The Socceroos have been sent crashing out of the Asian Cup in heartbreaking fashion, losing 2-1 to South Korea in extra time.
It was a defeat as cruel as they come for the Aussies who were only a few minutes away from sealing a spot in the semi finals.
But it was not to be, as South Korea skipper Heung Min Son stepped up to propel his team to victory.
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AUSSIES SENT PACKING: Rivals seal revenge amid star’s costly brainfades as Socceroos crash out of Asian Cup
In his first appearance without his protective mask, Socceroos skipper Ryan was colossal.
Ryan was rarely called into action during the first half but in the second, he made vital saves to keep South Korea at bay.
He bravely put his body on the line to thwart Lee Jae-Sung in the 78th minute too given he was coming back from a fractured cheekbone.
Unfortunately there was little the skipper could do to prevent South Korea’s two goals, with one coming from the penalty spot and another being an unstoppable free kick from Son.
Even after the Socceroos’ hopes had all but vanished, Ryan still popped up with superb stops deep into extra time.
Nathaniel Atkinson – 6.5
Had a very difficult task in trying to nullify star winger Hwang Hee Chan, but Atkinson stood up to the task.
Korea did try and target the space in behind the Aussie right back, yet he remained wary.
Atkinson’s driving runs forward also provided a vital outlet for the Aussies and it was he who delivered the crucial assist for Goodwin’s goal.
Came off in the 73rd minute for Lewis Miller.
Kye Rowles – 7
An assured performance from Rowles at the heart of defence, rarely putting a foot wrong.
Operating as the left-sided centre back, Rowles was solid alongside Souttar and distributed the ball well.
Harry Souttar – 8
Souttar was once again at his brilliant best throughout, thwarting several South Korean attacks with his gangly legs and snuffing out crosses with excellent blocks.
Unsurprisingly he made several headed clearances to give the Socceroos some breathing space at the back.
The Leicester City man ended the game up front as the Socceroos chased the equaliser that never came.
Had the Aussies made the semi finals, Souttar would have missed it having picked up a booking during first half stoppage time.
Aziz Behich – 7
It was a gutsy performance from Behich who formed a solid partnership with Goodwin on the left.
Behich delivered an all-action display, flying up the touchline and providing a useful outlet.
He also performed his defensive duties with aplomb, with one big moment coming in the 51st minute as he made a crucial clearance to deny Korea at the back post while they chased an equaliser.
Behich put in an incredibly gutsy shift at the back end of the contest as well, defying severe cramp to play until the final whistle.
Keanu Baccus – 7
Knowing he’d be tasked with stopping South Korea’s forays into the final third, Baccus had to be on point with every tackle and pass he made.
The St. Mirren man had a few shaky moments and helped spring Korea’s counter attacks when he lost a handful of individual battles.
However, Baccus made several crucial interventions to deny Korea’s stars from making the impact some outsiders anticipated they would have made.
Came off in 70th minute for Aiden O’Neill.
Jackson Irvine – 8
He may not have found himself on the scoresheet, but this was one of Irvine’s best games for the Socceroos.
The St. Pauli man was here, there and everywhere in the middle of the park to break up play and drive the ball forward.
His passing was on point, switching the play at the perfect time to advance the Socceroos into dangerous positions.
Even deep into extra time, Irvine showed off plenty of heart to keep running until the final whistle and should be proud of his performance.
Connor Metcalfe – 6
Metcalfe wasn’t as anonymous as he had been in the group stage fixtures and helped out his teammates with intelligent positions to present himself as a passing option.
He had the first shot of the game in the 18th minute but could only drag his effort wide of the post.
Metcalfe also could and perhaps should have scored the opener for the Socceroos when a rebound from a Craig Goodwin shot fell straight to him, but it was an awkward chance to bury on his weaker foot.
Came off in the 70th minute for Riley McGree.
Martin Boyle – 6
The industrious Boyle flew up and down the right flank as he largely was forced to help out Atkinson with defensive duties.
