New Zealand reached the World Cup for only the third time with a 3-0 win over New Caledonia but lost in-form Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood to injury.
The All Whites join already qualified Japan and co-hosts the United States, Canada and Mexico at next year’s finals thanks to three second-half goals.
But the victory in Auckland in the final of Oceania qualifying came at a cost, with skipper Wood suffering what appeared to be a hip injury.
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New Zealand’s Chris Wood goes down injured during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Oceania qualifiers group final football match between New Zealand and New Caledonia at Eden Park Stadium in Auckland on March 24, 2025. (Photo by DAVID ROWLAND / AFP)Source: AFP
Soon after half time at Eden Park, Wood hurt himself swivelling for a shot and required treatment before hobbling off in the 54th minute.
“It’s not great for us losing our captain and our goalscorer. It was a difficult thing for the team but they came through so well,” said New Zealand’s English coach Darren Bazeley.
The hosts looked out of ideas after dominating the first half, but then up popped veteran defender Michael Boxall on 61 minutes to head home from a corner with his first goal for his country.
Five minutes later Wood’s replacement Kosta Barbarouses chipped the ball over advancing New Caledonia goalkeeper Rocky Nyikeine.
Substitute Eli Just put gloss on the scoreline from close range with 10 minutes left.
New Caledonia’s unlikely World Cup hopes are not over and they will go into an intercontinental playoff.
Next year’s World Cup has been expanded to 48 teams, meaning direct entry for the first time for the team that won the qualifying competition in Oceania.
The region’s top side previously had to go through an intercontinental playoff, with New Zealand falling at the final hurdle to Mexico, Costa Rica and Peru in recent editions.
New Zealand have been to the World Cup twice before, in 1982 and 2010, but are yet to win at the competition in six matches.
“Once the World Cup expanded we expected this of ourselves,” said Boxall. “It’s not about getting there, it’s about what we do when we get there.”
Chris Wood acknowledges the crowd after their victory during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Oceania qualifiers group final football match between New Zealand and New Caledonia at Eden Park Stadium in Auckland on March 24, 2025. (Photo by DAVID ROWLAND / AFP)Source: AFP
Facing a side ranked 152 in the world, 63 places below them, hosts New Zealand immediately went on the front foot.
New Caledonia, a French Pacific territory of about 300,000 people which has never been to the World Cup, twice cleared off the line in quick succession after 20 minutes.
Wood, who is in the form of his life at Forest with 18 goals in the Premier League this season, had a chance in the 32nd minute but Nyikeine saved comfortably.
The 33-year-old Wood then headed over the bar from a corner and at the half-time whistle, with the game unexpectedly level, the New Caledonia players mobbed Nyikeine.
Bazeley had seen enough and made two changes at the break, bringing on winger Just and defender Francis de Vries.
Despite losing talisman Wood, New Zealand’s pressure eventually paid off against a rapidly tiring New Caledonia to put the All Whites into the World Cup.
The Socceroos might’ve finished 5-1 winners against Indonesia in their crucial World Cup qualifier in Sydney and taken a giant step towards automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup in North America, but coach Tony Popovic made it clear there’s still plenty of room for his side to improve describing the performance as “solid but it wasn’t great.”
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Goals to Martin Boyle, Nishan Velupillay, Lewis Miller and a double from Jackson Irvine send Australia to China with three vital points in the bag and full of confidence, but all too aware that its job half done when it comes to jumping the hurdles this international window presented.
The mental resilience the side showed to escape unscathed – albeit with some fortune – from a tricky 15-minute opening period is also a sign of growth as is a welcome surge in the way chances were finally converted into goals. This result bloats Australia’s goal difference column too and that could be one less thing to worry about come the final matchday of round three in June.
It wasn’t all good news though with Martin Boyle and Adam Taggart coming off at halftime. Popovic revealing post-game that both have fitness concerns.
OMINOUS SIGN BEFORE A BALL WAS KICKED
A crowd of 35,241 packed into the Sydney Football Stadium and the Indonesian fans not only made their presence felt but had the decibel reader reaching its upper limits.
The Indonesian national anthem was greeted with full voice by those in red and more than one Socceroos player turned to look at the raucous away end. It did not sound,
look or feel like a Socceroos home game until the goals started flying in.
Remarkably, the Team Garuda faithful were still chanting at 5-1 down in the second half.
“It’s part of football and it’s what we love about it, that teams can come away from home and bring that energy and atmosphere,” midfielder Jackson Irvine said.
“I thought our fans were equally brilliant and pushed us in the key moments of the game and gave us that extra leg up probably when we needed it.”
A TALE OF TWO PENALTIES
Perspective is in the eye of what colour jersey you were wearing.
The decision to award Indonesia a penalty in the seventh minute after the Brisbane Roar’s Rafael Struick was ruled to have been fouled by the recalled Kye Rowles was
contentious through an Australians lens, but while it was on the softer side it was the right call.
Kevin Diks dulled the debate by hitting the woodwork. A sprawling Mat Ryan guessed the right way in any case and might’ve saved it.
Indonesia coach Patrick Kluivert, in his first match in charge, believed his side struggled to shrug off that setback.
“If you shoot the penalty in it would be a totally different match of course,” Kluivert said.
“From that moment we changed something in our minds.
“We had a grip of the game. I think that we played better than Australia.
“If you score 1-0, I’m sure it will be a totally different game.”
10-minutes later Australia was sent to the spot after Nathan Tjoe-A-On pulled off a tackle on Lewis Miller in the box that looked more like something James Tedesco would execute on this ground in a Roosters jersey. Boyle did the honours from the spot.
The goal helped calm the nerves after the Socceroos were let off the hook just moments prior. The side looked far more settled from that point and Australia led 3-0 at the break thanks to two more goals from Velupillay and Irvine.
“It’s the hardest I’ve been pressed in a home game in a long time,” Irvine said.
“There was absolutely no time on the ball in the middle of the park.
“Once we broke that pressure it looked like we were going to score every time we went through.”
3-0! Socceroos dominant first half surge | 01:31
POPPA PULLS THE RIGHT SELECTION CALLS
This was not an easy squad to pick.
