Forward Mitch Duke, 31, scored with his head (minute 23) his first goal in a World Cup and left Wahbi Khazri’s Tunisia very beaten, who debuted in Doha, with a date remaining for the end of the phase of groups.
The ‘Socceroos’, who won their third game in a World Cup, are second, for the moment, with the same score as the leader France (3). The Tunisians are partially bottom with one point, product of their 0-0 draw against Denmark (third).
The fate of Group D will be clearer once the clash between the French and the Danes ends, who play this Saturday at 16:00 GMT at the 974 stadium in Doha.
Whatever happens, neither Denmark nor Tunisia, which will close the group stage against the ‘Gauls’ on Wednesday, can be eliminated on this date.
– Tee off…again –
Australia, who will play the Nordics on Wednesday, did not let themselves be daunted in hostile territory. The ‘red tide’ of noisy Tunisian fans took over the vast majority of the stands of the Al Jaboul stadium (capacity 44,325 spectators).
Every ball touched by the ‘Socceroos’ was accompanied by whistles. Even so, Graham Arnold’s men sought leadership from the start, in the same line as they showed in the clash against France, in which they started winning.
The attacker Craig Goodwin, author of the goal against the French, this time dressed as an ‘assistant’.
The Adelaide United (AUS) striker fired a tempered cross from the left that Duke turned into a goal with a header to the far post from Aymen Dahmen, key to keeping the scoreless against Denmark.
The score was the prize for a team that opted for control and the initiative, and that minutes before (21) had suffered a scare in a counterattack led by the quick Tunisian captain, Youssef Msakni.
The need for the North Africans to even out the contest loosened the hitherto rigid schemes of both teams, leaving space for the offenses to begin to wear down the opposing defences.
– Khazri to the rescue –
The game, in the final stretch of the first half, turned back and forth, with the ‘Águilas de Cartago’ approaching Mathew Ryan’s goal.
Msakni wasted an opportunity (45+3) with the goal at his mercy, after an attack from the right, the main flank used by Tunisia to attack. Naim Sliti, replacement for Anis Ben Slimane, starter against the Danes, was active in that area.
Jalel Kadri’s men maintained their intensity at the start of the complementary part, but without shaking Ryan. Australia pulled back their lines and their defense, in which Fran Karacic had his World Cup debut, looked solid.
With half an hour to go, Arnold stirred up his midfield (Ajdin Hrustic replaced by Riley McGree) and his offense (Jamie MacLaren for Duke) in an attempt to shake off Tunisian dominance.
Kadri responded by giving the number 10, Wahbi Khazri, one of the heavyweights, his first minutes in Qatar. The entry of the Montpellier (FRA) midfielder motivated his teammates, who finally tested Ryan’s reflexes with a left-footed shot from Msakni (72).
But the possession and momentum of the North Africans were not enough to dirty the Australian captain’s uniform and now the dream of qualifying for the first round of 16 seems distant.
