Key events
“A clinic in Canberra”. That’s how the Socceroos’ social media account has described tonight’s game. I wouldn’t go quite that far but it was one of the better attacking performances of the last couple of years, with some exciting glimpses of the future. A record crowd of 25,023 should go home sated.
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2 min Kusini Yengi scored his first international goal from a magnificent Craig Goodwin cross
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47 min Bassel Jradi scored an unfortunate own goal after Harry Souttar’s header was saved
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48 min Goodwin waved a superb third from the edge of the area
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68 min The debutant Patrick Yazbek made a first international goal for John Iredale, who had just come on
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81 min Goodwin tapped in his second after good play from Iredale on the right.
The state of play in Group I
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Australia P4 Pts 12
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Palestine P3 Pts 4
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Lebanon P4 Pts 2
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Bangladesh P3 Pts 1
It’s currenetly goalless between Bangladesh and Palestine after an hour.
John Iredale’s reaction
It means the world to me personally, and to the boys. We set out to score more goals tonight and we’re pleased we did that.
It’s really special when you come from the same youth team [as Patrick Yazbek] to share a goal and assist. As soon as I saw him charging down the left I knew I had to get in the box.
Craig Goodwin’s got an unbelievable left foot, and having him in the squad really boosts our quality. I was really pleased to help him get his second goal.
“From the snippets I’ve seen that was pretty prosaic…” says Chris Paraskevas. “You can feel Arnie’s grip on the job loosening post Asian Cup. His body language is more tetchy than usual. Something isn’t quite right at the moment, a sense that things have become unsettled.
“Fine margins. I really think his tenure will be defined by a 15-minute spell against Korea (and possibly a more positive 15-minute spell against Argentina. As much as this is a PR boost and a ‘good night’ for Football Australia… it’s not enough to start turning the tide of public opinion.”
I wonder whether football fans expect more/too much these days, or whether we are just more exposed to complaints. I’ve no idea. But given that watching sport is something we love, we do spent an awful lot of time in a state of dissatisfaction. I don’t say that critically by the way; I’ve been a horribly entitled brat in the past.
Full time: Lebanon 0-5 Australia
The Socceroos are into the third round of World Cup qualification with a couple of games to spare. An emphatic win over Lebanon was a celebration of both the present and future. Craig Goodwin flaunted his educated left foot, making the first goal and scoring two – the first a beauty – in the second half.
There were also first international goals for Kusini Yengi and John Iredale, as well as assists for Iredale and the debutant Patrick Yazbek. All in all, it was a good night for Graham Arnold.
90+5 min Matar is back on his feet … until Silvera flattens him, a poor and entirely pointless challenge for which he is booked.
90+2 min The Lebanon keeper Mostafa Matar has a problem and is receiving treatment. This one definitely isn’t timewasting.
90 min There will be five added minutes. To what end, we know not.
89 min Look, there’s nothing to report, just a lot of dead time since the fifth goal.
87 min Australia’s record in the second round of qualification now reads P4 W4 D0 L0 F15 A0. Truly, we’ve seen worse.
86 min: Lebanon substitution Jackson Khoury, who was born in New South Wales, comes on for Bassel Jradi.
82 min: Australia substitutions Sammy Silvera and Thomas Deng come on for Mitch Duke and Gethin Jones.
GOAL! Lebanon 0-5 Australia (Goodwin 81)
The celebration of Craig Goodwin continues with his second goal of the night. Jones played a simple ball down the right to Iredale, who made a nice run into space and crossed low into the middle. Shour, stretching towards his own goal, could only divert the ball across the six-yard box to Goodwin. The rest was a formality.
79 min: Lebanon substitution An unhappy Omar Bugiel is replaced by Hasan Srour.
79 min Here’s that sweet hit from Craig Goodwin that put Australia 3-0 up just after half-time.
78 min Now Bitar curls wide from the edge of the area. The Socceroos have lost a bit of focus in the last few minutes.
The crowd at Bruce Stadium is in. A new football record for Canberra at 25,023.
Beats the previous record of 24,800 set when it hosted a doubleheader during the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
— Joey Lynch (@joeylynchy) March 26, 2024
76 min Ryan makes a comfortable save, his first of the night I think, from Bugiel’s header.
73 min Lebanon know their race is run. What they need now is for Bangladesh to take points off Palestine in the other game; it’s 0-0 at half-time.
John Iredale, who only came on 90 seconds ago, has scored his first international goal. The debutant Patrick Yazbek charged down the left, away from a slightly woolly challenge by Khamis, and curled a superb low cross on the run. Iredale sped away from Sharafeddine at the far post and swept the ball into the empty net.
GOAL! Lebanon 0-4 Australia (Iredale 68)
How’s that for an instant impact?
