Nigeria 99
World Youth Cup
Preview
This Australian Team has a good chance of gaining our best ever result at this
level. On the surface, and as commented in the media, there are only a few real
stars in the team and a lot of ordinary players. Whilst this is true to some extent,
people have to remember that the "stars" in this team are a level in front of
others in previous teams. These players are not only regulars in the NSL, but half
the best 11 have played for the the senior team - unheard of in previous teams. The rest
are nearly all NSL regulars, and again, traditionally unheard of in the past.
Potentially, this team has quality players as good as, if not better than, the 1991 team
that finished fourth in Portugal. There is no Bosnich, but what about Collosimo for Okon,
and Emerton, Grella and Werhman? They kill the 1993 following team that also
finished fourth with home-ground advantage. The 1995 team, with Viduka running a
strong attack, made the quarters with an ordinary defence. In 1997, the team, which
has members in the current team and was badly effected by injuries, beat the eventual
world champions - it was no fluke either. They won the group but lost meekly to
Japan. Another thing to consider is that some of this team are in the Olympic Team
that defeated Brazil 3 games to 1. It is easy to see why I think this U21 team is
the best since 1991 and have a great chance to go all the way - on paper at least!
Performance wise, they have had a few setbacks at home in losing to Korea and playing poorly, but have remained unbeaten in their warm up games against various Dutch clubs winning all but one game. Their group opponents are Ireland, Mexico and Saudi Arabia. Seems easy but Ireland are in fact the Euro Champions, Mexico the Concacaf and the Saudis, while finished 3rd to qualifier, drew with Korea shortly before the Koreans beat Australia 3-2 and 5-1. Australia have the Saudis first and must win, followed by Mexico then Ireland. Australia have generally had no real problems with Concacaf teams (well, who does?) and has beaten Mexico before and all levels. Ireland are an unknown quantity but Euro teams have not really troubled Aussie teams at this level. It is the African teams that do. I'd certainly expect the Saudis to be beaten - easily - and at least draws from the other two games should guarantee qualifying for the next phase. Not making the knockout stage would certainly be deemed as failure, and after that, anything can happen. Provided Australia meets no African teams, I certainly believe that reaching the final is a chance.
4 April 1999: Lacklustre Australia defeat Saudi
Arabia - first game
Australia defeated SA 3-1 in a rather workmanlike fashion over night and showed
in the process that they are indeed a quality side capable of going a long way.
Though there were a few moments of complacency and sloppiness, the occasions Australia
moved forward with precise and crisp passing, and speed, they looked real good and kept
possession well. They were able to constantly get into great scoring positions with
deadly passes and beating defenders whilst SA's main chances came from free-kicks and
sloppy turnovers from the Australians.
After the first 15 minutes of feeling-out, Maisano was on the end of a wonderful Emerton pass that brilliant goalkeeping thwarted the point-blank chance. There was also a free header from a free kick. On the half hour Besciano played a wonderful through-ball to Maisano who cut back and played the ball to Culina who slotted it home from near the penalty spot. Minutes later, Dabo from SA rattled the cross-bar from a free kick. Earlier in the game, he was not too far away from a near-40 metre strike. Australia played out the rest of the half in the 33 degree conditions and were untroubled from the Saudis.
SA came out in the second half and applied constant pressure from the first 10 minutes. Though dominating, they did not get any worthwhile strikes on goal and Australia were just content to hit them on the break. They looked dangerous too and shortly later, Culina was put through and set up Maisano for an easy tap-in. His kangaroo-hop celebration was brilliant! Five minuets later, Bresciano broke through, this time down the left. His low cross was missed by the first Australian but bounced in off a Saudi player for an own-goal. Not much action followed until SA scored with a wonderful header by Dabo in the dieing minutes against a casual Australian defence to give them a consolation goal.
Mexico is next and a win will put Australia through to the next phase. Actually, with the top 2 and the best 4 third place getters, most of the better teams will get through. Despite the sloppy turnovers, which they will have to improve on as the better teams will surely exploit, it was a good performance and there is no reason why this team cannot defeat Mexico. The SBS commentators feel that the quality in this team may match that of 91, and with all the NSL, National team, and even European experience that the players have, I agree.
