AUSTRALIA kept its World Cup hopes alive with a fighting performance in a 1-1 draw with Denmark in Samara. In a match where we enjoyed long periods of dominance, there were a host of players who put in solid shifts. But for the second game in this tournament the Socceroos failed to score in open play and there’s a number of culprits costing us. Read: Stinging sledge after Socceroos’ cliffhanger STARTING XI 1. Mathew Ryan (rating: 7/10) — Had no chance of stopping Christian Eriksen’s cracker and was exactly where he needed to be every time from that point forward. 5. Mark Milligan (8) — Solid as a rock for the second game in a row. Made some crunching tackles and dealt with the threat of Eriksen and Nicolai Jorgensen as well as could be expected. Having quite the tournament. 7. Mathew Leckie (7) — Hugely influential, providing many opportunities for teammates and helping win the VAR-assisted penalty. But needed to do better with a free header in the 5th minute and another he missed completely from a Daniel Arzani cross late in the second half. Mathew Leckie has been 🔥🔥 tonight! 🇦🇺 @Socceroos — Mitchell Duke (@mitchduke8) June 21, 2018 10. Robbie Kruse (6) — A conundrum because he continually put himself in dangerous positions but continually let himself down with his first touch. Subbed out for Arzani midway through the second half. 11. Andrew Nabbout (6) — Flung his body around willingly but another whose first touch let him down on several occasions. Probably the wrong choice given his greatest strength — pressuring the opposition — wasn’t needed as much in this game. Exited the game with what looked like a dislocated shoulder so it appears his tournament is over. 13. Aaron Mooy (8) — Another first-class game from a first-class player. Would be nice to see him given the all-clear to push deeper into attack more often because he showed with that oh-so-close thunderbolt he’s capable of doing damage. 15. Mile Jedinak (7) — Joined Brett Emerton with the most international goals (20) for Australia by a non-striker with another nerveless penalty. Became more involved going forward in the second half as we controlled the midfield. 16. Aziz Behich (7) — Could have reacted quicker to at least put some pressure on Christian Eriksen as he scored the opener but the goal wasn’t his fault. Was crucial in many of our raids down the left flank and is emerging as a star. 19. Joshua Risdon (6) — He’s clearly not on the same level as most of his teammates but all we needed him to do was to make sure right fullback wasn’t a glaring weakness — and it hasn’t been. 20. Trent Sainsbury (6) — Appeared to be caught napping on the ball that led to Eriksen’s goal. From that point he was pretty faultless, but if you fail in the big moments, you fail. The more you look at it... Sainsbury clocked off - a step too late as a result... and that’s all it took. #goal — Brenton Speed (@BrentonSpeed) June 21, 2018 23. Tom Rogic (8) — After a subdued performance against France this was his time to shine and he was outstanding. When Australia started playing direct balls from defence to his feet we looked like a different team. Could watch that turn that broke Andreas Christensen’s ankles over and over. SUBSTITUTES 17. Daniel Arzani (7) — More of this guy next match please. Twenty-odd minutes isn’t enough given the impact he had. That skip past Pione Sisto on the goal line was magic. 9. Tomi Juric (6) — Tried to have an impact in limited minutes but his biggest moment was getting in Leckie’s way when he nearly scored late in the game. 22. Jackson Irvine (6) — Keeps getting the nod ahead of Tim Cahill as Australia’s final substitute and isn’t doing a lot wrong.<doc-sep>Australia's forward Mathew Leckie put in his best performance for the Socceroos. THE Socceroos are still alive at the World Cup after a frustrating 1-1 draw with Denmark in Samara on Thursday evening AEST. Bert van Marwijk’s side will rue missed opportunities as they took the game to the Danes and emerged looking the stronger side. After a slow start, which yielded a stunning volleyed opener from Christian Eriksen after just six minutes, the Aussies levelled up via a penalty. READ MORE MATCH REPORT: VAR FROM OVER - SOCCEROOS STILL ALIVE BURNING QUESTIONS: IS TIMMY TIME OVER? ARZANI: WORLD GOES WILD FOR ‘MAGNIFICENT’ AUSSIE TEEN The VAR sent Mile Jedinak to the spot after a hand ball and the ice cool skipper made no mistake once again. Not for lack of trying, the Aussies couldn’t find a winner. Mathew Leckie and Aaron Mooy were the standouts for the Aussies as Daniel Arzani changed the game off the bench. Australia's Mile Jedinak celebrates his penalty goal given after a VAR decision Source: AAP HERE’S HOW WE RATED EVERY SOCCEROO... MATY RYAN – 7 Wasn’t much he could do about Eriksen’s rocket, but was big when needed. Saved Sainsbury’s blushes as the defender’s knee had the ball on track for an own goal, and was equal to a long range Sisto drive. Looked assured as ever. LISTEN: Socceroos’ situation in Group C, Cahill & Arzani - The Splash podcast JOSH RISDON – 7 Had the speedy Sisto to deal with all night and marshalled him admirably. Crosses were a bit off the mark, but got into some good advanced positions. Solid. MARK MILLIGAN – 6 Started slowly in the heart