Australia 0-0 Saudi Arabia Player Ratings as controversy rules out a late winner for the Saudis

In what was a rather important showdown in the Asia World Cup Qualifications, Australia took on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as both sides sought to secure their place into the next round. With both sides equally matched for points on the board, the Aussies had the higher position owing to a +1 goal difference. That said, the Saudis have been fierce competitors throughout and will look to once again show that on their way to World Cup qualification. 

From the get-go, both sides seemed calm on the ball and tried to build up from the back. Whilst the Saudis had the better of the first half, the Aussies ended the half strong and could well have had their noses in front. The second half saw the Socceroos in command, but fail to put away any of the chances they created. That said, the main talking point of the game comes from the goalmouth drama in stoppage time when a Saudi goal from a freekick was disallowed.  

Whilst the referees adjudged the Saudi Arabia defender Ali Albulayhi in front of goalkeeper Joe Gauci to be interfering with his line of sight, it was possibly the fact that he was offside that truly made their decision to disallow the goal, which was subsequently backed up by VAR as well.

All in all, the game was very watchable, as both sides demonstrated more quality than any neutral may have given them credit for. Whilst the late goal being disallowed will frustrate Saudi Arabia, there is still a chance of them qualifying for the next round. 

Australia Player Ratings vs Saudi Arabia

Goalkeeper

Joe Gauci: 6/10- Gave a solid account of himself and justified his selection over the veteran Matt Ryan. Held his nerve during the 1v1 in the closing moments of the first half to keep his team from falling behind. Could and will do better with his passing distribution as time goes on. 

Defenders

Cameron Burgess: 6/10- Slightly clunky at times but did well enough to hold off all threats and thump the ball away. Did get outdone on occasion but ensured that he recovered as soon as possible.

Harry Souttar: 7/10- Solid at the back and tried to be a threat going forward from set pieces. Did not give the Saudi attackers much to work with and played out of his area quite well, except on a few occasions where he misplaced a couple of long balls. 

Jason Geria: 6/10- Had a shaky start to the game and was at times left outnumbered on the right. Regardless, Geria did well to hold off the opposition until the end of the game where he recklessly dove in and gave away a foul near the box, which quite nearly resulted in a game-deciding goal.

Midfielders

Jordan Bos: 5.5/10- Grew into the game after a poor first half, but failed to offer anything substantial going forward and had to be bailed out by his center half on occasion after being caught out. Lost the ball an alarming number of times and other than helping the backline out at times, didn’t have a remarkable game.

Jackson Irvine: 7/10- Very active throughout covering every blade of grass. Was slightly unlucky to not put his team in the lead after his curling effort went slightly above the top right corner. Made sure to get busy throughout and break up play wherever possible, winning his aerial duels as well. 

Aiden O’Neill: 8/10- Had a productive day in midfield, getting stuck in and disrupting play whenever possible. Was surprisingly accurate with some of his passes and occasionally managed to put one of his teammates through on goal. 

Lewis Miller: 6/10- Slightly poor on the day, with an unfortunate miss and a few questionable passes here and there. After getting outdone by his opponent number near the start of the game, was much more confident in the second and pushed higher up the pitch at times. 

Attackers

Riley McGree: 6/10- Ran himself ragged trying to create something or nick a goal himself. Was extremely unlucky on a couple of occasions and could have snatched a dramatic winner for his side with an overhead kick that went wide of the mark. A deeply frustrating day for the attacker. 

Ajdin Hrustić: 7/10- Was instrumental in the Aussie attack and looked like the man to inspire something for the side. Created opportunities for his teammates and had few attempts at goal himself. Looked really up for the contest but was unlucky to have had to be replaced due to injury at halftime.

Mitchell Duke: 7/10- A tireless outing from the forward who was well on course to add to his goal tally when he was upended right on the edge of the box. Carried on despite not being awarded the penalty and was a handful for the Saudi Arabia defense.  

