Australia’s valiant performances deserve huge recognition, even though they picked up a 2-1 loss to Argentina in the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup.
In relation to the overall quality of the Australian side and the sort of performances they put, they were probably one of the best teams in the competition. They were well-oiled and well organised throughout their four games and showed that they can never be taken for granted till the very last minute against Argentina.
The expectations were low when the tournament started but they exceed all of them and gave the country a tournament to remember for a while.
Most impressive player: Harry Souttar was Australia’s best player, quite clearly. He impressed against Argentina as well and he was constantly marshaling the Aussies’ backline during the tournament, despite having recovered from an ACL injury only recently. His performances could well hand him a big move to the Premier League.
Biggest disappointment: Since there were low expectations, it is incredibly tough to determine a disappointment and it will be unfair to do so.
Grade: A – A big overperformance, which was brought about by some excellent collective performances.
GWFN
