It might have been a different story. Omar Al Soma, last week��s Syrian goalscorer in the 1-1 draw that set up such a tense game in Sydney, had stunned the home side inside six minutes and prompted a wave of early panic inside the stadium. Even after Cahill had helped ease those fears, Al Soma very nearly struck a decisive blow with a free-kick that struck Mathew Ryan��s upright in the final minute. A 2-2 draw on the night would have sent Syria through. Such are the margins.
��I had belief in the players and in what we do,�� Postecoglou said. ��I have real conviction in the way we do things and part of that process is that we Matt Moore Youth jersey know we wear teams down and they have to work awfully hard to stay with us. That��s the kind of game we��re built for and we keep going right until the end and make sure when the whistle goes, we��re the ones still standing.��
Another two-legged tie, likely against Panama or Honduras of the Concacaf region, in November is the Socceroos�� prize for a heart-stopping victory that puts Syria out of the David Schlemko Jersey running. For Postecoglou, who was shouldering intense pressure going into this game, his tenure continues for at least another two games.
Postecoglou is his own man and has always done things his own way. Tuesday was no different, with his team selection raising eyebrows when it was announced hours before the kick-off: out went Aaron Mooy, last week��s standout player in Malacca, and in came Tom Rogic. Cahill, who turns 38 in December, got the nod to lead the line while Brad Smith, who endured a torrid time against Japan at the end of August, and James Troisi also started.
It was a statement of attacking intent but the Socceroos could not have got off to a worse start. With just five minutes on the clock, Mark Milligan lost the ball cheaply in the middle of the park and Syria made him �C and Australia �C pay dearly. As the visitors broke at pace Al Soma received the ball from Tamer Hag Mohamad and kept his http://www.officialauthenticsaintsstore.com/Nike-Archie-Manning-Jersey.html cool, finishing astutely past Ryan. Postecoglou later said it was a ��dumb goal to concede��.
Cue delirium among those in the 42,136-strong crowd sporting white, red and black. The main section of Syrian fans, mostly assembled behind the goal at the opposite end, had already made their presence felt. Against a complex political backdrop and divided loyalties towards their conflict-ravaged country, the national anthem was sung with gusto by those inside the stadium �C outside protests against Bashar al-Assad��s regime had been staged before kick-off.
Their counterparts in gold were left stunned. This was not going how their night was supposed to pan out. To their credit, the Socceroos responded well to the early blow and, off the back of what was superficially a moment of misfortune, the tide turned in the hosts�� favour. Smith, having picked up what looked like a hip injury, could play no further part; enter Mooy in his place, to cap his exile at a touch over 10 minutes.