Graham Arnold's brutal admission after Mat Ryan blunder at World Cup
Socceroos coach Graham Arnold has delivered another dagger to the heart of Aussie goalkeeper Mat Ryan, after the "nightmare" moment that gifted Argentina a second goal in the World Cup round of 16 defeat in Qatar. The fairytale run of Arnold's side came to a heartbreaking end on Sunday (AEDT), following a 2-1 defeat to the Lionel Messi-inspired Argentines.
Ryan - who produced a series of stunning saves to keep his side in the contest against the more fancied South Americans - was nevertheless culpable for what turned out to be the match-winning goal for Julian Alvarez. Trying to play the ball out from the back, Ryan was caught in possession after taking a heavy touch, with Alvarez turning and firing into the unguarded Socceroos goal.
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The Socceroos captain cut a forlorn figure after the match as fans reacted to his horror moment, with Ryan even copping a cheap shot from his teammate at Danish club side FC Copenhagen, rival goalkeeper Kamil Grabara. The pair clearly do not get on and Grabara made that abundantly clear in a snide reaction to the gaffe on social media.
Grabara tweeted: "Must have been politics, for sure," accompanied by a smiling emoji to suggest that Ryan lost his spot to his Polish teammate at Copenhagen because of skill, rather than any other factors.
As if Ryan wouldn't have already felt bad enough about his high-profile mistake, Australia's coach also made mention of it when analysing the performance after the game. Arnold said he couldn't have been prouder of his troops but lamented the Ryan howler that ultimately cost his side dearly against Argentina.
"I have to be very proud of the players. You know, we played against the number three in the world. And the first goal from Messi was a quality goal. The (Ryan) mistake cost us," Arnold said. "I just hope that everyone back in Australia really respects what we've done and are proud of us as well. We took it to them."
Arnold's squad matched the "golden generation" from the 2006 World Cup that contained the likes of Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka, by reaching the last 16. They even surpassed that impressive generation of Aussie players with 1-0 group-stage wins over Tunisia and European semi-finalists Denmark to become the first Socceroos side to win successive games at a World Cup.
Lionel Messi scored Argentina's opener, before Ryan's error put the South Americans 2-0 up and seemingly out of reach. However, an Australia team oozing togetherness and hard work pegged them back with a deflected shot by Craig Goodwin 13 minutes from time.
The Socceroos then had chances to equalise late on, with Aziz Behich bursting from full-back on a mazy run which took him deep into the Argentina area before a last-gasp sliding tackle from Lisandro Martinez thwarted what would have been one of the goals of the tournament. Teenager Garang Kuol also had a golden chance in the remaining seconds but his shot was superbly saved by Argentinian keeper, Emiliano Martinez.
What comes next for the Socceroos coach remains up in the air, with Arnold's future to be left unresolved for at least a month as Football Australia reviews the World Cup campaign. Arnold's contract ended when the Socceroos were knocked out by Argentina.
"I just want to go away, have a good holiday, have a break and see what happens," Arnold said after the Argentina game, with the Socceroos boss set to embark on a well-earned holiday.
"I haven't even thought about it (my future). I need a rest and no doubt I will have good discussions then with the organisation."
Graham Arnold wants Australian football to build on success
Arnold has called for more government funding, focused on junior development, to build on the momentum of the Socceroos' World Cup run. His Socceroos were the first to win two games at a single edition of the World Cup, and the first to keep consecutive clean sheets.
The Australians, ranked 38th in the world, downed Tunisia and Denmark while losing to Cup holders and World No.4 France and World No.3 Argentina. Among other things, Arnold wants to see the construction of a national team headquarters in Australia and an expanded A-League to offer greater opportunity for young footballers to turn professional.
"There's only one thing the A-League needs to do and it's play more football," he said. "They don't play enough, 25, 26 games (in a season) isn't enough, 12 teams isn't enough.
"We need to give kids more opportunity to be professional footballers and play more football. The quality of the A-League ... the boys here have shown, they have come from the A-League and they can match it on the world stage. I'm a firm believer in it. And we have got those young kids coming through, they have got to be ready."
Australia's World Cup heroes hope their surprise run to the last 16 will transform football at home after they went down fighting in a 2-1 defeat to a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina. Attacking midfielder Riley McGree, who plays in England with second-tier Middlesbrough said: "Just be proud, hold our heads high with what we've done here and hopefully inspired generations to come."
"To do what we've done, you could say it's ground-breaking and moving forward it's only going to be good for the sport in the country," the 24-year-old added.
The FIFA World Cup 2022 is on SBS and SBS on Demand
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