Boyle’s rapid speed was a major aid in helping Australia transition from defence to attack.
He’ll be frustrated not to have gotten on the scoresheet when a Behich cross found him unmarked at the back post, but Boyle could only direct his header straight at the goalkeeper.
Even when the rebound fell straight to his feet, he couldn’t find the back of the net.
Came off in the 87th minute for Cameron Burgess.
Mitchell Duke – 6.5
Despite carrying a hamstring injury, Duke managed to play the entire period of regular time but had it not been for his misfires, the Socceroos could have saved themselves an extra 30 minutes of effort.
Duke volleyed wide over the bar from just a few metres out early in the second but his worst miss was yet to come.
A cross from Bos on the left took a deflection and popped up into the air, but Duke steered his header wide of an open goal.
Although he fired a blank in front of goal, Duke’s off-ball work was heroic to the Socceroos’ efforts, constantly chasing lost causes and harassing opposition defenders.
Came off in 93rd minute for Bruno Fornaroli.
Craig Goodwin – 9
There’s a reason why commentator Andy Harper described Goodwin’s showing as “superb” and “one of the great Socceroo performances.”
The left winger earned a recall to the team after scoring a goal and assisting another in the space of four minutes against Indonesia and he was by far the Aussies’ most dangerous outlet.
Goodwin fashioned space to fire off a strike that almost led to the Socceroos’ first goal, but Metcalfe fired the rebound wide.
However, Goodwin would make no mistake when he thumped home a floated cross from Atkinson to hand the Aussies the lead.
Goodwin also showed off his remarkable engine, tracking back when the Socceroos didn’t have the ball.
Came off in the 73rd minute for Jordan Bos.
SUBSTITUTES
Riley McGree – 5.5
Came on in 70th minute for Connor Metcalfe.
McGree had a chance to score Australia’s second when he tried to lob the goalkeeper with a first time effort, but it went over the bar.
That was perhaps McGree’s most notable contribution to the game as he struggled to find the pockets of space in which he has been so dangerous previously for the Aussies.
McGree did show some needed hustle during extra time, using his pace to help track back and defend for the Aussies despite being a goal down.
Aiden O’Neill – 4
Came on in 70th minute for Keanu Baccus.
O’Neill looked solid at first when replacing Baccus, but things quickly unravelled in extra time as he had a yellow card upgraded to a red in extra time for a nasty challenge on Hwang Hee Chan.
Lewis Miller – 2
Came on in 73rd minute for Nathaniel Atkinson.
Miller earned the ire of many when deep in second half stoppage time, he decided to go to ground in an effort to win the ball off of Heung Min Son.
However, Miller collected none of the ball and all of the man, giving the referee an easy decision to award a penalty which Hwang Hee Chan converted.
Miller’s second brainfade ultimately led to the winner as he fouled Chan on the edge of the box, leading to a free kick for South Korea.
Son made no mistake with the set piece and compounded Miller’s woes even further.
Jordan Bos – 5
Came on in 73rd minute for Craig Goodwin.
Bos made important clearances not long after entering the contest as the Aussies looked to clear their lines.
He should have had an assist late in the second half, but Duke fired his header from Bos’ cross wide.
Bos ended up having to play a dual role as the left winger and left back when Behich struggled badly with cramp.
The former Melbourne City man desperately tried to link up play with his teammates but it was to little avail.
Cameron Burgess – 5
Came on in 87th minute for Martin Boyle.
Thrown on late with the pure intention of keeping South Korea out, there was little Burgess could do when Miller brought down Son.
He remained at centre back in extra time as Souttar got thrown forward, but the Ipswich Town star soon joined the towering defender up top in a desperate late gamble from Arnold.
Bruno Fornaroli – N/A
Came on in 93rd minute for Mitchell Duke.
As much as Fornaroli tried to find his feet in the game, he ultimately had little impact as the 10-man Socceroos chased an equaliser.
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