their way back into the game, and Mile Jedinak gave Germany’s third-choice keeper, Ron-Robert Zieler, his first test of the night with a long-range effort. The Socceroos’ continued positivity was eventually rewarded just before the break, when Nathan Burns threaded a cross through the German defence to James Troisi, who beat the fingertips of Zieler for the equaliser.
Fittingly, it all began with a throw in from left-back Jason Davidson, whose work all night, but especially in that opening half, showed why he had been picked up by the Premier League after the World Cup. His occasional rustiness also showed that he isn’t getting much game time there. Mathew Leckie also showed more promising signs in a taster of what he can expect in German’s top flight next season, though his finishing remains an issue.
Jedinak, the only survivor from 2010’s massacre in Durban, got his revenge shortly after the break, putting his side ahead with a free kick that curled over the heads of the German wall and then got a helping hand from Zieler. Troisi, one of Australia’s best performer on the night, followed up with another dangerous effort a few minutes later, but sent the ball wide.
Around the hour mark, Germany began producing the kind of inventive, fluid football the world has come to know from them. But it also produced Ryan and Wilkinson’s most composed efforts in defence, and opened the game up for Australia to counter attack.
The inevitable equaliser came in the 82nd minute, with Lukas Podolski finding enough space in the box to deliver the game’s fourth goal. It was the veteran’s first goal at any level for some time, though credit must go to fellow substitute (and EPL refugee) Andre Schürrle, whose work out wide had overtones of the decisive goal he set up in the World Cup final.
Another goal from the Australians was never really in the script, but importantly for Postecoglou’s side, it withstood any more advances on goal.
There was no winner, but Postecoglou says the scoreline was secondary to the way his team played. He certainly takes plenty more out of that performance than his German counterpart, whose middling post-World Cup form continues. That they couldn’t break down such a makeshift backline will be a concern as his team struggles for Euro 2016 qualification.
Things now get serious again for the Germans, who will travel to Georgia to continue their battle for a spot at Euro 2016. For the Aussies, a tie in Macedonia next week is followed by the early stages of World Cup qualification, which could see them travelling to Bhutan, East Timor, Kyrgyzstan and Guam over the next 12 months.
Source: The Guardian (UK)
