World Cup Group B match review: Australia v. the Netherlands at Porto Alegre

The Estádio Beira-Rio, meaning ‘Beside-River Stadium’, in Porto Alegre, capital of the beef-producing and heavily German southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, was the setting for the Socceroos’ second match of the World Cup. And what a match it was.

Arjen Robben was named man of the match, but it will be forever known as the game in which Tim Cahill scored one of the greatest World Cup goals. It was Robben who scored first with a solo effort, dribbling from the halfway line to just outside the six-yard box on the counter-attack in the twentieth minute. Less than sixty seconds later, a loose ball on the right wing was hammered towards the penalty area by a quick-thinking Mathew Leckie. In said area were Cahill, two Dutch defenders, and goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen. The ball landed perfectly at Cahill’s left foot and the former Everton man slammed it in off the underside of the crossbar.

This wasn’t just a miraculous equaliser destined to be wiped out by an inevitable Dutch recovery. The Socceroos had the run of play for the remainder of the half, and when Daryl Janmaat was deemed to have handballed an Australian cross in the fifty-third minute, Mile Jedinak converted the resulting penalty. For four minutes, the Socceroos were leading the masters of totaalvoetbal 2-1.

But before the prospect of beating the Dutch could even be digested, a through ball to Robin van Persie was slotted home for an equaliser. (Van Persie will miss the final group match against Chile after being cautioned for giving Matthew Špiranović a good old-fashioned elbow to the face.) Ten minutes later the men in orange went ahead thanks to a missile delivered on the counter-attack by substitute Memphis Depay. The Socceroos had been outclassed by superior opposition, but they never gave up, achieving forty-eight percent of the possession.

Apart from losing, the only downside for i gialloverdi was the yellow card incurred by Tim Cahill just before the break for collecting Bruno Martins Indi, who landed awkwardly on his shoulder. He will miss the final match against Spain; given how the rest of the team played in the final twenty minutes following his substitution, that’s quite a blow to their chances of getting the scalp of the fallen world champions.

The Socceroos have done us proud, and with an easier draw could have gone as far as did the class of 2006. But there’s still one more match. In five days’ time, they have the chance to stick the knife into the past-their-use-by-date Spaniards in Curitiba. Forza Australia!!!

Australia 2 (Tim Cahill 21’; Mile Jedinak 54’ pen.) – Netherlands 3 (Arjen Robben 20’; Robin van Persie 58’; Memphis Depay 68’)

Cautions: Tim Cahill (Aust.) 43’; Robin van Persie (Neth.) 47’

Man of the match: Arjen Robben (Neth.)