CANBERRA -- Stop me if you've heard this one. The Socceroos didn't play all that well on Friday. They spent significant portions of the game hemmed into their own half, and sporadic moments of inspiration that hinted at training track implementation weren't often paired with clear-cut chances. While largely denying their opponents opportunities, there were still moments of nervousness requiring desperate defending and goalkeeping. Yet, eventually, Australia's men found a way, this time through Mohamed Touré setting up Max Balard for an 87th-minute winner, to come up with a moment they needed, continuing the unbeaten era of Tony Popovic.
Such was the Socceroos' 1-0 win over New Zealand in tundra-like conditions at Bruce Stadium last week, hitting many of the same themes that have characterised a nine-game unbeaten run since the coach took over, with wins in his previous five.
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Admittedly, Friday's was a very different kind of game from those previous nine games and not one that lends itself to being analysed in a vacuum. After eight high-stakes qualifiers, it was the first non-competitive game that Popovic has helmed and, partly as a result, he'd named an experimental 25-player squad featuring seven potential debutants and a further eight with fewer than 10 international appearances. This temperate analysis was then reinforced by the game itself, with nothing particularly disastrous taking place nor anything revelatory; a building block of a freezing night, with the hope of better things to come.
Coming in, Popovic highlighted that he hoped to see his side improve in possession, even accounting for the limited time of the training track afforded to him with the whole group. Everyone has seen how good this side is without the ball, but what can they do with it? Some improvements emerged as time progressed, mostly coinciding with New Zealand's difference-makers such as the returning Ryan Thomas coming off, a desperate-to-impress Socceroos youth contingent being introduced in an increasingly stretched game against tired legs, and a greater emphasis on playing forward finally being realised. But whatever was envisioned by the coach remained a work in progress. Under a fierce Kiwi press, debutant goalkeeper Paul Izzo spent much of the first half clearing his lines, and when the hosts were able to get out, their disjointed attack created just 0.27 expected goals (xG) from six shots.
"We found it hard to play and probably we went a little bit too negative: [went] back to Paul [Izzo] and put him under pressure," Popovic said of the first 45. "In the second half, we started doing that less, started playing forward more often, and then we got out a lot easier.
"In the first half, I'm not sure how many balls Paul got played back, but they weren't really [looking] to get the ball and change the point of attack. They were playing back to Paul, and he's got to clear the ball first time. That wasn't a good part of our game."
Invariably, the best moments the Socceroos had -- at least when both sides had their starting XIs on -- came when Jordy Bos began to make things happen.
Playing for the national team for the first time since injury ended his qualification campaign last November, the Feyenoord left-back was given scope to roam down and responded with pace, muscle and intent, making more successful dribbles than any other player on the park, winning the most equal-most amount of duals, and having more shots and more touches in the Kiwi penalty area than any of his teammates. He didn't exactly mean it, but he came as close to scoring as anyone did before Balard's 87th-minute attempt when one of his three crosses took a wicked deflection off a Kiwi and bounced off the post -- the rewards that come with actually trying to get things going in the final third.
Though the hype machine quickly kicked into gear, to say that Bos is Australia's best player right now is maybe a bridge too far; a disservice to the likes of Jackson Irvine and Mathew Ryan, players who have consistently performed for years as professionals and are playing in major leagues themselves. But if he can stay healthy -- something that's proven maddeningly difficult -- and he plays consistently in the Eredivisie, it's not all that great a leap to suggest that his potential offers that possibility sooner rather than later.
"We haven't seen [Bos] since November, unfortunately," said Popovic. "That's his first full game with me. But from what I saw in November to now, he's a much-improved player. A much-improved player."
Indeed, many of Friday's more notable events likewise centred around individual performances and narratives rather than collectives. Making his first international appearance, Izzo's emotions threatened to bubble over before the game but he then followed that with a cool and assured performance that featured several key saves against one of the world's best strikers in Chris Wood.
"He looked like he belonged out there," said Popovic.
Nicolas Milanovic and Balard joined Izzo in making their debuts in green-and-gold, and the tightness with which the youngsters gripped their shirts in the mixed zone following the game -- Milanović's shirt destined for a safe place and Balard's going straight to his parents -- showed what the moment meant to them. Starboy pair and childhood friends Touré and Nestory Irankunda, meanwhile, were thrown in together to help change the game, and did so.
"It's surreal, I've known Nestor since high school, maybe before I was 15," said Touré. "He's like a little brother to me and he's not just a teammate."
Scoring the winning goal with just his second touch on the park, Balard has had to bide his time to make his Socceroos debut. And while goal-scoring exploits aren't the reason the NAC Breda midfielder will stay in the side, the hope would be that he receives an extended audition in the midfield for Tuesday's return leg in Auckland, showing what he can do against the likes of Thomas and Sarpreet Singh. Touré, for his part, has every tool needed to be the Socceroos' starting striker and now has 10 months to show he can be that player fresh off a plane and then do it all again a few days later. Tuesday, one would think, would also give him, as well as youth such as unused substitutes Noah Botić and Adrian Segečić, another opportunity.
And zooming out, it's important to register that yes, Australia did win on Friday. That's a good thing. And finding a way to win football games even if you don't play that well, especially in the international domain and especially when preparing for a World Cup, is a crucial skill. As much as the Kiwis, who will also be in North America next year, felt in control, they didn't actually do much with their inferred threat -- creating just 0.56 xG from their nine attempts. Further, wins when you're trying to build something ease the pressure and toxicity that can come with a string of bad results, and even in friendlies, they still carry some weight in the Socceroos' pursuit of pot 2 in December's World Cup draw.
But being able to win in different ways, even if it's a subtle variation in approach rather than revolution, against the type of opponents the Socceroos will face at the World Cup, is also an important skill. It was just three years ago that a world-record 11-game winning streak's foundations were exposed and became a Grey Wiggle-inspired playoff escape, after all. That process continues on Tuesday.