Socceroos rebel ends Saudi Arabia's, 2014 Brazil World Cup qualifier Match

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              Saudi Arabia Vs Australia (2012)

      2                 -             4

Despite being led 2-1, Australian’s amazing effort to score 3 goals within only 5 minutes of the second half killed Saudi Arabia’s dream to join the upcoming World Cup party.  Alex Brosque became a hero of the team after scoring twice that allowed the Australian to take the lead till the end of the battle. This victory puts more fire and reinforces the Socceroos right for the ticket to Brazil World Cup in 2014.      

Fueled with a determination to win, Saudi Arabia started the game with a fast and fire play right from the beginning. Their effort paid dividend when young Salem Al Dawsari got the ball on the Australian side. After skillfully dodging one Australian player, Salem quickly ran pass another to face directly to Schwarzer. And instead of involving others of his team, he delivered a big splash from about 30 meter distance to the left-hand corner of the goal, beating Schwarzer in front of the Socceroos’ amazed eyes.

The first goal did not serve as a wake-up call for the Australian players. In fact, they followed faithfully their defense-and-counterattack tactics. Until the 42nd minute, Alex Brosque, who arguably in an off-side position, received the ball from a clever pass-through by Bresciano. With the majority of the Saudi’s players still way behind after their attack, Alex successfully completed a final touch to bring the ball pass Saudi’s goalkeeper despite of Osama Hawsawi’s desperate effort. The match was even.

However, it was not for long. Three minutes later, right before the break time, Nassir Ali Alshamrani, who was freely in inside the 16m50 area, got a golden chance when he received the ball from number 12 Hassan. And of course, he did what he was expected to do, a strong determined kick that allowed Saudi Arabia to take the lead one more time in the first half.

The game continued with both sides having several threatening attempts to their opponents. At the 62nd minute, Lucas Neill was rightfully denied his goal due to off-side. From the stage, it was clear that not only him but also another Australian player were both off-side.

(Lucas Neill is called offside after scoring a goal against Saudi Arabia at AAMI Park. Picture: Michael Dodge)

Source: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/soccer/socceroos-defeat-saudi-arabia-after-second-half-blitz/story-e6frfg8x-1226285562945

The incident made Saudi players relax for a few minutes. In fact, for the next 10 minutes, it seemed that their intention was to maintain the score to the end...until Harry Kewell brought the score even after receiving the ball from Alex.

But that was just the beginning of the tragedy, mistake after mistake of the Saudi defense line cost Saudi Arabia its dream. Within only 2 minutes, Alex Brosque and Brett Emerton each scored one goal for themselves from their excellent combinations. Alex’s second goal was the result of his combination with Brett, while Brett’s one was due to Bresciano’s invention and the back-fired attempt of a Saudi defender. 

(Alex Brosque - the hero of the Australian team after his second goal. Picture: Vince Caligiuri)

Source: http://www.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/late-burst-seals-it-for-socceroos-20120229-1u3to.html

Three goals in 5 minutes under a light rain, this was something unbelievable. However, it proved one more time that Coach Holger Osieck’s defense-and-counterattack tactics was just right. Every Australian should be proud of their Socceroos and start thinking about the booking for Brazil in 2014.