Six regular starters were missing through injury and Popovic had key calls to make when it came to his starting wingers and striker.
As Velupillay wheeled away to celebrate with the fans in the 20th minute he had fellow winger Martin Boyle and striker Adam Taggart to thank for the opportunity.
Boyle’s pass found Taggart whose lunging effort resulted in Velupillay being able to run onto the ball and calmly slot Australia’s second.
“It’s a special moment for the boy,” Popovic said.
“Starting your first game, pressure, a stadium that’s full. It doesn’t come bigger than that.
“When he looks back, he should be really proud of that.”
This was the first time Boyle had seen minutes under Popovic after failing to get on the pitch in the November window against Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. 14-goals and 9
assists in 36 games for Hibernian in Scotland made a compelling case for selection.
Velupillay is working his way back into form after a nasty ankle injury suffered against Saudi Arabia in Melbourne. To start him in a game of this magnitude was bold. Taggart deserved his spot after five goals in his last 11-games for Perth Glory in the A-League but hadn’t even been picked in a squad by Popovic yet before this window.
For a goal that released the pressure valve in this campaign to be created by two players who’d never featured under this manager and scored by one still not quite at
top form domestically must be applauded.
Unfortunately, Taggart and Boyle were both substituted at half time with potential fitness issues. Taggart appeared to feel for his groin multiple times just before the break. Asked if there was anything amiss with both players Popovic said “there could be.”
“They both had a bit of a niggle, maybe Adam a little bit more than Martin Boyle.”
“Adam was definitely coming off and Martin was a bit of a precaution.”
IRVINE GOAL A FULL CIRCLE MOMENT
Jackson Irvine is the heartbeat of the Socceroos midfield. His goals in the 34th and 90th minutes were the 12th and 13th of his international career and came on the same
ground where he scored his first ever for Australia in 2017.
“From a personal point of view a special night,” he said.
“I never take it for granted being here and I haven’t played in this stadium since that night.”
THE RETURN OF DANIEL ARZANI
Arzani replaced Velupillay in the 72nd minute and was greeted by warm applause. It was his first appearance for Australia since a 26-minute spell in a World Cup qualifier
against Bangladesh in June last year.
His last minutes prior to that came against Kuwait in a friendly match in 2018. That was just before the anterior cruciate ligament tear on debut at Celtic that would change the trajectory of his then skyrocketing career.
It took just two minutes for Popovic to call Arzani to the sideline for a chat after his introduction, but generally he worked hard in defence and looked lively in attack.
All of this after Popovic told Arzani his effort in camp during the October international window last year “wasn’t good enough” and that his “level was really poor in
training.”
It appears to have been the wake-up call the 26-year-old – once dubbed the next big thing in Australian football – needed.
Five months on from that camp and Arzani has impressed his mentor this time around. Popovic does not give out easy minutes even with Australia 4-0 up at the time.
It was an impressive response from a player who can only enhance the fortunes of himself and his country with similar application.
Socceroos calm ahead of crucial clashes | 01:56
STATE OF THE PITCH
There’d been concerns about the state of the Sydney Football Stadium pitch in the days prior to kick-off and those fears weren’t alleviated once the game got underway.
Several players lost their footing or looked unsure on the ball. It was not ideal and hampered the fluidity of the game.
“Tough pitch for the players,” Popovic said.
“Very hard underneath and slippery on top. The players were in two minds. Half the players wore studs, and half the players had moulds. It was a difficult one for them tonight. It took a lot out of them.”
MAT RYAN BACK TO HIS BEST ON AN HISTORIC NIGHT
Lost in the euphoria of scoring five goals was the three incredible saves Mat Ryan pulled off between the sticks.
On a night where the goalkeeper became the third most capped player in Socceroos history with 97, moving ahead of another former skipper in Lucas Neill and now only
behind Mark Schwarzer with 109 and Tim Cahill on 108 appearances, Ryan was immense.
He stopped Jay Idzes’ header from a freekick in the 5th minute, made a superb diving save to his left in the 53rd minute and another clutch reflex save down low to his right
in the 84th minute.
“I have to say I’m not surprised after seeing him when he came into camp,” Popovic said.
“Just a different demeanour and that comes from playing.
“You can see he’s full of confidence and he showed that when he came in. He was a real presence around the group and tonight he stood tall.”
The fact the captain was dropped to the bench for the first three games of Popovic’s tenure now seems a distant memory. His move to Lens in France from Roma in Italy
has been a masterstroke.
Davidson hoping to re-ignite Roos career | 02:26
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT AT THE BACK
Australia’s backline was hardest hit by the current run of injuries between November and March.
Popovic picked Lewis Miller, Jason Geria, Cameron Burgess, Kye Rowles and Aziz Behich.
Geria, Burgess and Rowles formed the central trio of that combination, and the coach made it clear there was plenty to work on. Indonesia’s goal was well taken, but the lead-up was scrappy.
“The goal they scored probably summarised how we defended,” Popovic said.
“They didn’t create, we gave them chances, we gave them the penalty, we gave them the goal as well.
“Defensively we weren’t great, we were a little bit on edge, a little bit sloppy in our defending.”
WHERE ARE THE SOCCEROOS AT WITH PROJECT POPPA AND WHAT’S NEXT?
Project Poppa is progressing, but it’s far from the finished article. That’s not a bad thing, but just the reality of only being in the job for six-months.
“I aim quite high,” Popovic said with a smile when asked how far along the side is when it comes to implementing his game style.
“They’re not where we want to be, but that’s not a negative that’s a positive. They’ve taken strides forward and it’s not easy to do what they did tonight.”
Popovic pointed to decision making as an area that needs work.
“How do we identify quicker what is happening on the field?” he said.
“That will happen with more games together.
“I felt that this camp or this window of the first game is the first time I’ve felt in training and just around the hotel that this group is now starting to build into something.”
Now, it’s off to China for their next qualifier on Tuesday night.
Australia remains second in group C and in control of its own fate when it comes to securing automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup.
Socceroos coach Tony Popovic has made 10 changes to his squad for two must win World Cup qualifiers this month against Indonesia and China, headlined by the omission of veteran striker Mitch Duke.
