The Socceroos put in a spirited display but it wasn’t to be, falling to a 1-0 defeat to England at Wembley Stadium in London.
Not one single player in the green and gold could be disappointed with their performance, as everyone worked tremendously hard to replicate the same feat of the 2003 squad that famously beat England 3-1.
Foxsports.com.au breaks down how everyone performed in Socceroos Player Ratings!
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Mat Ryan: 6.5
On a greasy surface, he was forced to show his skills with the ball at his feet perhaps more than he’d like, with plenty of back-passes coming his way – including an utterly atrocious one from Cameron Burgess. But Ryan was exceptional with his distribution despite the conditions. He consistently read the long ball well as England sprayed it forwards, and cleared the danger with his sharp movement. He did just about well enough when one-on-one with Ollie Watkins in the first half, forcing the striker wide – with Watkins only managing to hit the post from a tight angle after rounding Ryan.
There wasn’t much he could do when Watkins slid home to convert Jack Grealish’s driven cross and was rarely called into action throughout the game.
Kye Rowles: 6
For the second consecutive match in the green and gold, the centre-back was asked to play on the left side of the backline, and there were early concerns when England’s attack danced around him to create the first proper chance of the game inside ten minutes. But after being badly exposed in that incident, he settled into the match well and battled hard against the likes of Bowen. Never shying away from a tackle, he was left bloodied and needing treatment after an early head clash, but played on sporting a large bandage. He came close to scoring but snatched at a volley from close range after a first-half corner.
Cameron Burgess: 5.5
The hard-nosed centre-back showed his toughness after copping a brutal tackle to the shins after 20 minutes – for which the Australian was somehow penalised. There was incredibly nervous moment in the 25th minute when a miscommunication with Ryan saw Burgess play a waist-high backpass from a tight angle inside his own penalty area – forcing Ryan into a desperate clearance inside the six-yard box. Unfortunately he was caught napping at a critical moment as he failed to block Jack Grealish’s cross which was converted by Ollie Watkins.
Harry Souttar: 7
Things might not be going exactly how he would have imagined at club level, but it was a stirring return to form for Souttar, who was imperious in defence. He was caught out for pace once or twice by England’s well-timed runs behind the line, but his defensive work to recover his ground was exceptional, highlighted by an exceptional last-ditch tackle just before the halftime whistle that – had he mistimed it – would certainly have been a penalty.
Ryan Strain: 7
A strong display from the St Mirren right back in his first Socceroos start.
He picked up an early booking for a cynical foul on Jack Grealish, but Strain didn’t waver from his defensive duties and continued to make several important challenges throughout.
Strain could’ve — and should’ve — opened the scoring when he made a lung-bursting run into the box to receive the ball from Martin Boyle, but his effort was cleared off the line by Lewis Dunk.
Ultimately did an exceptional job at keeping Grealish, a £100m superstar, quiet for the majority of the evening.
Jackson Irvine: 6
The fact Irvine recovered so quickly after suffering a torn lateral ligament in the Socceroos’ friendly against Mexico is a minor miracle in itself.
But the midfielder rarely looked like he was making a comeback from injury in an all-action display.
Irvine didn’t get on the ball as much as he perhaps would have liked as his primary focus was on shutting down England’s star-studded midfield.
Keanu Baccus: 8
Baccus didn’t shirk a challenge at all throughout his time on the field and even shirtfronted England defender Levi Colwill.
The physical battle aside, Baccus showcased his brilliant technical ability as he constantly found ways to wriggle out of tight spaces to keep the passage of play ticking over.
Baccus also pinged a beautiful ball in the path of Martin Boyle late in the first half which almost led to a goal, but it was not to be.
Connor Metcalfe: 6
Having played largely as a winger for club side FC St Pauli, Metcalfe slotted in as a second striker in support of Mitchell Duke.
Unfortunately he didn’t get as many clean breaks on goal and had to use up a significant amount of energy trying to chase down England’s backline.
Metcalfe came agonisingly close to a late equaliser but his header smacked against the post.
Was subbed off in the 90th minute for Mohamed Toure.
Craig Goodwin: 7.5
The winger gave England plenty of headaches with his dribbling and willingness to drive forward from the left flank.
His set-piece delivery was also outstanding and could – or should – have been rewarded with a goal.
Aside from his quality on set pieces, Goodwin pulled out plenty of flicks and tricks to help break England open as he carried his club form for Al-Wehda into the international arena.
Got a well-deserved breather when he came off in the 73rd minute for Brandon Borrello.
Martin Boyle: 6.5
Boyle’s electric pace was a constant threat on the counter attack and the Aussies most certainly looked to use it by playing long balls over the top in his path.
Even if he wasn’t coming close to getting to the ball, Boyle showcased his grit by chasing down everything.
The Hibernian flyer carved out the Socceroos’ best opening of the game when he latched onto a long ball from Baccus and slipped in Ryan Strain, who was denied on the line by a last-ditch block.
Mitchell Duke: 5
Duke flashed wide with a thumping volley early in the first half, and that was the only look at goal he really got.
He had the thankless task of challenging for every ball lumped forward and pressing England’s defence and although Duke has bundles of energy, his legs could only keep up the energy for so long.
His defensive work came at a cost as he wasn’t as effective as he would’ve liked going forward.
SUBS
Jordan Bos: 5
Came on for Mitchell Duke in the 73rd minute.
Normally a left back, Bos was deployed high up the field for the final 20 minutes in an interesting tactic from Arnold.
Bos was confident on the ball but didn’t have the one-on-one skills to take on his marker.
Brandon Borrello: 5
Came on for Craig Goodwin in the 73rd minute.
Was largely anonymous as the Aussies tried to find an opening.
Awer Mabil: 6
Came on for Martin Boyle in the 83rd minute.
Mabil’s biggest moment came when he tracked back and made a crucial block in the dying minutes of the game, although he looked lively and attempted to make something happen in the final third.
Aziz Behich: 6
Came on for Kye Rowles in the 83rd minute.
Behich didn’t make much happen offensively, but he was cool under pressure as the last defender on corners.
He was comfortable when England countered from corners and made an important challenge to prevent the hosts from adding another goal late in the contest.
Lewis Miller: 5
Came on for Ryan Strain in the 73rd minute.
Made his Socceroos debut but didn’t quite have the same industry as Strain did, although it’s difficult to make a big impact as a defender coming on with 20 minutes of action left.
Mohamed Toure: N/A
Came on for Connor Metcalfe in the 90th minute.
A pleasing moment for the 19-year-old as he made his Socceroos debut, although he had little time to make an impact on the contest.
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