Australia dominated the soccer World Cup qualifying match versus Saudi Arabia, taking the victory 3-1. Thus far, the Australians have won every match played, with a victory over Thailand last week. Joshua Kennedy was the Australian man of the match, with two goals 16 minutes apart against the Saudis, followed by a successful penalty from Luke Wilkshire. Nassir Al Shamrani managed to score a goal five minutes after being substituted in to the game, but it proved futile for the fledgling world ranked #88 Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has thus far proven to be quite capable on the world stage considering their history in soccer, boasting a dramatic 5-0 win over Hong Kong and a draw with Oman. Both teams have been ranked lower than Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong standing at #154 and Oman at #103. Australia currently stands at #22. Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer attributed the victory to the shape and discipline of the team. “I think today we played very, very cleverly, and tactically we were very good. The big difference was the discipline and the shape.” BM
