Socceroos cop embarrassing new blow as fans blast 'disgraceful' scenes in World Cup disaster

Australia's hopes of automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup have taken a massive hit as the Socceroos blew a one-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Bahrain on Wednesday morning (AEDT). Tony Popovic's men had early success while many Aussie fans - who had set their 5am alarms to tune in for the early morning kick-off - were just realising the game was being exclusively shown on streaming platform Paramount Plus and wasn't on free-to-air TV.

The Aussies took the lead in the opening exchanges as Kusini Yengi found the back after just 38 seconds, capitalising on a Bahrain defensive mishap. But that's where the Socceroos fans' joy ended for the next hour and a half, with fans growing discontent at the lack of speed and creativity in the build-up play. Australia used to have such an aura when they played against Asian sides such as Bahrain but as has been a common theme of late, the Socceroos lacked ambition to go forward and create chances.

In what was billed as a must-win match and a chance to avenge the loss to Bahrain on home soil in September, the Aussies looked happy to settle for a 1-0 win, only to then pay the price for their lack of ambition as two calamitous defensive just moments minutes apart saw the World No.76 side score two goals in quick succession to snatch an unlikely lead. First, a routine delivery was miscontrolled by Cameron Burgess, with the ball bouncing towards substitute Mahdi Abduljabbar who from 45 yards out lofted the ball over a stranded Matt Ryan, who was caught well off his goal line and out of position in the 75th minute.

Less than 120 seconds later, Australia found themselves behind after Mahdi Al Humaidan delivered a cross that Aussie debutant Hayden Matthews decided to make a late play for. The ball flicked off the top of the defender's head and bounced past the diving Ryan striking the far post. The ball then deflected back onto the body of Ryan before falling at the feet of Abduljabbar who nestled the ball into the back of the net to give Bahrain an unexpected lead.

In the 15 minutes that followed, the Aussies offered barely a whimper before Yengi scrambled in an equaliser to rescue a draw in the 96th minute. While things could have been worse without the striker's brace, the result is still a hammer blow in Australia's chance of qualification.

The horror display was met with a chorus of discontent from Aussie fans, with Australian football pundit Andy Harper labelling the display and Popovic's tactics "ridiculous". He said on SEN radio: "A very ordinary game. We barely broke a sweat in the first half and th en it exploded. We were on the cusp of losing the unlosable. Pencils were being sharpened and obituaries being prepared."

Australia managed just four shots on target in the draw and despite having most of the possession, Popovic's side were seemingly happy to pass it around the back instead of asking questions of Bahrain's defense which is notoriously fragile and conceded five goals to Japan in September. "There are a lot of emotions now because a lot of things happened in the match," Popovic said. "We had a couple of good chances to make it 2-0 that we didn't capitalise on, then we gave away a couple of goals very quickly. But we showed great character to come back."

Socceroos at risk of not qualifying for 2026 World Cup

After an embarrassing draw on Wednesday and a loss to the football minnows in September, Australia now find themselves in a precarious position. The Socceroos went into the game on six points, second in Group C behind leaders Japan (13 points) and level on points with Saudi Arabia, China and Indonesia. While Bahrain were a point behind, with their only win in the group being the shock 1-0 triumph over Australia on the Gold Coast.

After the late Yengi goal salvaged a draw with Bahrain, Australia held onto second place in the group but face a serious battle to progress. The top two teams in the group earn direct qualification for 2026, while the third and fourth enter another round of qualifying.

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However, Australia have tough matches against Indonesia, China, Saudi Arabia and Japan to round out their group and must put in better performances than they have been if they are to have a chance of making the 2026 World Cup. But many Aussie fans believe the Socceroos don't deserve a spot at the World Cup after once again showing no real threat going forward, with many labelling the performance against Bahrain 'disgraceful'.