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The extended 26-player squad features six uncapped players in Scotland based midfielder Nectarios Triantis, Melbourne Victory midfielder Ryan Teague, Melbourne City defender Kai Trewin, Middlesbrough goalkeeper Thomas Glover, fellow shot stopper Paul Izzo and Sydney FC defender Alex Grant. It’s the first time Triantis, Teague, Grant and Trewin have earned a senior national team call-up.
Popovic has also turned to two players, Jason Davidson and Fran Karacic, who haven’t been a part of the Socceroos’ set-up for some time. Davidson, a 33-year-old left back who plays for Panserraikos F.C in the Greek Super League, hasn’t featured for Australia since a friendly against Jordan in 2022. Before that, the 2015 Asian Cup winner’s last appearance was in a World Cup qualifier against Bangladesh in November that year. Karacic’s last involvement for the Socceroos was during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The right back, who now calls NK Lokomotiva in Croatia home, was part of the squad for all four games and featured in the group stage win against Tunisia and the 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the Round of 16.
A raft of injuries to first choice players made picking this squad a tricky task. Goalkeeper Joe Gauci (hip), defenders Hayden Matthews (ankle), Harry Souttar (achilles), and Jordy Bos (hamstring) are all missing while Riley McGree (knock) continues to struggle with his fitness at Middlesbrough. Alessandro Circati is also a long-term absentee as the 21-year-old Parama defender continues to recover from an anterior cruciate ligament tear. The only two bits of good news from the frequent medical reports came in the form of striker Kusini Yengi returning to action for Portsmouth in the Championship three weeks ago after the 26-year-old hurt his knee in the Socceroos last match against Bahrain in late November while giant defender Cameron Burgess has seemingly shrugged off a calf complaint suffered in Ipswich Town’s fifth round FA Cup defeat to Nottingham Forest on March 4.
Mitchell Duke celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Qatar 2022 World Cup match between Tunisia and Australia.Source: AFP
The rest of the squad is a mix of potential, young stars ready for their chance and one veteran who probably thought his time had passed.
Melbourne Victory’s Daniel Arzani gets another chance to impress after Popovic blasted the talented winger during an interview with reporters in January. The coach said Arzani “wasn’t good enough” when he came into camp in October last year and that his “level was really poor in training.” Arzani, once dubbed “the next big thing” in Australian football, missed selection for the November window and has been left in no doubt as to what Popovic wants to see from him. Marco Tilio’s impressive comeback for Melbourne City from a two-and-a-half-month stint on the sidelines with a hamstring injury has also caught Popovic’s eye. Those two will be fighting to fill the inverted winger role with Ajdin Hrustic not selected. Hrustic has played just 16-minutes for Italian second division side US Salernitana in 2025.
Triantis made himself almost impossible to ignore after a stunning run of form for Hibernian in the Scottish Premier League where he has featured as a ball-winning midfielder. Melbourne Victory’s Ryan Teague adds depth to the fight for that deeper lying role in the centre of the park. Speculation had recently linked him to the Chinese national team if his exploits had seen him overlooked for Australia again.
Triantis and Teague were picked over Max Balard and Patrick Yazbek. Balard has been a regular starter for NAC Breda in the Dutch top flight and was called into the Socceroos squad for the November window, but didn’t get on the field.
Defender Alex Grant gets his reward for a solid run of games with Sydney FC since signing a short-term deal with the Sky Blues in February. Grant is hugely experienced and has an Asian Champions League final appearance and a Korean Cup winners medal on his resume from his time with Pohang Steelers. At 6 foot 3 inches, the 31-year-old goes some way to filling the giant voids left by the injured Souttar and Matthews.
“It was a whirlwind start to the beginning of my tenure with the national team, and since November we’ve had the chance to review and assess all facets of our program ahead of these Qualifiers,” Popovic said.
“We understand the importance of these upcoming games and are excited by the opportunity to further cement our position in the group’s automatic qualifying positions.”
Australian coach Tony Popovic.Source: News Corp Australia
The biggest surprise is Duke missing selection. The striker has been a regular in green and gold since late 2019, but despite a huge work rate without the ball, hasn’t found the back of the net with the type of regularity the Socceroos have needed to smooth their path at or on the road to, major tournaments. Duke has found the back of the net just four times in 24-games at international level since the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The 34-year-old has also played 45-minutes for J-League side Machida Zelvia this season. Goals will now need to come from the boots of Yengi, Adam Taggart and Brandon Borrello.
There also wasn’t room for Nestory Irankunda once again despite the 19-year-old being named the Swiss Super League’s Player of the Month for February after his move from Bayern Munich to Grasshoppers.
The games against Indonesia on Thursday in Sydney and China in Hangzhou on Tuesday shape as crucial to Australia’s hopes of sealing direct qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in USA, Canada and Mexico. The Socceroos currently sit in second spot in Group C with four games left in the third round. If they stay there, they’ll earn an automatic berth to the game’s global showpiece. It makes two wins from these next two fixtures vital with Japan at home and Saudi Arabia away to come in June. Just one-point separates second placed Australia from last placed China.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the players and getting the squad together on the pitch in preparation for what will be a great occasion at the Sydney Football Stadium,” Popovic added.
Extended 26 player Socceroos squad:
Daniel Arzani, Aziz Behich, Brandon Borrello, Martin Boyle, Cameron Burgess, Anthony Caceres, Jason Davidson, Milos Degenek, Jason Geria, Thomas Glover (GK), Craig Goodwin, Alex Grant, Jackson Irvine, Paul Izzo (GK), Fran Karacic, Lewis Miller, Aiden O’Neill, Kye Rowles, Mat Ryan (GK), Adam Taggart, Ryan Teague, Marco Tilio, Nectarios Triantis, Kai Trewin, Nishan Velupillay, Kusini Yengi
The defining moment of Ange Postecoglou’s time at Tottenham has arrived.
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Spurs host Dutch outfit AZ Alkmaar on Friday morning Australian time in the second leg of their Round of 16 tie, needing to come from behind to keep their hopes of winning a trophy alive this season after losing the first leg 1-0 in the Netherlands a week ago.
