Socceroos legend Robbie Slater believes Australia are on the brink of doing something ‘quite extraordinary’ at the World Cup.
Graham Arnold’s men recorded Australia’s third-ever World Cup victory, and their first since 2010.
They now have the opportunity to secure their place in the Round of 16 for just the second time, and first since 2006 in Germany.
They go up against Denmark, a formidable force, but a beatable one.
They just need to secure a draw and hope that France do the job and overcome Tunisia so that the Socceroos can advance.
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And while former Australian international Robbie Slater believes the Danes will be ‘a massive task’, he remains optimistic that this could be Australia’s chance to prove doubters wrong.
He told the Fox Football podcast: “I don’t know about you guys, I’ve just got this feeling that maybe we’re about to see something very special.”
Many Australian football fans may admit they weren’t overly optimistic coming into the tournament in Qatar.
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But the Aussies have managed to get the nation behind them and feeling like this very much could be one of our best World Cup performances in years.
Slater said: “It was so unimaginable when you go back to that last game when we looked deflated against Saudi Arabia in the qualifiers, and Japan here at home – to think we’re on the cusp of something like this is quite extraordinary really, and a great story.”
Socceroos showed grit to bounce back from a 4-1 defeat to France.
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They rebounded in impressive fashion to see out Tunisia 1-0, in a hard fought victory.
Denmark represents a tough challenge, with the European side currently ranked 10th in the world.
However, with a draw against Tunisia, and a loss against France, the Danes haven’t had the best of tournaments.
Slater said: “Denmark is a massive task. It’s a very, very difficult task when you look at the two teams.
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“I’ve watched Denmark’s two games, Tunisia and France, and they were a bit unlucky in both.”
“Their structure, their passing is superb. (Mikkel) Damsgaard is a wonderful player. Their wingers are fast and direct, and (Christian) Eriksen is the conductor.”
Adding: “We’ve got to put it again in perspective.
“Denmark are a top ten-ranked team, they have wonderful players playing in the best leagues in Europe. They’ve got a certain Christian Eriksen who’s a magician.”
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Socceroos went up against Denmark in 2018 with the result 1-1 draw on that occasion.
A similar result would all but secure Australia’s progression in the World Cup.
Topics: Football, Australia, Football World Cup, Qatar
Jayden Collins