6 days ago
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13 mins: The Socceroos remain on the back foot but their defence continues to hold firm. Francis De Vries swings a cross in from the left side but Australia clear and follow up to close down the second ball. Tony Popovic wanted more energy and positivity from the first whistle, but New Zealand are hardly letting Australia play so far.
11 mins: The All Whites are on the attack again and a high ball causes panic in the box. But Ryan Thomas is not the player New Zealand want to be taking on an aerial chance as Izzo comfortably collects. It’s one-way traffic at the moment.
9 mins: The All Whites create the first opportunity of the game but the shot inside the box is blocked before it tests Socceroos keeper Paul Izzo. New Zealand attacker Ben Old is looking the most likely to spark this game.
5 mins: Hearts leap into Socceroos mouths as Nestory Irankunda is brought to ground in a frightening tackle. Tim Payne didn’t do a great deal wrong as he tried to prevent the Australia livewire from spinning around and taking off down the left sideline. But the manner that Irankunda fell to ground was a worry. The 19-year-old is finally able to get to his feet and limp away.
3 mins: The Socceroos are sporting a new, dark away kit for the first time. Thoughts on an Australian side playing in an all black strip on New Zealand soil? A shot across the bow, perhaps.
3 mins: The All Whites go searching for an opening down the left flank but neither is able to connect a series of passes during a messy opening.
1 min: A cagey opening as the Socceroos lose the ball in their attacking third and the All Whites knock it around the back.
Kickoff
Peeeeeeep! Socceroos attacker Mohamed Toure gets the second leg of the Soccer Ashes started at Go Media Stadium in Auckland
The national anthems are complete and we are just a few minutes away from kickoff.
The average age of the Socceroos starting XI is just 25 years and 331 days.
The last time they fielded a younger starting line up was against Cameroon at the 2017 Confederations Cup. h/t @OptaJason
Australia XI
Socceroos: Paul Izzo, Lewis Miller, Alessandro Circati (capt), Milos Degenek, Cam Burgess, Kye Rowles, Aiden O’Neill, Max Balard, Connor Metcalfe, Nestory Irankunda, Mohamed Toure.
Socceroos coach Tony Popovic kept his cards close to his chest in the pre-match press conference yesterday but is ready to unleash close friends Nestory Irankunda and Mohamed Toure, as well as first-leg goalscorer Max Balard from the first whistle.
But the bigger news is Alessandro Circati being handed the captain’s armband in just his seventh international.
New Zealand XI
All Whites: Max Crocombe, Tim Payne, Francis De Vries, Tyler Bindon, Joe Bell, Chris Wood (capt), Sarprett Singh, Eli Just, Finn Surman, Ben Old, Ryan Thomas.
New Zealand name a strong starting XI as they seek to chase down Australia’s 1-0 aggregate lead. Premier League star striker Chris Wood leads the All Whites.
Tony Popovic has called for his side to play with more “confidence and belief” in the second leg against New Zealand. But the Socceroos boss continues to insist that the young players need to earn their stripes rather than expect to be handed opportunities and international caps.
The point of this exercise was to bring young, talented, potential players for the future and see where they fit in. We’ll be happy either way. We have learnt a lot about them regardless of who gets minutes in this game.
The Socceroos took until the 87th minute to break the deadlock against the All Whites in Canberra on Friday night. A new-look lineup lacked urgency in the midfield potency in the attacking third until coach Tony Popovic injected substitutes Nestory Irankunda, Mohamed Toure and Max Balard into the game. Balard was the last of that trio to join the action and, after picking up a pinpoint pass from Toure, scored just two minutes later to cap a memorable debut.
Preamble
Martin Pegan
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the “Soccer Ashes” football friendly between Australia and New Zealand at Go Media Stadium in Auckland. This is the second match of the double-header after the Socceroos edged the All Whites in a 1-0 victory in Canberra on Friday night.
The Soccer Ashes might be a relatively new concern for the traditional Trans-Tasman sporting rivals to compete over but it comes with an intriguing twist. The winner is decided by the aggregate score over both games – and if scores are level at the end of the second leg tonight, the players head into a penalty shootout.
New Zealand last won the Soccer Ashes back in 1923 but have reason to believe they can reclaim the crown in Auckland. Like the Socceroos, the All Whites have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup and are using these matches as much to hand opportunities to new players as prepare for the global tournament next year.
Australia hold an imposing 42-13 lead in the head-to-head battle, with 11 draws in their 66 clashes, but as we saw on Friday night there is little separating the No 24 and 82-ranked teams at this stage.
Kick-off is at 7pm local time in Auckland / 5pm AEST. I’ll be back shortly with the line-ups and team news. Remember to get in touch with any comments, questions, thoughts and predictions – shoot me an email. Let’s get into it!
