Japan 2 - 1 Australia

Japan welcomed Australia to the Nagai Stadium in Osaka with non-stop chanting and screaming from more than 50000 fans. The Socceroos didn't seem intimidated by the imposing atmosphere and started the match strongly. However, as the contest went on Australia lost control of the match and Japan's quality eventually shined through to give them a 2-1 win. Another loss for coach Ange Postecoglou and more things to worry about in what was a last hit out before the start of the Asian Cup in January. The starting lineup was Matt Ryan; Aziz Behich; Trent Sainsbury; Alex Wilkinson; Ivan Franjic; Matt McKay; Mile Jedinak; Massimo Luongo; James Troisi; Robbie Kruse; Matthew Leckie.

The Socceroos Officially in Crisis

After a very promising showing at the World Cup that even surprised our own fans, the Socceroos seem to have fallen into a hole that is getting deeper and deeper with each step. The nightmare for the Socceroos worsened in recent weeks when poor performances led to disappointing results in the recent round of friendlies against opposition that we were expected to beat comfortably. This resulted in Australia falling to its lowest FIFA ranking (94) of all time. To top it all off, the Young Socceroos failed to qualify for next year's U-20 World Cup. With just a few months until the start of the Asian Cup and only one friendly match left before then, can Ange Postecoglou resurrect the squad and get the Socceroos ready in time?