Subway Socceroos Craig Goodwin, Martin Boyle and Nishan Velupillay said on Thursday night that the 5-1 victory over Indonesia was a vital one to their FIFA World Cup 2026™ qualification hopes.
While the players stressed that their performance wasn’t perfect, they emphasised the importance of the three points gained and looked ahead to taking on China on Tuesday.
The importance of the win
Boyle: Fantastic result. Exactly what we wanted. It puts us in pole position for where we want to be in the group. Five fantastic goals.
Goodwin: Very satisfying. We’re at the point now where there are three games left. Every game is a must win. And we put in a good performance and a very good result.
Dealing with Indonesia’s pressure
Boyle: We came under a lot of pressure. We weathered it well. The penalty was a bit sloppy from us to give away. We know that, but then he missed it. That's football. Then we react brilliantly, which is good. We said at half-time, the reaction was brilliant. And we took the game to them. We scored the penalty, Jacko got a great goal, and Nishy [Velupillay] with a fantastic chip. I'd say we could have dominated the ball a little bit better, been a bit more patient, but the result is the main thing.
Goodwin: The key moment [was] them missing the penalty, and then us going up the other end in a couple minutes, scoring one and then scoring another. So the boys did really well. We knew from the first time we played Indonesia, they came out firing. Really, really high intensity, and then you've got to weather. It probably took a little bit to the second half for them to die off in energy. We put in a great shift, great performance. International games are always going to be tough, no matter who you're playing against.
Velupillay: They came out firing. We know they're a very direct teams at times, so we had to be prepared for that. We had to weather the storm. And I think towards the end of the first half you can see our football kind of seeping through, which is good. I think some of the goals that came from it were good.
The improvements in the team in recent months
Boyle: We were clinical [tonight]. We took our chances when they came. We had a lot [of chances] over there [in Indonesia, when they played a scoreless draw]. We were disappointed then, we could have done a little bit better… we were just much more clinical [tonight] when the chances came.
Goodwin: The attitude, the intensity, the effort, the desire, is there from the start. We are doing things differently, but we've learned our lesson from the first game, and perhaps the first two games, the opening rounds of these qualifiers. So we're using that as a lesson. We have to enjoy this tonight and prepare ourselves for the next match.
The mood within camp
Boyle: We had a lot the boys in pretty early so we could prepare, which is quite rare, because a lot of games are normally played Sunday. We had a few late arrivals. But the cohesion of the squad, the brotherhood, it's always there. The hard work continues as soon as we cross that line.
Goodwin: Camp’s been really good. It always is. The attitude is always good from the group. Training sessions have been very good. It’s been a couple of months since we've been able to come in and have these games, but we know the magnitude of what's at stake. That’s not missed from anyone. The attitude is there, like I said before, and as always, the camp environment is really enjoyable to be around. But you know, I think there's that added pressure, that the boys are thriving on as well.
Velupillay: They're really supportive, very welcoming into the camp. It’s my third one now. I’m starting to get to know the boys a bit better, and on the pitch as well. As long as we can keep building that camaraderie and connection on the pitch, we will be always improving.
Looking ahead to the game against China PR
Boyle: It'll be a tricky game. We'll dust ourselves down. We'll get our recovery, which needs to be spot on. We'll do our video analysis on them, we'll work out their weaknesses, their strengths, and hopefully we can replicate another result like we did tonight.
Velupillay: It'll be a tough test. I think every game in Asia is really difficult. As a qualifier, it's always going to be even more difficult. We'll be prepared. We have to recover now and get ready for the game.
NEXT GAME
China PR v Subway Socceroos
Tuesday 25 March 2025
Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, Hangzhou
Kick-off: 7.00pm local / 10.00pm AEDT
Broadcast: Paramount+