Australia kept their 2018 World Cup hopes alive with a 3-2 victory at home over Saudi Arabia on Thursday evening. However, if they do manage to qualify for football's showpiece event, they could well be one of the least convincing teams in Russia.

Despite the win, the Socceroos remain in third position in Group B with two matches remaining, trailing both Saudi Arabia and Japan on goals for and against. The Japanese also have a game in hand, in which they will face Iraq next week.

The wash up means that Australia are in no way assured of automatic qualification. At minimum, though, they should at least advance to the fourth round of qualification, where they would likely take on Uzbekistan or South Korea over two legs.

It's a long way from where the reigning champions of Asia would want to be.

Thursday's match in Adelaide was a classic example of the Socceroos' struggles, as they made hard work of overcoming a Saudi side with terrible defensive frailties.

Striker Tomi Juric profited from this in what was an otherwise disjointed first-half performance. The FC Luzern front-man was gifted the opener by goalkeeper Yasser Al Mosailem before he nodded home a second as two Saudi defenders watched on.

Without those opportunities, Australia would have been in trouble after the first 45 minutes.

The home side lacked any fluidity with the ball, which paved the way for the returning Salem Al-Dossari to cause havoc on the counter. In truth, 2-2 flattered the Socceroos at half-time.

The second stanza saw an improved display, capped by a stunning Tom Rogic winner on 64 minutes, which ultimately pushed Australia alongside Saudi Arabia on 16 points.

And under normal circumstances, this would have been considered a gritty win, full of character, keeping the door open to automatic qualification. However, it's a pattern which is becoming a little too familiar for Ange Postecoglou's side.

Too often during this qualification campaign the Socceroos have looked scrappy in attack, which has resulted in a scrambling defence.

Under the new 3-2-4-1 formation, central defenders are stretched into wide areas, which leaves holes in the middle of the pitch if midfielders Mile Jedinak and Jackson Irvine get caught up field. This was again the story against Saudi Arabia.

It's a structure which does allow Australia's two best players -- Rogic and Aaron Mooy -- to remain on the pitch at the same time, but it's questionable whether it suits the team as a whole. Regardless, the Socceroos simply need to attack with greater composure than they have done in recent months.

The equation after eight matches, then, is exactly what many in Australia feared when the third-round draw was made: a result away to arch rivals Japan on Aug. 31 will be needed to be sure of qualifying.

Though the final matchday fixtures are favourable -- the Socceroos host Thailand while Japan and Saudi Arabia do battle -- it should never get to this point for a truly dominant team. That's exactly what Australia should aspire to be in Asia.

A loss in Saitama would leave the Socceroos in a precarious situation. A draw, however, may give them the edge for the second qualification spot.

Either way, Australia must defeat Thailand on Sep. 5 and hope that other results involving Japan and Saudi Arabia go their way. So expect some restless nights ahead.

The immediate focus of Postecoglou and his charges will now shift to the Confederations Cup later this month. But they will inevitably have one eye on the crucial qualifiers to come.

Source:
courtesy of ESPNFC

by ROB BROOKS

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