8 April 1999: Australia pay for the Errors of their
Ways - second game
Mexico defeated Australia 3-1 overnight in a game that reflected the dominance of the
Mexicans. Though they were inclined to cheat by diving for free-kicks and even
handballing, they played far superior stuff in general play. Again Australia's
tendency to give away possession in their opponent's half constituted most of the trouble
caused by Mexico. Against a team that closed down Australia so quickly, Australia's
plan of playing the ball out of defence was constantly thwarted by the Mexican pressure.
A more direct approach and counter attacking would have been better.
Typically, balls played to midfielders had them under direct pressure from a Mexican,
whilst conversely, Australia's marking was poor, especially by the stoppers. They
were more inclined to play a zone defence which conflicts with the formation of 2
stoppers plus a sweeper. Also, runners from deep were not tracked sufficiently
either. These faults showed up in the first game but not exploited by the inferior
Saudis. Even coach Sheinflug described the first games effort as terrible and it was
back to the drawing board! Commentators were perplexed by his comments pre-match,
but in the end, his wisdom proved correct. A win against Ireland - who won 2-0 over
Saudi Arabia and are now on level points with Austalia - must be achieved. A draw or
even a loss may suffice, but to prove themselves as a contender, they will have to turn it
on against the Irish.
Mexico scored after 2 minutes from a free-kick by captain Marquez, in an identical position of that that he scored against Ireland in their 1-0 win. Whilst it was a good free-kick, questions need to be asked concerning the wall and goalie placement. Mexico dominated throughout the half gobbling up the endless Australian turn-overs but only made one great chance when their striker dribbled the goalie only for Bosnar to clear off the line. Earlier, Australia almost scored from a corner but it too was cleared off the line. In injury time, Emerton won possession and sent a superb 50-metre pass to Sterjovski who sprinted away and blasted it past the goalie. 1-1 at half time.
Australia played a bit better early on but it was Mexico that soon made all the incursions. One such venture forward resulted in a penalty awarded when the goalie narrowly missed gathering an attempted dribble around him from the by-line and barely careered into the Mexican. He milked the minuscule contact for all that was worth, which included leaping into the air to accentuate the contact, much to the annoyance of goalie Breaden. He could be heard telling him, "to get up you fucking little cunt". The penalty was placed well with Breaden going the wrong way. Australia now made two substitutions bringing on Invincibile and Terminello for Bresciano and Grella which produced a much more attacking team with chances created instantly. A good move as the defensive, anchor-type midfielder in Grella, was producing nothing. Indeed, Australia seem to have a few of these types of "holding" midfielders - Culina being another - that seem to just piss-fart around with the ball, try and beat an opponent, and if they do, play silly little passes to players in no better position that they were in when the first received the ball, or have it intercepted or won by the scurrying Mexicans. A more immediate and killer pass is what's needed, not this folly. Anyway, half way through the half, Culina, for Australia, blasted a free kick that the goalie parried onto the cross-bar. Minutes later, a deliberate handball in the box gave Australia a penalty with Culina to take it. Unfortunately, he tamely struck the ball and it was saved. Where was that blast? Culina did seem a weird choice as I have never seen him as a true finisher. It could have been 2-2, but in the end, Mexico again cut through Australia's meagre defence and scored from a cutback to an unmarked runner.
With a neutral goal-difference and Euro Champions Ireland to play, a more complete, error-free performance is what's required for the next game. Australia has shown that they can cut through defences, as they have done in both games so far, but must eradicate this tendency of meekly giving away critical possession.
11 April 1999: Australia Down and Out as Euro
Champs hand out a footballing lesson
Australia has been eliminated from the World Youth Cup in the first round for the
first time since 1987 when the Euro and eventual World Champions, Yugoslavia, beat them
4-0. A sense of deja vu materialised as Ireland did likewise over an Australian team
that was short on cohesion and tactical nous. Though the skill level of Australia seemed
to match most of that of the Irish and Mexicans, it was the poor teamwork, poor defending
and poor game-plans that conspired to bring Australia undone. Most disturbing was the
constant turnovers, and lack of urgency in attack. This team was one of the most
experienced ever and there is no way they should have performed as bad as they did.
The constant turnovers in their own half due mainly to poor passing and passing to people
already under pressure, and the lack of inventiveness and cohesion were apparent.
