The Socceroos took a small but crucial step towards qualifying for the 2022 World Cup on Tuesday night with a scrappy 1-0 win against Vietnam in Hanoi but some fans found cause for concern.
After impressing in a 3-0 victory against China last week, this performance was much less polished with the green and gold riding their luck at times as they banked another three points.
It was a 10th-straight win for Graham Arnold's side and has them sitting top of Group B early on in the final phase of World Cup qualifying.
Vietnam hadn't lost on home soil since October 2015 - a run of 17 games that saw them beat South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.
The rapidly improving Asian nation showed exactly why on Tuesday as they set themselves up perfectly to frustrate the Socceroos and give them the best chance of poaching a goal on the counter.
Despite having just 30 per cent of possession, Vietnam took five more shots than Australia and were somewhat unlucky not to be awarded a first-half penalty for handball following a VAR review.
As Arnold himself conceded, the Socceroos were far from their best, but in the heat of Hanoi against a quality opponent, the three points can't be underestimated.
"The performance obviously could have been better but you’ve got to look at the circumstances and the conditions we played in," Arnold said post-match.
The nature of the match has however divided fans on social media with a select few critical of the team with bigger tests likely awaiting them.
I reckon it’s unwise to paper over the cracks and say a win in WCQ is all that matters. The @Socceroos played poorly and hardly ever looked like scoring against a mediocre team. This has to be said too.
— Philip Micallef (@MicallefPhilip) September 7, 2021
A win is a win but I think people’s expectations of the Socceroos is not just to scrape through qualifying but to go to a World Cup and win some games.. this isn’t 2005 anymore we need to aim higher for our national team
— Mathew Papas (@mpapas85) September 7, 2021
Others were quick to put the result in perspective against an under-rated opponent and stressed another three points can't be taken lightly on the long road to Qatar.
Reading much of the commentary following the Socceroos win and shaking my head to be honest. When it comes to WC qualifiers there are no such things as ugly wins or pretty wins, there are only wins, which in the long graft of qualification, are GOLD.
— Remo Nogarotto (@RNogarotto) September 7, 2021
Of course the performance can be analysed and critiqued.
— Daniel Garb (@DanielGarb) September 7, 2021
But how some people still expect the @Socceroos to waltz through teams in second phase World Cup Qualifiers away from home is beyond me.
We literally haven’t done it once in the three campaign’s previous to this.
Excellent week of performances 👏 by @Socceroos in WCQs 2 wins, 4 goals ⚽ & none conceded 👊 overcame challenges of huge travel, very limited preps, weather & terrible pitch in Hanoi - only upside from here, on our road to qualification for #Qatar2022 @FIFAWorldCup#GoSocceroos
— Pablo Bateson (@PabloFootball) September 7, 2021
How are we still having these debates after 15 years?! Qualifying for the World Cup through Asia is tough! We just won 1-0 away following a 3-0 win against the world’s most populous nation at a neutral venue. Maybe we need to miss a WC for people to stop taking it for granted. 🤷🏻♂️
— Matt Windley (@MattyTeamCity) September 7, 2021
The Socceroos next face Oman on October 7 with Football Australia hopeful of hosting the game in Sydney and fans reportedly a chance to attend should vaccination rates continue to rise.