Postecoglou’s statement back in September that “I always win things in my second year”, in reference to titles with Celtic, Yokohama F. Marinos, the Socceroos, Brisbane Roar and South Melbourne, has seemingly become a rod for his own back during his second season in north London.
It is a quote that is brought up constantly, and when asked about it again in his match eve press conference, he passionately defended his words once again.
“I wasn’t making anything up. I was asked the question, and I answered it,” Postecoglou explained.
“Critics have used it for their own purposes, suggesting I’m making a bold claim, but I was stating a fact.
“Usually in my second season, I win things.
“That’s the whole idea. The first year is about establishing principles and creating a foundation. Hopefully, the second year is going to win things.
“If that doesn’t happen this year, then I can’t say that anymore. What am I supposed to say? I’ve always won in the second year; I have in the past, everywhere I’ve been, but here (at Tottenham) it won’t happen.
“Is that what people want to hear? People can twist these things, use them, and you know what, maybe we defy all the odds and we do win something.”
With the FA Cup and Carabao Cup gone, and Tottenham sitting a lowly 13th place on the Premier League table, Postecoglou is all-in on the Europa League.
Spurs won five, drew two and lost one of their league phase matches to avoid a playoff and gain automatic passage to the Round of 16.
But a second poor showing in the first knockout stage would end Postecoglou’s stunning second-year streak and the knives are sharpening in preparation.
Tottenham are winless in their past three matches in all competitions despite clearly playing better football as the cavalry returns following their injury crisis.
Key players getting out of the medical room and back on the pitch built positivity, which was boosted by a hat-trick of league wins before an arguably unlucky 1-0 loss to Manchester City started their current winless stretch, but the discontent, that has bubbled away for several months, quickly resurfaced.
Spurs salvage draw against Bournemouth | 01:30
Reports from Italian outlet TuttoSport emerged this week that Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is keeping a close eye on Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi as a possible replacement for Postecoglou.
Meanwhile, former Tottenham and England striker Jermain Defoe revealed to TalkSport that he and other coaches at Spurs in 2023 wanted now England manager Thomas Tuchel appointed instead.
The Athletic’s Tottenham-focused podcast, ‘The View from The Lane’, spent much of their most recent episode debating whether Spurs would be more likely to win the Europa League if they moved on the Australian now.
Former Tottenham and Barcelona striker Gary Lineker also poured fuel on the fire, suggesting on the Rest is Football podcast that Postecoglou may have had a falling out with attacking midfielder James Maddison because he started on the bench in their 2-2 draw with Bournemouth on Sunday.
Defender Cristian Romero made his return from injury in the same game, having not played since December, but the World Cup winner increased speculation of unrest by thanking the Argentinian physiotherapists, and not Tottenham’s, on Instagram for getting him back on the park.
But despite the huge amounts of negativity swirling about, Postecoglou is pushing ahead with trying to orchestrate a memorable comeback victory.
Son Heung-min started on the bench along with Maddison against Bournemouth, in a call seemingly made to ensure they are fresh for this European clash.
Romero played a little over an hour before making way for Micky van de Van, who has also returned from injury to offer Postecoglou the chance to start his preferred pairing in central defence.
But midfielders Rodrigo Bentancur, after a third booking in the competition, and Dejan Kulusevski, foot injury, will be absent because Tottenham could not possibly have their first-choice team available at the same time this season.
The key addition that Postecoglou is most counting on, however, is a supportive home crowd.
Reds fall in penalty shootout to PSG | 03:28
Tottenham fans are routinely ridiculed for their negative antics, and Postecoglou has experienced a testy relationship with the supporters.
It was all sunshine and roses when they sat atop of the Premier League table ten games into the Australian’s maiden season at the helm.
He was serenaded with “I’m loving big Ange instead” to the sounds of Robbie Williams’ hit Angels upon the full-time whistle after home wins, but by the end of the season, Postecoglou blasted the club’s fragility as fans pleaded for the team to lose the penultimate game of the season to eventual champions Manchester City to deny rivals Arsenal the title.
The tension increased throughout the current campaign as Postecoglou clashed with verbally abusive fans on several occasions after disheartening losses.
He was also met with choruses of boos instead of jubilation upon the final whistle as well as calls for his sacking on social media and talkback radio.
But the 59-year-old has asked the faithful to channel their passion into supporting the team rather than ridiculing.
Postecoglou believes the players need a vibrant crowd to feed off rather than becoming engulfed by an anxious one.
“Yeah, look, again I said before, I can’t sort of dictate to people how they sort of interact, but, AZ’s crowd certainly helped them on Thursday night,” he said after the Bournemouth match.
“We need our crowd to get behind the boys on Thursday to make it an atmosphere where maybe we lose some of that nervousness and anxiety within our game.
“But the reality is, we as a team have to respond irrespective of the atmosphere and one may follow the other. If we start the game strong, it’ll get the place nice and loud, which will help us.”
Utd eyes historic move from Old Trafford | 01:24
Tottenham have undeniably been a team of moment throughout the Postecoglou era.
When they are good, they have ran over the top of teams and piled on goals, proven by the fact only league leaders Liverpool have scored more goals than them despite such an underwhelming campaign.
When they are poor, the reverse is true. Unable to stem any bleeding with defensive frailties causing unrest in the stands.
An early goal would be a nightmare for Postecoglou’s side, while like Liverpool in their Round of 16 defeat to PSG in the Champions League, the fans would scarcely be able to handle the drama of a penalty shootout.
But the reality of the situation is that the feeling of impending doom will not disappear if they can advance to the quarter-final.
Tottenham have infamously not won a trophy since the 2008 League Cup, and their European drought dates back to the 1984 UEFA Cup, the precursor to the Europa League.
Patience has not been Tottenham’s strong suit in the 17 years following their 2-1 triumph against Chelsea at Wembley, with Postecoglou their eighth full-time manager since Spaniard Juande Ramos, who lifted the trophy that day.
The nerves will likely get greater if they can make it deeper into the competition, but that is far better than Postecoglou being given his marching orders.
