Al Ain: Australia coach Graham Arnold expects Milos Degenek to bounce back from the disappointment of gifting the United Arab Emirates the only goal of the game as the Socceroos’ defence of the AFC Asian Cup title came to an end in Al Ain on Friday evening.



Degenek’s mishit back pass was leapt on by Ali Mabkhout and the Al Jazira striker rounded Maty Ryan to score the 68th minute winner and take his country into the semi-finals of the AFC Asian Cup for the second tournament in a row.

“I’ve been in charge for eight games and have been changing the style and if you look, tonight there were four players who played at the World Cup,” said Arnold.



“Milos didn’t get a minute at the World Cup, but he has stepped up at this tournament and done fantastically well. Obviously he’s hurting at the moment but I’ll make sure he’s OK.

“He’s a fantastic kid, a fantastic professional and he’s got a long future with the Australian national team.”

The loss means the Australians will not progress to the final of the AFC Asian Cup for the first time since their debut appearance at the tournament in 2007 when, also under Arnold, the Socceroos crashed out in the last eight of the competition.

On Friday evening, Australia had almost 64 percent of possession and were often camped out in the hosts’ half, but the 2015 winners were unable to find a way past a determined and resolute Emirati backline.

 


Match Highlights - January 25

“Football can be a cruel sport,” said Arnold. “It’s probably the only sport in the world where you can control possession, you can have much more possession and have more chances on goal and spend more time in the opposition’s half and you can still lose.

“But I couldn’t be prouder of the boys. It’s been a long camp, probably the longest they’ve been ever been in camp these players. It’s been a wonderful experience for myself and the staff and the country should be very proud of them.”

Arnold took over as Australia coach from Bert van Marwijk in the aftermath of the nation’s appearance at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia last summer and he believes the young players in his squad will have learned valuable lessons for the future.

“I feel proud,” he said of his team’s performance throughout the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019. “I feel proud that it’s the start of a four-year journey and we came here and we’ve performed very well.

“The young players have had a wonderful experience during this tournament and with the amount of changes that we’ve made. It’s been a very enjoyable tournament and it’s been a great experience for all.”


Source: the-afc.com