Craig Goodwin praised the Subway Socceroos’ perseverance in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Bahrain.
This was the Socceroos’ last chance to get the match right before the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 begins on Saturday.
Australia faced a disciplined defensive unit that limited chances and looked to attack Graham Arnold’s side on the break.
The Socceroos managed to break through the Bahrain defense twice in well-executed team moves, with Goodwin involved on both occasions.
He said Australia could expect a similarly disciplined game plan from their opponents throughout the Asia Cup.
“It’s about focusing on the next moment when the game starts, and that’s what we’re going to see throughout this tournament,” Goodwin said.
“I think there will be a lot of situations, especially in the group stage, where we dominate possession and we have to be patient and sometimes we have to move the ball more and just hold ourselves.” I’m looking forward to it. ”
Tweet: https://twitter.com/Socceroos/status/1743776963398127999
Goodwin scored Australia’s second goal with a killer ball, underscoring the importance of attackers creating combinations in the final third.
The winger had two productive crosses in the game, both coming from the left, and said it was the result of this good combo play that he was looking for.
“I think that’s something we’re starting to work on,” he said.
“Combination football in the final third, and obviously going into this Asian Cup we’re going to have more possession of the ball. So we have to be very good in those areas. Be patient and decisive.
With that in mind, I hope we can play really good soccer heading into this group stage.
Goodwin also commented on the heated nature of the match, with both teams treating the match as a competitive test.
He said the team aims to reach a high level of competitiveness in every match.
“That’s what we talked about, it’s just a friendly when you put the jersey on, there’s no friendly,” he said.
“We said before the match that we want to have the attitude we want to have during the Asia Cup, we want to win every match and we have to be ruthless in every moment.
Just like we did during the World Cup, we will apply that passion to our matches at the Asian Cup.
The Socceroos begin their Asia Cup campaign against India on Saturday and will be aiming for an early three points to get the best possible start in the group stages.
Goodwin said the team is excited to finally compete for a silver medal again.
“Everyone is really excited about the Asia Cup and the opportunity to represent our country in a major tournament,” he said.
“So we’ll have to be patient for a few more days before we leave.”
Subway Soccer AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ Match Schedule (Group B):
Australia v India
Saturday, January 13, 2024
Al Rayyan’s Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium
kick off: 2:30pm local time (10:30pm AEDT)
broadcast: Network 10 and Paramount+
Syria v Australia
Thursday, January 18, 2024
Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha
kick off: 2:30pm local time (10:30pm AEDT)
broadcast: Network 10 and Paramount+
Australia v Uzbekistan
Tuesday, January 23, 2024
Al Janob Stadium, Doha
kick off: 2:30pm local time (10:30pm AEDT)
broadcast: Network 10 and Paramount+
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