Ange Postecoglou clashed with a journalist over questions about one of his Tottenham players’ behaviour away from football ahead of the first leg of Spurs’ crunch Round of 16 Europa League tie against Dutch outfit AZ Alkmaar.
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Having been knocked out of the FA Cup last month, Tottenham had the weekend off and on Monday, midfielder Yves Bissouma posted photos on Instagram from a ski resort.
The Australian was then asked during his match eve press conference whether he had given the players extra time off ahead of an important match in the last competition in which Tottenham can win silverware this season.
Postecoglou was less than impressed by the insinuation that his team were not treating the trip to the Netherlands with respect.
“Seriously, what sort of question is that?” Postecoglou fired back before chuckling to himself.
“No I didn’t, we were training but he decided to go skiing… “Come on mate, you’re better than that!”
The reporter refused to back however, following up by asking Postecoglou whether the Mali international did actually go skiing to which the former Socceroos boss replied “well, obviously he did”.
Postecoglou was then probed further about whether he had any concerns about one of his players undertaking a potentially dangerous activity when Tottenham’s season has been embroiled by an injury crisis.
“I don’t worry about those things, mate,” Postecoglou said.
“They’re adults, they’re human beings, they had a couple of days off.
“They can choose to use that time as wisely as they can to help them be ready for what’s in store for us.
“You kind of hope that they’re sensible about these things and go about whatever they do in a manner that befits the position they hold, but I have no concerns… and he’s fine.”
Yves Bissouma posted this photo, and others, of him skiing on his Instagram earlier this week.Source: FOX SPORTS
Bissouma started on the bench in Tottenham’s last outing, a 1-0 home loss to Manchester City in the league, and Postecoglou’s starting XI remains unclear with several stars a chance to return from injury, including centre back pairing Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, as well as striker Dominic Solanke.
Son Heung-min is likely to return to the starting XI after coming off the bench against City due to Postecoglou’s desire to rest and rotate, clearly with this European opportunity in mind.
But unfortunately for Spurs, Postecoglou said that Dejan Kulusevski’s foot injury is likely to keep him sidelined until after the next international break later this month.
Tottenham finished fourth in the standings after the league stage with five wins, two draws and a loss, including a 1-0 victory at home against AZ Alkmaar, who are sixth in the Eredivisie, courtesy of a Richarlison penalty.
It has been highly publicised that Postecoglou has a habit of winning trophies in his second season in charge, as he did at Celtic, Yokohama F. Marinos, the Socceroos, Brisbane Roar and South Melbourne.
Plus, Spurs have a much-discussed trophy drought, dating back to 2008 and they last triumphed in Europe in the 1984 UEFA Cup – the predecessor to the Europa League.
So, Postecoglou shared that there is no need to remind him or the players of the importance of the upcoming tie.
“Yeah, I think it is fair to say the boys really understand there is a great opportunity for us,” he said.
“It’s a competition we obviously want to do well in. We’ve got ourselves in a good position. We’re in the round of 16, we’ve got two tough games against AZ and that’s the first thing to overcome.
“The club hasn’t in recent years done well in this competition, but it’s a major European competition, we’re in the last 16 and for us there’s an opportunity there and we’ll see how far we can go in it.
“With us tomorrow night, we’ve got to make sure whatever happens at the end of the game, we’ve still got an opportunity to go back to Tottenham and win the tie.
“We understand with the home support — I’ve been here with Celtic in a Europa game, so I know the experience of it and they’re a good side — but we’ve got to make sure we play our football and dictate the tempo of the game to make sure we take a result back to Tottenham.”
As previously announced, the inaugural Championship, which will conclude with a grand final on the weekend of December 6-7, will involve eight “foundation” clubs – APIA Leichhardt (NSW), Avondale (VIC), Marconi (NSW), Preston (VIC), South Melbourne (VIC), Sydney Olympic (NSW), Sydney United 58 (NSW) and Wollongong (NSW) – as well as eight “invitational” clubs from member federations.
FA chief executive officer James Johnson said the Championship would “complement” the A-League, the Australia Cup and the NPL state competitions.
“The Australian Championship is much more than a competition – it’s a national celebration of football uniting proud historic clubs, emerging talent, and inter-generational community connection,” Johnson said.
“It reflects the core values of Australian football – authenticity, opportunity, and ambition.”
The 16 teams will be split into four groups of four teams.
Each team will play six group games, with the top two from each group to progress to the competition’s knockout stages.
Football Australia will provide travel subsidies for clubs competing in the Championship in 2025.
There will no promotion and relegation between the Championship and the A-League.
The format and structure of the Championship will be reviewed after its first season.
The tight rope Ange Postecoglou is walking is getting narrower.
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That is to be expected when a big six club like Tottenham sits 14th on the Premier League table almost two-thirds of the way through the season.
This time last week Spurs were still in the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and the Europa League.
Now, only the latter remains.
The results are not stacking up in the Australian’s favour, but there is an unshakeable feeling among his backers that if he was not an outsider in English football, he might be afforded more rope.
It has been highly publicised that Tottenham have been hit with an injury crisis in recent months.
“There’s got to be a better appreciation for what a very small group of players have been doing for the last two and a half months,” he said.
“It can’t be that people think that’s an excuse. That’s just not anywhere near close to objective analysis. That’s just agenda-driven stuff.
“If it’s to get rid of me that’s fine. Good on ya. Go for it a million times.
“But in terms of this group of players, what they’ve given over the past two and half months has been outstanding, it’s a credit to them, I can’t speak highly enough of them.”
Yet, the questions keep coming despite the most glaring issue being clear for all to see.
Postecoglou has been repeatedly forced to put out a makeshift defence with first choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, centre back pairing Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, and left-back Destiny Udogie all spending extended periods on the sidelines.
Further afield, midfielders Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma have been regularly unavailable, while their goal scoring stocks have suffered the blows of injuries to Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson and James Maddison at various times.
Logically, it is no surprise that the losses have mounted.
Liverpool sink Spurs in run to final | 02:05
Just as they did for Newcastle United last season.
The Magpies lost ten of their first 21 Premier League encounters last campaign.