Against Saudi Arabia, they got away with it. Against Mexico, they nearly would have
to if the penalty had been scored. And Ireland simply exposed, and exploited
the Australian weaknesses in defence and in tactics. Conceding eight goals, most of them
soft, will get you no where. The attack had its moments, but with no Viduka or the
like, the constant good positions Australia got themselves into could not be converted
into scoreboard superiority. It will be interesting to see how Mexico and
Ireland go in the tournament, but my feeling is that Australia let a golden opportunity go
by. England and Germany (Euro runners-up) are out. Brazil and Argentina are
struggling, and the field is very even. Again, a lack of preparation must be to
blame. There really is not that much difference, skill wise, to any of the teams in
Nigeria. The random friendlies and 5 warm-up games in Holland simply failed to
prepare a well-drilled, tactically sound and cohesive team.
From the whistle, it was clear Ireland, only needing a draw to qualify, were intent to sit back and hit Australia on the break. The pattern of the match emerged immediately with Australia's patient build-up game inevitably proving ineffective against an Irish team that got men back very quickly when possession was lost. Unlike Mexico, Ireland allowed Australia possession and only pressured them once they approached the Irish lines. There, the inevitably turnover brought on by Irish pressure, resulted in swift and deadly counter attacks. Blackburn Rover's Damien Duff was simply too good for Australia and eventually they had to double team him. A number of incursions brought a number of Irish half-chances and corners, while Australia's best one was a brilliant play that resulted in a Bresciano cross narrowing going out of reach of Sterjovski at the far post. These moments of Australian offensive brilliance were apparent throughout the tournament, but could not be maintained, as quite simply, possession could not be maintained. Half way through, an Irish short corner played to Duff resulted in a lovely cross that was headed in at close range by a totally unmarked Sadlier. Disgraceful defending, and this effectively ended the game as shortly after, Australia's best chance and resultant goal was disallowed for offside. Now Australia really had to take it up to Ireland, whilst Ireland could just sit back and hit back.
This is what exactly happened as the second half got under way and Australia brought on speedy attackers in Invincibile and Care. Australia produced several goal-mouth opportunities in the first few minutes and dominated possession and play for 25 minutes, but to no avail. Duff had been kept quiet, but Australia just could not penetrate Ireland. Conversely, Ireland's possessions were turned into brisk attacks via cross-park long-balls, or passes straight to the strikers running at full pelt. Eventually Ireland caught Australia out with Duff, after being passed the ball after Ireland yet again received another sloppy turnover, beat 3 defenders and scored at the near post. Two minutes later, Duff's opposite number down the right, received a long ball, skipped past Wilson, and passed a short-cross to his unmarked team mate. Australia did have a couple of close calls but it was not their day. The best chance of which was a header that was cleared off the line after a goal mouth scrimmage. In injury time, Ireland sealed Australia's fate after an air-striker from one of the Irish strikers fell nicely to another, who duly slotted it home. 4-0. An unkind scoreline that merely emphasised what teamwork, tactics and good defending could achieve. Australia only needed a draw to go through as the the best third place getter and that shocking first Irish goal proved to be the setback that they could not come-back from.
So what now? Potential unfulfilled, that is what. After the jubilation of winning the first game, coach Scheinflug's comments of "back to the drawing board" were prophetic to the end. We all saw the danger signs in that game, and the soft Saudi goal scored, but hoped that all would be remedied for the next games. It was not and lack of a decent preparation is the blame. After Iran and the Oceania Cup, you think Australia would have learned. The Woman's world Cup is next - in July - followed by the Olympics next year. Regarding the Olympics, decent preparations must start this winter if this Australian team is going realise the potential we all hope it has. Personnel wise, this U21 team will spawn only a few first eleven players in the Olympic team - namely Colosimo, easily the best Australian player, and one of the best in Nigeria, and Emerton. Defender Lindsay Wilson also played well helping out in many lethal attacks, and defending stoutly. With the older, the overseas, and the 3 over-age players to come in, hopefully there will be no nasty legacies left from Nigeria that could corrupt Australia's chances for a Gold Medal.
12 April 1999: Australia Confirmed to be Out - What
went wrong?
