David Villa scores in his last internatonal match Photo: adifansnet
Australia lost its third and final World Cup match 3-0 against World Champions Spain in Curitiba, Brazil on Tuesday morning (AEST).
It was another great start against world-class opposition by the Socceroos as they took the game to Spain in an attacking and well-organised manner.
Australia eventually took their foot off the pedal allowing Spain back into the game. It was a dangerous thing to do as it gave them the confidence that they had been struggling with in this tournament.
In the 36th minute, some non-existent defending by Australia allowed an unmarked David Villa to flick in the opening goal in to give Spain a 1-0 lead.
There was almost an immediate reply in getting an equaliser, however Adam Taggart failed to capitalise by latching on to a loose ball. But there’s no doubt that with time Taggart will rise to the heights of a top class striker.
Matt Ryan continued to be in command of his zone, comfortably taking any cross that was available for him to gather.
The second half saw Australia playing with a bit more discipline and it was starting to frustrate Spain. But in the 69th minute, another defensive lapse in concentration allowed Fernando Torres to go one-on-one with Ryan and slide the ball in at the far post to make it 2-0.
Mark Bresciano’s introduction added some steel to the Socceroos midfield. Australia continued to look promising in attack, particularly when Mathew Leckie was in possession.
Spain sprung the Australian offside trap in the 82nd minute as Juan Mata ghosted in at the far post to slip the ball past a helpless Ryan making it 3-0 to Spain.
Although they are the current World Champions, the final score of 3-0 flattered the Spaniards, given the performance of the two teams.
Coach Ange Postecoglou’s only two challenges now are to readjust some of the players’ dependence on Tim Cahill’s presence as a source of team self confidence, and to reinforce a world class level of professionalism when it comes to focus and discipline.
