Melaka: Despite conceding a goal in the first half, Syria worked their way back into the game against Australia and in the end salvaged a well-deserved draw thanks to a late penalty from Omar Al Soma in their FIFA World Cup 2018 Russia Continental Play-off first leg tie at the Hang Jebat Stadium on Thursday..
Firas Fantastic
It was perhaps a surprising decision from Syrian coach Ayman Al Hakeem to leave star midfielder Firas Al Khatib on the bench, but in hindsight it was a shrewd tactical move.
As Australia started to tire in the tough conditions, Al Hakeem deployed Al Khatib in the final 15 minutes as Syria were starting to get on top and his introduction swung the game entirely in the Qasioun Eagles’ favour.
In his 14-minute cameo, Al Khatib linked up well with the Syrian attack, and often got in behind the Australian backline, creating a number of goal-scoring chances.
His introduction also lifted the tempo of his team, which can’t be reflected in stats. But by keeping him fresh, Al Hakeem will have him fit and firing for the second leg.
Mooy Masterclass
Australia were the better team for the best part of the first 60 minutes and a lot of that was down to the masterful performance of Huddersfield Town midfielder Aaron Mooy.
His exquisite vision and passing created numerous chances for Australia, particularly in the first half when the Socceroos controlled the game. His stats for the night were remarkable: 125 touches and 101 passes, a staggering number for an individual player, at an accuracy of 82 percent.
Aaron Mooy's passes against Syria
As evidenced by the graphic above, he controlled the midfield for the Socceroos, firing off passes in every which direction and dictating the tempo of the play. He was head and shoulders above any other Australian player on the park.
Sticking to his guns
A lot has been made of Australia’s move to a back three under Ange Postecoglou, and coming in to this game many pundits in Australia were questioning whether the head coach should adopt a more pragmatic approach for these FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifying play-offs.
But as shown in the average positions (above), while he opted for more defensive-minded wing-backs in Josh Risdon (#19) and Aziz Behich (#16), the two still pushed forward at every opportunity and played very attacking games.
This is also evidenced by their heat map, which shows they stuck to their respective touchlines and did the majority of their work in their own attacking half.
With both teams having now had the chance to size each other up and, at times showing the opposition the threat they pose, the tie is tantalisingly poised ahead of the second leg in Sydney on Tuesday.
Photos: AFC & Lagardère Sports
Source: the-afc.com