Soccer Australia affirm Socceroos will play Lionel Messi’s Argentina in Beijing in rematch of World Cup spherical of 16
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The Socceroos will face world champions Argentina in Beijing on June 15 as they put together for a essential Asian Cup tilt and 2026 World Cup qualifying matches.
Key factors:
- The Socceroos misplaced 2-1 to Argentina within the spherical of 16 ultimately yr’s World Cup in Qatar
- Australia will face the world quantity one-ranked facet once more in a pleasant in Beijing on June 15
- It will likely be the primary time the Socceroos have performed since friendlies towards Ecuador in March this yr
The long-rumoured pleasant conflict on the newly-renovated Employees’ Stadium is to go forward, simply over six months after Argentina beat Australia 2-1 within the World Cup spherical of 16 in Qatar, Soccer Australia confirmed on Monday.
“To safe a match towards the world champions Argentina displays Australia’s standing inside world soccer and the respect that the highest nations have for each our senior nationwide groups,” FA chief government James Johnson mentioned in a press release.
The Socceroos even have a hotly-anticipated pleasant match towards England at Wembley Stadium in October.
Lionel Messi’s Argentina are the world primary within the newest FIFA rankings, with Australia sitting twenty ninth.
Socceroos coach Graham Arnold had been determined to get the Argentina conflict, citing the significance of dealing with prime opposition forward of a brand new World Cup cycle.
“It might be wonderful. I simply get goosebumps now excited about it,” Arnold instructed reporters earlier this month.
“If this recreation comes off, it’d simply be implausible to play towards the world champions in the meanwhile.
“There is not any higher method to check gamers than put them out towards prime opposition, as a result of if you happen to put them out towards the decrease opposition, effectively, then you definitely’re not studying an excessive amount of concerning the gamers.
“So I would like these robust video games. I need to play towards groups which are going to push us to the restrict and we’ll push them to the restrict.
“These sort of video games are essential to our preparation and making us get higher.”
Argentina ended Australia’s golden World Cup run in Qatar by way of targets to Messi and Julian Alvarez, although Craig Goodwin pressured a late Enzo Fernandez own-goal to ship the conflict all the way down to the wire.
Arnold mentioned Argentina counterpart Lionel Scaloni had instructed him at a current FIFA coaches’ convention the Socceroos proved their hardest recreation on the World Cup.
The match, which kicks off at 8pm native time (10pm AEST), would be the Socceroos’ first since a pair of house friendlies towards Ecuador in March.
AAP
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