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Moment of truth
for veteran Cahill
Email: [email protected]
S Y D N E Y :
Tim
Cahill
has
attracted
countless plaudits
and the fierce
devotion of many fans
over his long career but
on Saturday Australia’s
favourite footballing son
could finally get his hands
on some serious silverware.
A runners-up medal with
Australia at the 2011 Asian
Cup and another two after losing English FA Cup finals with
Millwall and Everton are a relatively paltry return for 17 years
in the professional game.
In front of 80,000 of his fellow Sydneysiders on Saturday,
though, Cahill will be leading
the Australia front line as the
Socceroos take on South
Korea to decide the
2015 Asian champions.
Now one of the few
thirty somethings in the
squad Ange Postecoglou
has rebuilt since he took
over as coach in October 2013, Cahill serves
as talisman, inspiration and,
most importantly, goal-scorer.
“I am really proud of the
boys, the staff and everyone
that has backed us from the
start,” he said after the 2-0 victory over the UAE in Tuesday’s
semi-final.
“During the 14 months the
journey has been amazing.
Now we have to focus on one
of the biggest games in Australian football history.”
Anyone who thought Cahill’s
powers might be on the wane
towards the end of his career
will have been forced to reassess over the last seven months.
His stunning volley against
the Netherlands was one of the
best goals at last year’s World
Cup and he produced a brilliant
bicycle kick as part of a twogoal effort to see off China in
the Asian Cup quarter-finals
last week.
They are just two of the
39 goals he has scored in 81
matches in the green and gold
since he made his debut for
Australia in 2004, making him
his country’s most prolific scorer.
Cahill scored his first international goals 11 years ago to
help the Socceroos to the last of
their Oceania Nations Cup titles, earned by beating the Solomon Islands 11-1 on aggregate
in the final.
The competition has got
stiffer since Australia joined
the Asian confederation but Cahill has never stopped scoring,
mostly with his head and in the
last 10 years always celebrated
with a flurry of punches aimed
at a corner flag.
His ability to jump above
much taller defenders and get
his head on the ball is a mark of
his determination and combative nature.
The desire for continual
improvement
has also helped with
his longevity and it is
a theme his team mates
will hear plenty about
as they prepare to face
the South Koreans at
Stadium Australia.
“When we look at the game
today are we really happy with
the way we played? Possibly
not really,” he said after the
dominant semi-final victory in
Newcastle.
“We know we have played
better. We definitely could have
been tidier on the ball.”
Cahill has made it clear that
the Asian Cup will not be his
Socceroos swan song and has
indicated he might try and play
on until the 2018 World Cup,
which would be his fourth.
Reports in Asian media indicate he might soon be leaving New York Red Bulls for a
three-year deal with a club in
the Arabian Gulf.
Whatever the truth, it will not
distract Cahill from his preparations for Saturday’s match.
“I won’t focus on Korea,
I have never focused on any
team I have played,” he said.
“We need to understand the position we are in. It is going to be
all about us.”
Gulf Daily News Thursday, 29th January 2015
29
Bahrain rugby
team aim for
first victory
ABU Dhabi Harlequins are the visitors
to Saar tomorrow as
Bahrain RFC’s first
XV go in search of their first
win of the campaign in the increasingly-competitive
Gulf
Top Six competition.
This time last week, the two
sides were neck-and-neck with
two defeats from their opening
two games but while the reigning UAE Premiership champions edged out fierce rivals
Jebel Ali Dragons last Friday,
Bahrain – despite securing a
four-try bonus point away from
home – went down to league
leaders Doha.
The Bahrain boys will be
delighted to be back on home
soil this week and will certainly
be looking to repay the faith of
their vociferous home supporters, who did all in their power
during the opening two rounds
against Dubai Hurricanes and
the Dragons.
The home side will also be
buoyed by what was an impressive performance against the
odds in Qatar last week.
Positive
n Aussies, from left, Mathew Leckie, Cahill, Jason Davidson and Robbie Kruse acknowledge the
crowd after beating the UAE on Tuesday
South Korea wary of Aussies
SYDNEY: South Korea could thrive
in the role of underdogs when they
face hosts Australia in the Asian Cup
final on Saturday, says skipper Ki
Sung-Yueng.
Having reached the final for the first time in
27 years battered, bruised and held together by
team spirit and sheer bloody-mindedness, the
Swansea City midfielder told Korean reporters
yesterday that the Red Devils had the steel to
go all the way.
“I believe it will come down to mental
strength,” said Ki, who has been a calming influence on South Korea after losing the influential
pairing of Lee Chung-Yong and Koo Ja-Cheol to
injury in the group stages.
“That will be more important than physical
strength,” he added, noting that the Australians
would hold the advantage in terms of power.
“This is a great opportunity for South Korean
football.”
South Korea’s rich pedigree speaks for itself, the team famously reaching the World Cup
semi-finals in 2002. But they have curiously
failed to lift the Asian Cup since 1960.
“We understand the magnitude of the game
without anyone telling us,” insisted Ki when reminded of the fact before Saturday’s showdown
in Sydney.