66 min: Double substitution for Australia John Iredale and the debutant Josh Nisbet replace Kusini Yengi, who will remember this night for many a decade, and Connor Metcalfe.
Khalil Khamis was booked just before that, I think for dissent.
64 min Metcalfe plays in the overlapping Jones, whose cross is headed over from eight yards by Duke. It was slightly too high.
Just before that, there was an appeal for a penalty when the ball hit Bitar’s hand. It deflected off his chest, though, so it was the correct decision.
62 min It’s been fairly subdued since that third goal, with both sides knowing that the game is over barring a comeback for the books.
60 min “The game will take care of itself,” says Martin Turnbull, “but a bit of a bugbear of mine – Arnold with his hand over the heart during the anthem. Might be getting long in the tooth but despise creeping Americanisms. Teams going on o-fence and d-fence, which is also happening in the footy. Anyway, let’s get five.”
I can’t speak for Graham Arnold but I do wonder how often gestures like that are a sad (I use that word in the truest sense, while looking in the mirror) attempt to embrace a modern world that the person doesn’t truly understand. I’m not looking forward to growing old and doddery in a post-empathy world.
59 min: Lebanon substitution What, another one? Yep, Gabriel Bitar for Ali Tniech.
58 min: Substitution for Lebanon Karim Darwich replaces the excellent Hassan Maatouk, who at 36 can’t always do the full 90 minutes.
55 min: Socceroos substitution Patrick Yazbek, a 21-year-old of Lebanese descent, replaces Ajdin Hrustic.
54 min The more replays you see, the more you realise Tniech should have been sent off for that tackle on Hrustic. It was born of frustration rather than malevolence but it was still dangerous. And it has done a lot of damage: Hrustic is being helped off by two physios, moving very gingerly.
53 min That was a poor challenge, with Tniech’s studs plunging into Hrustic’s calf, and he is still down. Patrick Yazbek is preparing to come on for his Socceroos debut.
51 min Tniech is booked for taking out Hrustic in frustration after losing the ball.
51 min: Matar hits the bar! Crikey, it’s all happening. Nader Matar runs onto a loose ball 25 yards out and hits an instant, almost angry shot that beats Ryan and clatters off the bar.
Australia broke four on three, with Hrustic on the ball. He scooped it across to Goodwin,18 yards out to the left of centre. He chested the ball and hit the sweetest strike back across Matar into the far corner. Goodwin’s left foot is one big sweet spot tonight.
GOAL! Lebanon 0-3 Australia (Goodwin 48)
Craig Goodwin is having a helluva night out – he has just scored a beauty to make it 3-0.
Goodwin’s big, in-swinging free-kick from the right was met inevitably by Souttar. His downward header was well saved by Matar, diving to his right, but the ball hit Jradi and rebounded miserably into the net.
GOAL! Lebanon 0-2 Australia (Jradi og 47)
The Socceroos scored in the second minute of the first half; they’ve done it again at the start of the second.
46 min Lajud is booked within 30 seconds of coming on. He pulled back Mitch Duke, who was breaking dangerously down the right.
46 min Lebanon get the second half under way.
Half-time substitution Lebanon are bringing on Daniel Lajud, so impressive as substitute on Thursday, for Hassan Chaitou.
Half-time reading
This is terrific* piece from Jonathan Liew, who once again won Columnist of the Year at last night’s big Sports Journalists’ Association bash in London.
* And slightly dispiriting, because we’ve cocked this human experiment thing up, haven’t we
Half time: Lebanon 0-1 Australia
Australia lead in Canberra. The first half was essentially an ode to the left foot of Craig Goodwin. His unplayable cross set up Kusini Yengi’s early goal, Yengi’s first for the Socceroos, and an equally delicious ball was headed against the post by Harry Souttar just before half-time.
Lebanon had some promising moments, usually when their captain Hassan Maatouk was on the ball, but Maty Ryan didn’t have a save to make. Australia are in control and heading for the third round of qualification.
45+2 min Hrustic is wiped out by the lunging Sharafeddine in the D but the referee gives nothing. That was a clear foul and probably a yellow card.
45 min Four minutes of added time.
43 min: Souttar hits the post! Oof, how has he missed that? Goodwin took a short corner on the left, got it back and teased a gorgeous deep cross with the outside of the left foot. It curved onto the head of Souttar, whose downward header from six yards hit the post. For a goal machine like Souttar, that was a great chance.
42 min Corner to Australia on the right. Goodwin’s delivery is a bit flat and forced away at the near post. Australia regain possession and Hrustic has a shot blocked on the edge of the area.
38 min Lebanon win a corner on the right. Maatouk takes it short, gets it back, slips Yengi neatly and hits a cross that is blocked by Duke.