Substitutes

Nishan Velupillay: 6/10- Made a lively impact when he came on, delivering some good crosses and even made a good run into the box where he was brought down. Was extremely unlucky to have picked up the injury, as he had brought a much-needed spark to the side. 

Brandon Borrello: 7/10- Possibly the most impactful of the substitutes, brought a physicality to the attack and tried to link the play. Nearly found a goal and an easy assist but was let down by a slight lack of quality on both occasions. 

Anthony Caceres: N/A

Aziz Behich: N/A

Kusini Yengi: N/A

Manager

Tony Popovic: 6/10 – Set his side up too defensively and perhaps with not-the-best selection of players to win the game. Regardless, managed a good game and was unlucky not to have won the contest considering the chances his side was able to create. 

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Saudi Arabia Player Ratings vs Australia

Goalkeeper

Ahmed Al-Kassar: 6/10 – Extremely lucky not to have been sent off in the first 15 minutes of the game. Did not have much to save despite the Aussies getting good chances, and made a vital save from close range in the second half. Could have done much much better with his distribution as well. 

Defenders

Yasir Al-Shahrani: 7/10- Had a very measured performance, and ended further up the pitch rather than having to defend. Did both his duties diligently and led his side well. Perhaps could have done slightly better with his crosses to try and pick out someone in a better position to score. 

Ali Albulayhi: 7/10- Much like his usual self, was out to stifle the opposition defenders at times and got into a few tussles with the Aussie players. Had he been more alert and gotten back onside near the end, his side would have been going home with three points. 

Hassan Al Tambakti: 7/10- Active and on hand whenever the Aussies attacked. Had a good outing at the heart of the defense and made some key interventions from time to time. Was surprisingly calm and collected with the ball at his feet and while playing out. 

Saud Abdulhamid: 8.5/10- A solid performance from the right back who since the get-go showed how comfortable he was in possession and was hardly fazed when it came to bombing forward or holding his ground and defending. Made a game-saving last-ditch tackle to keep his side in the game in the second half.

Midfielders

Faisal Al-Ghamdi: 7/10- The talented midfielder did well in the heart of midfield, turning over possession and spraying it out to his teammates. Was slightly hard done by some of his teammates when left on his own to defend or turn with the ball into a horde of Aussie players. 

Nasser Al-Dawsari: 6/10- Put in a solid shift, showing for the ball, and did his part in trying to get stuck in defensively as well. Could have done better to have been a little more confident and alert on the ball at times. 

Musab Al Juwayr: 6/10- Quite a middling performance from the midfielder who found it difficult to grow into the game and get things going for his side. Was largely overshadowed by his opposite number in midfield and hooked early into the second half for it. 

Attackers

Firas Al-Buraikan: 7/10- Started well on the left side of the attack, making some very good advances into the box and finding his teammates in good positions with some incisive passing. However, he faded quite quickly in the second half and his replacement showed exactly what was missing. 

Marwan Alsahafi: 6/10- Slightly over-eager to get something out of the game and ended up not having attempts by the end. Made a terrible blunder that could have gotten his side a goal instead had he been slightly more aware. 

Saleh Al-Shehri: 6/10- Drifted in and out of the game and had little impact on the field at times. Didn’t take up good positions in the box and hardly imposed himself on the opponent’s center backs.

Substitutes

Abdullah Al-Hamdan: 7/10- Made a difference on the left flank since he came on and made life difficult for the opposing fullback. Was key in drawing the foul that eventually led to Saudi Arabia’s disallowed goal. 

Sultan Al-Ghannam: 6/10- Was nearly the visitor’s hero of the night after he plucked the ball out of the air and sent it barreling through into the bottom corner. Will feel hard done by with the decision and having his moment taken away from him. 

Abdullah Alkhaibari: N/A

Awn Al Saluli: N/A

Abdullah Radif: N/A

Manager

Hervé Renard: 7/10- Has done well to set up his side since his return with the side clearly playing a much higher quality of football than before. Unfortunately, they are still lacking some firepower up front which could be a worry in the latter stages of the qualification. 

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