But coach Uli Stielike has moulded a resilient
side in his own image, the former West Germany
international renowned in his playing days as a
steely defensive midfielder who went on to become a fan favourite for Real Madrid after joining them in 1977.
Conceding
The Taeguk Warriors have reached the final
without conceding a goal, beating Australia 1-0
along the way to secure top spot in Group A.
Forward Lee Jeong-Hyeop has become a
smash hit with fans after scoring the winner
against the Socceroos and another in Monday’s
2-0 win over Iraq in the semi-finals.
A shock selection by Stielike before the tournament, Lee confessed he had no idea if he will
even start in the final - and insisted it didn’t matter either way.
South Africa crush Windies
PRETORIA: Hashim Amla and Rilee
Rossouw smashed quick-fire centuries as
South Africa crushed a profligate West
Indies by 131 runs in a rain-affected fifth and
final one-day international yesterday.
The pair put on 247 for the third wicket, equalling the South African record they had set in the
second match of the series in Johannesburg, as
the Proteas piled up 361 for five in their allotted
42 overs.
It was the highest ever ODI score in a 42-over
or less innings as South Africa made hay on a flat
wicket and against an equally flat bowling attack
to win the series 4-1.
Rossouw had a relatively slow start but accelerated to bludgeon nine fours and eight sixes for his 132 from 98 balls. Amla was equally
devastating as he top-scored with 133 from 105
deliveries.
West Indies lost forceful opener Chris Gayle to
n South Africa’s Rossouw the first ball of their reply and despite some livecelebrates his century
ly cameos, including a half-century from Marlon
Samuels, were always behind the rate and were
bowled out for 230 in 37.4 overs.
After 16 overs were lost due to rain, West Indies won the toss and elected to bowl in the final match for both sides before they head to the
World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
South Africa made a brisk start but when fitagain wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock (four) went
early and Faf du Plessis (16) fell with the score
on 59 for two after 10 overs, consolidation was
needed.
Amla and Rossouw did not hang around,
though, as they punished poor bowling by the
tourists who erred on both sides of the wicket and
never managed to find the right length.
The visitors’ reply was in trouble from the first
ball and never recovered as seamer Wayne Parnell finished with figures of four for 42 in nine
overs.
Samuels top-scored with 50 from 47 balls before giving his wicket away with a wild slog that
ended with his middle stump pinned back.
For the first time this season there is also some positive
news on the injury front as regular hooker Arron Dalgarno is
available after recovering from
concussion and is expected to
take his place between props
Sal Wilson and Rich Muncaster, who were both on the scoresheet last week.
The rest of the pack should
have a familiar look to it, with
Matt McKee and Mark Burnell
set to continue their second-row
partnership and Rich Wilkinson, Elliot Behan and Tom Jankowski in the back-row.
Rob Bennett will likely keep
his place at scrum-half after
impressing against Doha and
he will once again join up with
fly-half Oli Luke.
Skipper Adam Wallace is an
injury doubt but the Bahrain
backroom will be doing all in
their power to get him on to the
field and firing alongside Toby
Borrow in the centre.
Sam Wilson, Dave Horner
and Shane Stapleton can expect
to retain their spots in the back
three despite the Luke Meehan
and Alex Brennan being back
in the mix upon their respective
returns from injury and suspension.
Kick-off at Bahrain RFC in
Saar tomorrow is at 5pm and
all are welcome to attend.
SCOREBOARD
(match reduced to 42 overs due
to rain)
SOUTH AFRICA
Q de Kock c Carter b Holder
4
H Amla b Russell
133
F du Plessis c Cottrell b Russell 16
R Rossouw c Carter b Russell 132
D Miller c Ramdin b Holder
23
J Duminy not out
18
F Behardien not out
5
Extras (lb7, nb3, w20)
30
Total (5 wkts, 42 overs)
361
Did not bat: W. Parnell, A. Phangiso, M. de Lange, K. Abbott.
Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-59, 3-306,
4-330, 5-345.
Bowling: Cottrell 7-0-68-0 (2w),
Holder 9-0-77-2 (3w), Brathwaite
9-0-46-0 (2w), Russell 8-0-85-3
(3nb, 5w), Sammy 7-0-59-0, Deonarine 2-0-19-0.
WEST INDIES
C Gayle c De Kock b Abbott
0
N Deonarine run out (Amla)
43
D Smith lbw b Phangiso
31
M Samuels b Abbott
50
D Ramdin c Amla b Parnell
40
A Russell c De Kock b Parnell
24
J Carter c Abbott b Parnell
0
D Sammy b Behardien
27
J Holder c Rossouw b Parnell
0
C Brathwaite c De Kock b De Lange 1
S Cottrell not out
2
Extras (lb2, w10)
12
Total (37.4 overs)
230
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-77, 3-81,
4-172, 5-176, 6-177, 7-196, 8-196,
9-214.
Bowling: Abbott 7-0-59-2 (3w), De
Lange 8-0-34-1 (1w), Parnell 9-042-4 (2w), Phangiso 8-0-53-1, Behardien 5.4-0-40-1 (1w).