First off, it has to be said that the disallowed goal for offside scored by
Maisano was legitimate. This would have left the game at 1-1 and totally changed the
complexion of the game. Australia would not have to have gone chasing the game as
hard as they did in the second half because a draw most likely would have been enough to
qualify. We all remember Iran, shit happens.
Quite simply, and that has been mentioned in the game reports, poor defence and poor team-work. Lack of preparation can be blamed, but most disturbingly, a component that so many Australian teams in the past excelled at, failed them: defending. Even the goal conceded against Saudi Arabia had ramifications later on. You see, if goal difference had been 2 goals better, Australia would have entered the Irish game only needing a draw to qualify hence putting the onus on Ireland to get the result.
Three goals stood out as exceptionally poor, but really, nearly all should have been avoided. I can't think of any goal conceded that was due to the opposition cutting through a concerted Australian defence. The first goal against Mexico where Bosnar should have been on the line instead of no-mans land worrying about a Mexican floating about. For the ball to reach him, it would have to go through the wall, or looped over, and in that case, Bosnar would have been able to intercept it any how. Failing that, someone else should have monitored him as protecting the vulnerable side of the goal was paramount. What is worst, the free-kick was in the exact same position that Mexico scored against Ireland in the first game. Was anybody watching it? At 2-1 to Mexico, Griffiths, who was chasing a Mexican, simply stopped and pointed to others to continue tracking him in case the just released pass was returned. Why? It was returned and a goal scored. Keep tracking him and it would have been stopped. Griffiths' may be a striker, but that is no excuse. The third goal was the early one against Ireland which was just appalling and put Australia right on the back foot. The Irishman was totally unmarked and the goal was one of those cheap ones that really frustrate the team conceding them as they should be stopped. Though Maisano's goal should have been allowed, it looked clearly offside from first impressions and even the Australians did not protest. Also, nearly all referees are inept enough to call situations like that as offside and blaming referees is not the way to go. Them funking up has to be factored into the equation and allowances made for them.
Australia also lacked a killer striker, but nothing could be done about that other than playing more directly and quickly to give strikers immediate cracks instead of having to beat an opponent first. The pleasing thing about this team was that they could tear defences apart and get into good positions, but needed someone to finish. Conversely, the constant loss of possessions, especially in their own half was terrible. It seems most of the preparation was concentrated on attack. And quite simply, the preparation, both in style and duration, was not good enough. It is disappointing as this team had the skills and the experience, and seemed to be equal to most, if not all the teams there in that regard. But, they were simply got given the best chance possible, and what hurts most, is that it is potential unfulfilled. Losing is OK when it is in spite of your very endeavours, but not when it is because of them. We suffered it against Iran, and we have now suffered it again.
Interestingly, Nigeria sacked their coach despite making the knockout stage, yet, what will we do?
Round 1 Results:
Nigeria vs Costa Rica 1-1, Germany vs Paraguay 4-0. 50 metre goal scored by Germany
Ghana vs Croatia 1-1, Argentina vs Kazakstan 1-0
Australia vs Saudi Arabia 3-1, Mexico vs Ireland 1-0. Euro Champs beaten
Mali vs Uruguay 2-1, Portugal vs Korea 3-1
Cameroon vs Japan 2-1, USA vs England 1-0
Zambia vs Honduras 4-3, Spain vs Brazil 2-0.
Round 2 Results:
Nigeria vs Germany 2-0, Paraguay vs Costa Rica 3-1
Ghana vs Argentina 1-0, Croatia (with Australian Seric playing) vs Kazakstan 5-1
Mexico vs Australia 3-1, Ireland vs Saudi Arabia 2-0
Mali vs Portugal 2-1, Uruguay vs Korea 1-0
Cameroon vs England 2-0, Japan vs USA 3-1
Brazil vs Honduras 3-0, Spain vs Zambia 1-1
Notes on Round Robin
England, who lost all 3 games is out and the only team not to score.