Undeniably, not good enough for a club with a lot of financial power considering its 80% per cent ownership by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, well-known for funding LIV Golf and spreading their wealth throughout the sporting world in recent years.
But manager Eddie Howe faced nowhere near the level of scrutiny Postecoglou has received.
It was widely accepted that the Englishman, who made his name by taking Bournemouth to the Premier League for the first time, had his hands tied by an injury-riddled squad.
The added pressure of mid-week European competition, Newcastle played in the Champions League for the first time in 20 years, as well as cup fixtures and always demanding league schedule took its toll.
It sounds familiar to Postecoglou’s current predicament.
But unlike in Howe’s case, the English press, pundits, former players and fans have been baying for blood.
And despite sometimes justified criticism of Postecoglou’s polarising tactics, some of the reasons for doing so have not always been fair.
“Spurs’ Australian head coach is the latest target of the village idiots; the half-pint pundits and critics who prefer to laugh at the fact he finishes his sentences with ‘mate’ than listen to him contextualising his team’s problems,” football news correspondent for the UK Telegraph Matt Law wrote.
The mockery unfortunately goes hand-in-hand with the club Postecoglou is at.
Tottenham are repeatedly a laughing stock among rival fans courtesy of the well-documented absence of silverware in their trophy cabinet since 2008.
The regularity with which they sack managers, Postecoglou is their 12th permanent manager this century, is the bud of many jokes.
So too is the behaviour of their fans, who even wanted their own team to lose the penultimate game of last Premier League season at home to Manchester City, which they did 2-0, to deny arch enemies Arsenal the title.
Therefore, of course, when an Australian arrived in north London with tales of how he has won a trophy in his second season with Celtic, Yokohama F. Marinos, the Socceroos, Brisbane Roar and South Melbourne, the punch lines were being written.
Add to that the fact he had shown an unwavering commitment to attacking football, even when times are tough. That was until their last Premier League outing, a 2-0 victory away at Brentford, as a more defensive approach broke a seven-game winless streak in the league.
Spurs sat deeper and gritted their teeth for 90 minutes, showing that they can be more resolute in defence, but Postecoglou is still spoken of as a madman.
There are choruses of laughter in pubs and football clubs across England at Postecoglou’s and Tottenham’s expense, and they have only grown louder in recent days.
Ange denies Tel initially rejected Spurs | 01:11
In the past week, another dismantling by Liverpool, in the form of a 4-0 drubbing at Anfield in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final after leading 1-0 following the first leg, was followed by a 2-1 defeat at Villa Park in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
There is little shame in losing to the Premier League leaders, or Aston Villa have qualified for the Champions League Round of 16, but that did not prevent the pile on.
Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie Redknapp was scathing on Sky Sports after the Liverpool loss, saying “I cannot remember a team in my lifetime go down with less of a fight with what Spurs did today”.
“Not having one shot on target in the semi-final of a second leg when you’re trying to change the course of your history?” he added.
Fellow former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara, who has been a very vocal critic of Postecoglou, took to X to call for his sacking.
“It’s time to go now, Ange is out of his depth. [Unai] Emery is on a different planet compared to him and his players bopped us off the park. Should have been five, we’re like reserve team playing in academy games that don’t matter, it’s crazy,” O’Hara wrote.
It did not help things for Postecoglou either that Liverpool great Jamie Carragher opted to rub further salt into Spurs’ wounds.
“It’s Tottenham!” Carragher said on Sky Sports. “When do Tottenham ever win a big game? When do Tottenham ever go and surprise, win against the odds?”
The last few months it must have felt like Postecoglou was being forced to play game after game at a casino where the house always wins.
With the injury crisis, the odds have been massively skewed against them, but the cup competitions kept the hope alive.
Now, only the European dream remains to fulfil the Postecoglou prophecy of winning yet another trophy in his second season in charge of a team.
Spurs finished fourth in the new look league phase of the Europa League with five wins, two draws and a loss to automatically advance to the Round of 16.
Awaiting them will be one of Midtjylland, AZ Alkmaar, Real Sociedad or Galatasaray but arguably more important than the opponent they face, will be the respite Postecoglou’s injury hit squad receive.
Their next European clash is not until March 6 as they will enjoy some much-needed breathing space between matches this month after a manic December and January.
Tension eases as Spurs advance in Europa | 01:57
Spurs played 17 matches across all competitions in that stretch as the casualty ward overflowed.
It was reported by the UK Telegraph on Monday that Postecoglou has implemented a much-needed reset by affording the squad two days off this week to recharge the batteries before facing Manchester United at home in the league on Sunday.
“The boys who are coming back, we’ll get the opportunity to give them a whole week of training, which is great,” Postecoglou said.
“By the time we get to the back end of the week we should have something resembling a squad of players to prepare for a big game. That then folds into the following week when, again, we’ve got seven days and no midweek game to prepare for the next game.
“So that gives us a real good opportunity to get some work into the guys who have been out for quite a while and give some rest to the guys who have been going at it. So by the time we get back to being in Europe and having midweek games we’ll be in a much better shape.”
Postecoglou will be hoping the refresh, along with the possible returns of Vicario, Udogie, Maddison, Johnson and Wilson Odobert will be the morale booster the playing group desperately needs.
Their frustrations came to the fore during the Villa loss on Sunday.
“Spence ripped off his sock tape, threw it on the ground and headed straight down the tunnel with Yves Bissouma at full time,” The Athletic’s Jay Harris wrote.
“Pedro Porro jumped up after being nutmegged and left in a heap on the floor by Marcus Rashford. He then brought Villa’s new striker down with a wild kick on the edge of the box and somehow escaped punishment. The Spain international received a yellow card in the final 10 minutes for a tackle on Ramsey.
“Bentancur was booked for dragging down Rogers. Bergvall jumped into a tackle on Rogers and then clattered into him later on. He eventually picked up a booking for a foul on Ramsey, too.
“These are the moments when Postecoglou needs his senior players, including the captain Son and Dejan Kulusevski, to calm everyone down.”
Jovial Ange jokes before crucial goal | 00:57
If the players can reset, they may be able to claw their way back to the days of Postecoglou’s honeymoon period at Spurs.
