Irvine: Scoreline doesn't quite do performance against Colombia justice
Stand-in CommBank Socceroos captain Jackson Irvine felt the 3-0 scoreline in favour of Colombia was not a true reflection of the match at New York's Citi Field on Wednesday afternoon (AEDT).
Taking on the World No. 13 South Americans was also going to be a tough task, but the Aussies defended resolutely for the opening 74 minutes until a contentious penalty paved the way for a comfortable Los Cafeteros friendly victory.
It certainly was an improved performance from the narrow 1-0 loss to Venezuela four days earlier in Houston, despite a lack of chance creation.
"I think the circumstances in which we lose the goals is probably the toughest to take," Irvine lamented.
"I think the first half was really good, limited them to very little, a couple of snap shots outside the box, and had our own good moments with the ball.
"(We) probably could have progressed the ball into the last third there a little bit better, but signs of positivity were really there."
Indeed, a penalty, confidently converted by Colombian talisman James Rodriguez, broke the Socceroos' resistance after the referee adjudged Callum Elder to have impeded Santiago Arias with 16 minutes remaining.
The Aussies then conceded two soft goals in the dying stages of the match, scored by Bayern Munich star Luis Dias and Crystal Palace's Jefferson Lerma.
The 32-year-old, who won his 80th cap to move equal 10th on the all-time Socceroos appearances list, believed while the decision was harsh there were a lot of learnings from the contest against a quality opponent, many consider a dark horse at next year's FIFA World Cup 2026™.
"I haven't seen the penalty back enough times, but it looks so weak, and to then be chasing the game against a top side, you're going leave yourself a bit exposed," he said.
"So I think the scoreline doesn't quite do a lot of our performance justice, but it's another big learning step for a lot of the guys playing against a top 12th or 13th team in the world - some world class players.
"So this is the level of opponent you've got to be ready for in June."
The November window was the St Pauli midfielder's first back with the national team in eight months due to a foot injury and he could not hide his joy of being back in the Green and Gold.
"(It's) amazing to be back with this team and playing football again," he revealed.
"I think it's been over seven months since I last started a game, so to be doing it against a top team, and it was a test for me, but it's another step in my progression.
"Hopefully I can take some more with my club and get back to my best. But it's an amazing feeling to be back with the boys after probably my longest break away from the team."