Germany, the Euro runner-up is out
Zambia the only African to miss out despite a 1-1-1 record
Japan the only Asian to go through
Round 3 Results:
Paraguay vs Nigeria 2-1, Costa Rica vs Germany* 2-1
Ghana vs Kazakstan* 3-0, Argentina vs Croatia 0-0
Ireland vs Australia* 4-0, Mexico vs Saudi Arabia* 1-1
Uruguay vs Portugal 0-0, Mali vs Korea 2-4*
Cameroon vs USA 1-3, Japan vs England* 2-0
Honduras* vs Spain 1-3, Zambia* vs Brazil 1-5
* denotes teams eliminated
Eighth Finals
Ireland vs Nigeria 1-1 (5-3), Ghana vs Costa Rica 2-0
Paraguay vs Uruguay 2-2 (9-10) , Brazil vs Croatia 4-0
Japan vs Portugal 1-1 (5-4), Spain vs USA 3-2
Mexico vs Argentina 4-1, Mali vs Camerooon 5-4 et
Notes: Spain the only Euro team left; every confederation except Oceania
represented.
Mexico and Brazil seem to be the favs; African finalists guaranteed if Spain loses.
All-Afro final impossible. My Tip: Mexico vs Ghana
Quarter Finals
Uruguay vs Brazil 2-1, Mali vs Nigeria 3-1
Spain vs Ghana 1-1 (8-7) 2-1, Japan vs Mexico 2-0
Notes: Four conferderations are represented in the semis - first time
since 1993 when Brazil, Ghana, England & Australia made it.
My Ghana/Mexico Final prediction died on the arse quick smart. Japan caused a huge
upset beating Mexico with two great headers. While Mexico may have had a shocker,
this win by Japan highlights the evenness of the teams, and Australia's wasted
opportunity. Naturally a Japan/Mali final is what I want, but Spain (who really is
the form team) and Uruguay are obviously favourites, especially after both beating Brazil
along the way. Disappointingly though, Uruguay, like Mexico and most of the teams
from these areas have resorted to constant cheating in the form of diving and injury
feigns to progress, even when they clearly don't need to. Despite superiority over
Australia, Mexico were abominable in this field and milked many free-kicks, including the
penalty (and there was that flagrant handball too), and it is a disgrace that this
cheating seems to be in-bred into the players at such a young age.
Australia's coach, Les Scheinflug, received a minor vote of confidence when an SBS phone poll show a 60% support for his continuation as coach, following his appearance on "On the Ball" last Friday. Whilst Scheinflug defended himself admirably, citing his overall record, the fact is that this campaign was a disaster and someone has to be accountable. Lack of funds and preparation, and poor food in Nigeria, was mentioned by Scheinflug as reasons for the performances, which may SA's fault. He also stated that for the sake of a converted penalty, Australia would have made the second round. Whilst that may be true, the team played shit and would have got their undeservedly. Also, Scheinflug mentioned the heat and the three 4pm starts that the team had to make. Well, surely the itinerary was already known before the event so why was not something said then? And why did Australia not bring their own food? Also, it was Scheinflug's choice to prepare in the cold climate of Holland before the tournament, citing better conditions and matches. Maybe if he had prepared in Nigeria, better acclimatisation would have occured and the food problems would have materialised early enough to allow the camp to make other arrangements. Clearly Scheinflug can shoulder some of the blame, if not all of it. Really, he should have been kicking up a stink about the lack of preparation and funds before they left. But no, he was more than happy with the planned arrangements. While he may deserve the benefit of the doubt this time, especially with U17 and the Olympics fast approaching, any future indiscretion of the like must be his last. But he is not alone. With the full team's failure to make the World and Confederation Cups due to coaching errors, and the last U17 team's failure to make their World Youth, it has been a poor couple of years for Australian Soccer Teams.
Semi Finals
Uruguay vs Japan 1-2, Spain vs Mali 3-1
Notes: Japan is the first Asian team to make the final since Qatar in
Australia in 1981. There, they lost heavily to Germany in mud-like conditions.
Spain is the first European team since Portugal in 1991 to make it. Portugal
did win, and along the way, defeated Australia in the semi finals 1-0.
My prediction: Hopefully Japan, but it is hard to ignore Spain.
They are undefeated and are playing well, and coped easily with an in-form Mali.
Japan will rely on a few outstanding players and well drilled team-work that has been
developed through a thorough preparation. (Australia, take note.) The only
thing that may affect Spain is complacency. Regardless, I tip Japan to win 2-1.
