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World Cup 2022: Australia beats Denmark and is in the round of 16

2022-11-30T19:04:54.017Z


He was once sorted out at Hertha – now Mathew Leckie surprisingly shoots the “Socceroos” into the knockout round. And the highly traded Danes as the last group from the tournament.


Enlarge image

Mathew Leckie propelled Australia into the round of 16 with his first World Cup goal

Photo: Rolex dela Pena/EPA

No added value?

Jürgen Klinsmann's time as coach at Hertha BSC was a single misunderstanding - with a furious final punchline.

After Klinsmann resigned from office in winter 2020, the "Bild" published a now famous list.

The former national coach wrote down all Hertha players and evaluated whether they generated “added value” for the club.

Klinsmann wrote briefly about Mathew Leckie: "Always hurt and full, no added value."

That same Leckie was served a through ball in the game against Denmark, wobbled two hooks out of Joakim Maehle and shot in to make it 1-0.

It was one of the most valuable goals in Australian football history.

The result:

Australia won 1-0 (0-0) against Denmark and is in a World Cup round of 16 for the second time since 2006.

In the parallel game, Tunisia won 1-0 (0-0) against a French B-Elf, but could not displace Australia from second place in Group D.

Here is the report of the two games.

The first half:

In the beginning, the game was only interesting – if at all – for tactical nerds.

Australia were deep behind, knowing that unless Tunisia beat France, a draw would be enough to go through.

Denmark, on the other hand, had to beat Australia to advance to the round of 16.

Accordingly, the Danes did more, it was rarely dangerous.

The most secret favorite:

Argentina, Brazil, Spain and of course France.

These teams were considered title contenders before the World Cup.

A shelf below quite a few experts categorized Denmark.

We were talking about secret favorites or alternatively »secret secret favorites«, which at some point were no longer so secret.

The Danes are rid of this status for the time being.

The axis is crumbling:

the central axis was considered the secret of the supposed strength of »Danish Dynamite«.

In goal the eternal Kasper Schmeichel, in front of defender Andreas Christensen, employed by FC Barcelona.

In the center Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg, one of the most stable sweepers in the English Premier League.

And as a playmaker, of course, Christian Eriksen, a year and a half after his cardiac arrest in the European Championship game against Finland.

It doesn't get much better than that.

But the key players found nothing in the tournament.

And the quality is lacking.

Incidentally

, the Danes got into a flow last year after Eriksen was no longer there.

They fought for their best player, advanced to the semifinals.

It felt like everyone was trying to compensate for Eriksen's absence.

This team unity was missing at the World Cup.

Leaving hurts.

After Eriksen's cardiac arrest, most Danes will remember how unimportant football is.

The second half:

Australia got a little stronger, chances remained scarce.

Then a goal was scored in the parallel game.

For Tunisia, who led 1-0 against France.

So Australia AND Denmark would have been eliminated.

A scenario that Leckie probably had in mind when he made his way to his goal in the 68th minute of the game.

After that, the Australians wobbled, but the Danes failed to score.

Smartphones gone:

Australia's coach Graham Arnold gave his players a clear message before the game against Denmark: Cell phones away at night.

He wanted to shield them from the soocer hype that broke out in Australia.

“The players look at the comments until four or five in the morning and enjoy all the shit.

And that influences sleep patterns.«

The 59-year-old speaks from experience.

When he was in charge of Australia's Olympic team in 2021, the players were online until late at night after the opening win against Argentina.

Then came the end of the group phase.

This time the Australians were well rested.

And the coach is euphoric after the win: "Maybe we're talking about a new golden generation."

Tired Aussies:

Many of the 25 million Australians will not be as rested as the players tomorrow.

If you wanted to watch the game in the capital, Canberra, for example, you had to sit in front of the television at 2 a.m.

Still, there were public viewings across the country.

Leckie vs Messi?

There could be a clash with Argentina in the round of 16.

Top star Lionel Messi against Mathew Leckie, who stayed with Hertha despite Klinsmann's scolding, but whose departure in 2021 did not cause any tears in Berlin.

The 31-year-old currently plays for Melbourne City.

Jackson Irvine would get the job as a Messi stopper.

After all, the midfield clearer is the captain of second division club FC St. Pauli.

Source: spiegel

All sports articles on 2022-11-30

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