The 59-year-old was a breath of fresh air when Tottenham amassed 26 points in his first ten games in charge, a Premier League record, when he took over last season.
Most promising for Postecoglou is that the formula is still there.
“The statistics still tell us this Tottenham team, for all their struggles this season, play a little differently to everyone else. The principles of play that had Postecoglou’s Spurs five points clear at the top of the table early last season remain in place,” Sky Sports’ Adam Bate wrote.
“No team in the Premier League has won the ball high up the pitch more times than Tottenham. No team allows so few passes per defensive action. No team plays with more width than Tottenham. By design, it is supposed to be intense and expansive.”
The numbers are a promising sign that if the medical staff can get most of their stars back on the pitch, the performances may turn quickly.
Who knows what will happen in the Europa League knockouts, but for what it is worth, Howe’s Newcastle won nine and drew four of their final 17 Premier League games last season once the midweek grind subsided.
They finished seventh, and currently sit sixth, two points shy of fourth-placed Chelsea and one of the lucrative Champions League places.
Perhaps if Postecoglou is afforded the leniency of an Englishman, he may have the time to turn things around in a similar fashion.
Who knows, they still have one chance to fulfil his trophy prophecy.
Results from the two games against the South American champions and the pair of fixtures against Chinese Taipei were both everything and, at the same time, completely irrelevant compared to other objectives.
Impressive crowds followed the team from Brisbane to the Gold Coast and on to Victoria and winning for those who paid their hard-earned money will always be the goal. However, with continental and global silverware up for grabs over the next two and a half years, those games will be the last where player selections, formations and form won’t be scrutinised heavily for some time.
Stylish Tillies crush Chinese Taipei | 03:08
THE SELL OUT CROWD STREAK
The Matildas streak of selling out stadiums on home soil stopped at 16.
47,501 packed into Suncorp Stadium and 25,297 rocked up on the Gold Coast for the games against Brazil.
The 26,795 in attendance at AAMI Park in Melbourne for the first match against Chinese Taipei fell just shy of ensuring the house full sign went up.
The teams who featured on the sellout list make the length of the streak even more impressive.
It started with 50,629 packing into Marvel Stadium for the last fixture the side played before the Women’s World Cup, against France, in 2023.
By the time the full-time whistle went in their third-placed play-off defeat to Sweden in Brisbane the streak sat at eight.
The wave of enthusiasm didn’t wane after the World Cup.
59,155 were at Optus Stadium in Perth for an Olympic qualifier against the Philippines. That fixture was wedged either side of sellouts at HBF Park against Iran and Chinese Taipei.
54,120 against Uzbekistan at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne saw them seal qualification for the games in Paris while 76,798 were in attendance at Accor Stadium in Sydney for a clash with China. It doubled as a farewell match for the side prior to the ill-fated Olympic campaign and veteran goalkeeper Lydia Williams’ final game on home soil before retirement.
That figure is almost unheard of for a Monday night in Sydney and it came off the back of 52,912 at Adelaide Oval for the first game against China.
Those are remarkable numbers.
THE COACH SEARCH
When will Football Australia settle on Tony Gustavsson’s replacement as Matildas coach?
All the governing body will confirm is that the search is ongoing.
It’s been ongoing since August and is likely to continue into 2025.
There are six international windows next year as the side prepares for the Asian Cup on home soil in March of 2026. The side will head to America in the first of those windows in February for the SheBelieves Cup. They’ll take on Japan, the USA and Colombia and it’s unclear, at this stage, if the search for a coach would’ve concluded by then.
Players, former players and pundits have all aired their opinions over the last few weeks on the qualities the new coach should possess.
The man currently filling the void, Tom Sermanni, also had some thoughts.
“Somebody young,” the 70-year-old quipped when asked.
“Ideally its someone that has to be here; that has to be invested in the game here, that has to take greater responsibility than just a one singular national team.
“That would be the ideal role.”
That would require any foreign candidate to relocate and immerse themselves in pathways programs.
In the meantime, Sermanni has turned his attention to the SheBelieves Cup.
“I’m in here as a coach. I haven’t thought about it as if I’m just here in the interim. What I’ve tried to do is do what I would’ve done had I come in here under a two, three or a four-year contract.”
Incredible story behind Tillies new star | 01:12
THE YOUNG AND THE RETURNING
The experience of Sermanni – this is his third stint as coach of the Matildas – perhaps explains why Football Australia feel like they’ve got time to settle on the right coaching candidate.
He’s already set about building depth in the squad. Sermanni created headlines – something the affable Scot is not prone to doing – by saying depth building was something the program hadn’t done well enough. It was seen as a shot at Gustavsson and was widely reported as such. He was at pains to clarify on Friday that he meant it was a decade old problem that Football Australia needs to address.
Either way, it’s a valid point on the road to the Asian Cup and World Cup.
His solution, so far, has been to not just name generation next in the squad, but actually give them game time.
Bryleeh Henry, Daniela Galic, Winonah Heatley, Sharn Freier, Natasha Prior and Leah Davidson all got minutes at stages, and none looked out of place at international level.
Freier is the most established of those players and looks increasingly dangerous with every appearance.
“I think the first thing that we learned is that some players have come in and really stepped up to the level that we’re playing at,” Sermanni said.
“We actually have some talent around that we need to try to utilise a little bit better.”
More established players like Emily Gielnik, Chloe Logarzo and Remy Siemsen, who missed the profile boom of World Cup induced Matildas-mania, have also returned to the fold.
A mix of the young and the returning will be required for the side to get its hands on silverware.
CLARITY ON SAM KERR
Sam Kerr has been sidelined with an anterior cruciate ligament injury since suffering the setback at a Chelsea training camp in January.
Hard details around her recovery have been difficult to come by since.
Now, new Chelsea coach Sonia Bompastor has provided a ballpark timeframe for Kerr’s return.
“We are looking to have her back with us in February, March, not before that,” Bompastor said.
“She didn’t start yet to train, even being modified with the group, so she’s still on her individual process rehab and I think it will take at least two or three more months for her to be fit enough to be with the squad.”