Final
Spain vs Japan 4-0
Third Place
Mali vs Uruguay 1-0
Notes: Japan, missing their best player and captain, in Ono, through
suspension, were simply out-classed by Spain. Spain scored early in the game when
the goal-keeper held the call longer than 6 seconds allowed and a free kick was awarded
just inside the box. From there, they never looked back and scored two more before
the break. Whilst only adding one in the second half, the domination was still as
apparent. The result highlights the fact that the "Third-World" still have
a long way to go. While beating one or two noted power teams during a tournament is
obviously possible, especially when these teams have an "off" day, to sustain it
for longer, and against teams in full flight, seems out of the question. Just like
Australia's thumping a the last Confederation Cup, playing an in-form super-power, at full
flight, will see the expected heavy loss, if not, certainly out-classed. This is what the
unbeaten in-form Spain did to Japan. On the bright side, more lesser nations to finish 2nd
and 3rd is still a remarkable performance.
Unfortunately, and as usual, no games other than the final and Australia's games were shown on either free or pay TV - a great disappointment - so it is difficult to determine how the tournament went. Suffice to say, the crowds were generally poor, and the European teams' relative snubbing of the tournament is something FIFA will have to address. Maybe penalise them at senior level? The cry for more spots, yet at youth levels, they snub the tournaments and FIFA's total globalisation ethos. They are only concerned with themselves. For Australia, many questions will have to be asked, especially on how seriously they take the tournament themselves. Clearly the poor preparation hindered the team's potential. The fact that Japan, a team Australia has generally thrashed over the years did so well, makes these questions even more pertinent. On the positive side, the football was good and very exciting. Pity there was not enough coverage.
Round Robin Matches
04 Apr 99 16:00 IBADAN AUS - KSA 3:1 (1:0)
04 Apr 99 19:00 IBADAN MEX - IRL 1:0 (1:0)
07 Apr 99 16:00 IBADAN AUS - MEX 1:3 (1:1)
07 Apr 99 19:00 IBADAN KSA - IRL 0:2 (0:1)
10 Apr 99 16:00 IBADAN AUS - IRL 0:4 (0:1)
10 Apr 99 19:00 IBADAN KSA - MEX 1:1 (1:1)
Final Table
Team GP W D L GF GA + / - Pts
Mexico 3 2 1 0 5 2 3 7
Republic of Ireland 3 2 0 1 6 1 5 6
Australia 3 1 0 2 4 8 -4 3
Saudi Arabia 3 0 1 2 2 6 -4 1
* Australia and Saudi Arabia eliminated
Round of Sixteen
14 Apr 99 16:00 KANO IRL - NGA 1:1 a.e.t. (1:1, 1:0) 3:5 PSO
14 Apr 99 16:00 KADUNA GHA - CRC 2:0 (1:0)
14 Apr 99 19:00 LAGOS PAR - URU 2:2 a.e.t. (2:2, 0:1) 9:10 PSO
14 Apr 99 19:00 CALABAR BRA - CRO 4:0 (2:0)
15 Apr 99 16:00 BAUCHI JPN - POR 1:1 a.e.t. (1:1, 0:0) 5:4 PSO
15 Apr 99 16:00 PORT HARCOURT ESP - USA 3:2 (3:0)
15 Apr 99 19:00 IBADAN MEX - ARG 4:1 (0:1)
15 Apr 99 19:00 ENUGU MLI - CMR 5:4 a.e.t. (4:4, 1:3)
Quarterfinals
18 Apr 99 16:00 LAGOS URU - BRA 2:1 (1:1)
18 Apr 99 16:00 ENUGU MLI - NGA 3:1 (2:1)
18 Apr 99 19:00 IBADAN JPN - MEX 2:0 (2:0)
18 Apr 99 19:00 KADUNA ESP - GHA 1:1 a.e.t. (1:1, 0:0) 8:7 PSO
Semifinals
21 Apr 99 16:00 KADUNA MLI - ESP 1:3 (0:2)
21 Apr 99 19:00 LAGOS URU - JPN 1:2 (1:2)
Match for 3rd place
24 Apr 99 14:00 LAGOS URU - MLI 0:1 (0:1)
Final
24 Apr 99 17:00 LAGOS JPN - ESP 0:4 (0:3)