That means the SheBelieves Cup will, most likely, come too soon and Chelsea would surely hold reservations about Kerr departing for international duty if she was only just back on the park.
Having Kerr fit and firing for the Asian Cup in 2026 and the World Cup in 2027 must be the goal after an injury interrupted run at the last edition before missing the Olympics in Paris completely.
Tillies snap losing streak with 3-1 win | 01:34
THE HARDEST MOMENT TO WATCH
Chloe Logarzo made her first appearance for the Matildas since October 2022 in the game at AAMI Park against Chinese Taipei.
After a lively first half-hour spent cleverly linking up with the strike pairing of Emily Gielnik and Michelle Heyman, a head clash while competing for a ball saw her night come to an end.
The next day she was ruled out of the second match in Geelong.
“She has got the old egg on the side of her head at the moment,” Sermanni said after the AAMI Park game.
“She is devastated at having to go off. She waited quite a long time to get back in the team.”
It’s not hard to understand why Logarzo was pleading for the medical staff to let her continue.
The 29-year-old has had a horror run with injuries.
The midfielder tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her knee during a friendly against Ireland in September of 2021.
Issues with her foot followed the completion of rehabilitation on her knee.
Logarzo wasn’t fit enough for the World Cup and turned television pundit for the tournament instead.
The Western United star will be desperate to be on the pitch instead of in a TV studio when the Asian Cup rolls around.
The tears that followed her substitution in Melbourne were a raw and honest expression of how cruel professional sport can be.
THE BEST MOMENT OF THE FOUR MATCHES
Clare Polkinghorne take a bow.
You know you’ve made it when you enter the Australian consciousness just by your nickname.
“Polks” got a celebration game against Brazil in-front of family and friends in her home state in Queensland and then a farewell game against Chinese Taipei in Geelong.
The defender made her international debut in 2006 against China in Shanghai as a 16-year-old and went on to be picked for five World Cups, five Asian Cups and three Olympic Games.
The 35-year-old exits the game with 169 appearances for the Matildas to her name that saw her go from playing in-front of small crowds to selling out stadiums.
The Matildas are cruising to victory over Chinese Taipei and hold a 4-0 lead in the second half in veteran Clare Polkinghorne’s final international appearance.
Leah Davidson opened the scoring with a sharp header that found the woodwork and then the back of the net in the sixth minute.
Tameka Yallop then doubled the lead with a left-foot strike that found the bottom right corner of the goal in Geelong.
Emily Gielnik then used her body well to get in position and head home in the 40th minute to complete the first-half rout.
Australia’s 36-year-old striker Michelle Heyman picked up where things left off in the second half when she tapped in from close range.
MATCH PREVIEW
After a triumphant result at AAMI Park on Wednesday, the Matildas are looking to make it two from two against Chinese Taipei when the sides meet on Saturday night in Geelong.
Having missed the 3-1 win midweek, interim Matildas manager Tom Sermanni confirmed Queensland native Clare Polkinghorne would start on Saturday night for her final international appearance.
“Does it get any better than that for a Queenslander?” Sermanni joked at his press conference.
With regards to the rest of Saturday’s line-up, Sermanni confirmed changes would be made, saying: “We’ve got certain conditions around these games that limit us a little bit, but we will (make changes).”
The 70-year-old veteran explained the approach the Australians would take to their second matchup with their Asian opponent.
“One of the key things I’ve learned over many years of us being in Asia is that if you play and conform to the same tempo that the Asian teams like to play at, then they do it better than us,” Sermanni said.
“So, it was really important for us to have a tempo of the game that was high, to have a really aggressive approach to the game … and to actually use our physically, which is a big asset for us.
“We try to blend all of those things together. I think, generally, I thought the players did it really well (on Wednesday).”
The Matildas meet Chinese Taipei for the second time on Saturday, December 7 at 7:30pm AEDT at GMHBA Stadium. The match will be broadcast on 10 and 10 Bold.
Socceroos striker Kusini Yengi is awaiting scan results after missing Portsmouth’s 2-2 draw with Swansea in the Championship with a knee injury.
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Portsmouth claim Yengi suffered the injury while on international duty with Australia over the last fortnight.
“He picked up an injury during the game when Australia played Bahrain,” Portsmouth manager John Mousinho said prior to his sides latest outing.
It’s unclear at this stage how bad the injury is or how long Yengi will be sidelined for.
The revelation comes as a slight shock given the 25-year-old played the entirety of the contest in Riffa and scored both goals, as it finished 2-2.
Mousinho said Yengi picked up the injury “just before half-time.”
“His knee was slightly swollen,” Mousinho added.
“He was scanned on Friday afternoon. So, we’re just awaiting the final scan results and for him to see a specialist.
“With knees, ankles and hips we’re always really wary.”
It has been a stop-start season for the forward.
He missed Pompey’s first two matches of the Championship campaign with a groin injury before being sidelined just two games into his comeback for a further five fixtures with the same complaint.
Brighton move to second on EPL ladder | 01:02
Yengi had just come off a run of six games in four weeks prior to linking up with the Socceroos in Melbourne.
He came on as a late substitute in a scoreless draw with Saudi Arabia in the Victorian capital before the side flew out to Bahrain.
“Any injury is frustrating for us,” Mousinho said.
“People do pick up injuries on international breaks. It’s probably one of the reasons why certain players don’t necessarily want to go on international duty.
“We’re not one of those clubs. I want players to go away and play and represent their countries and I think it’s a really proud moment for anybody connected with Portsmouth when they do that.
“It does come with a slight risk and unfortunately (Kusini) has ended up picking up an injury.”
Any absence isn’t of immediate concern for the Socceroos.
Roar & Macarthur duel ends in 4-4 draw | 02:04
Tony Popovic’s side isn’t back in action until they face Indonesia and China in two must-win World Cup qualifiers in March.
While Yengi has made a bright start to life for the national team, scoring six goals in 11 games, the interrupted nature of his season has impacted his output for Portsmouth. He’s yet to find the back of the net in the Championship after scoring 13-goals in 31 appearances in all competitions last season, while they were in League One, following a move from the Western Sydney Wanderers in the A-League.