of defence but really grew into the game as time went on. Was caught off guard for the opener as Jorgensen found space, but looked strong. Australia's Trent Sainsbury was again influential at the heart of Australia’s defence. Source: AAP TRENT SAINSBURY – 6 Arguably at fault for the opener as he lost sight of Jorgensen. But similarly to his centre-back partner as the game went on he looked more and more comfortable. Saved from an own-goal by Ryan. Again influential in the heart of defence. AZIZ BEHICH – 7.5 Looked strong on the ball and found space wonderfully going forward. Wasn’t afraid to take on players and get into dangerous areas. Always an outlet down the left, and kept Poulsen under control throughout. One of Australia’s best. MILE JEDINAK - 7.5 Another immensely strong showing in the centre of the park from the skipper. Again ice cold from the penalty spot as he levelled up the score. Provided steel in midfield and made some wonderful interceptions. Inspirational. Mile Jedinak was ice-cool under pressure from the penalty spot. Source: AP AARON MOOY – 8.5 What a dominant showing from the Huddersfield midfielder. Controlled the tempo, passed astutely and delivered some remarkably dangerous set pieces – including the one that earned the equaliser. One of the best out there. ROBBIE KRUSE – 4.5 Got into some great areas but once again failed to make anything of them. Another frustrating outing from everyone’s favourite whipping boy as he again made a number of questionable decisions and touches in the final third. Replaced by Arzani after 70 minutes as fans breathed a sigh of relief. Australia's Robbie Kruse was heavily involved but proved wasteful. Source: AAP TOM ROGIC – 7.5 A much more involved outing for the Celtic midfielder. Loomed as a game changer for the Aussies, involved on the break and making some excellent turns in the centre of the park. Finally clicked in the counter attacks and made some quality runs forward. Replaced in the 82nd minute by Irvine. MATHEW LECKIE – 9 Easily the best player on the park. Looked dangerous every time he got on the ball as he weaved in and out. An absolute nightmare to deal with all day long in one of his best outings in the green and gold. Strong on the ball, composed, dangerous. ANDREW NABBOUT – 7 Ran hard all day long and defended well from the front. Was more involved than against France, and had some neat touches. His evening was cut short by an excruciating dislocated shoulder. Replaced by Juric after 75 minutes. Socceroo’s Andrew Nabbout worked tirelessly up front for the Socceroos before a cruel shoulder injury forced him off. Source: News Corp Australia SUBSTITUTES: DANIEL ARZANI – 7.5 The stage was set as the World Cup’s youngest player was handed a chance to write the headlines. Looked lively from the instant he stepped foot on the pitch and nearly created the winner as he somehow kept the ball in on the by-line and rifled a ball across the face of goal. Great confidence to take a shot late in the piece. TOMI JURIC – N/A Got his chance after Nabbout’s injury. Largely looked good, but got in Leckie’s way in a key moment as the Aussies had a huge chance to snatch it. JACKSON IRVINE – N/A On in the 82nd minute for Rogic. Not enough time to make a real impact.<doc-sep>The Socceroos have played their second 2018 FIFA World Cup match and it’s ended in a one-all draw to Denmark, with the fate of qualification to the knockout stages now resting in the hands of other results. As is the case with any match though, there were some players who excelled, some who flopped and some who you may not have even noticed on the pitch (which of course, is better than having a shocker!) On the form below, you can rate every player who made his way onto the pitch in Samara – including starters and substitutes – from one to ten based on their performance in the match against Denmark. Let’s use ten and say there has never been a better performance by a Socceroo, and one to say there has never been a performance quite as bad. Everything in between is open season for your opinion to decide. At the end of today, we will then collect the votes, tally them up, and publish the average rating for each and every Australian player in a new article on Saturday morning! How good is that? The Socceroos, rated by The Crowd. It couldn’t be more simple, so get involved and have your say.<doc-sep>Australia completed their opening fixture at the 2018 World Cup with no points but plenty of credit, a resolute and disciplined performance against one of the fancied teams offering hope for further battles to come. The fine margins of the game went against them, a tough VAR call resulting in a penalty for France's opening goal and the ball crossing the line by inches for the decisive goal in a 2-1 loss. The defeat is hard to take but collectively and individually there were performances to make all Socceroos fans proud. Mat Ryan - 7 In the opening exchanges it looked like it was going to be a busy night for the Australian goalkeeper. Called on to make a smart save at his near post from Kylian Mbappe after just 90 seconds, regulation stops from a Paul Pogba free kick and an Antoine Griezmann effort from distance swiftly followed. He had little to do, though, for the rest of the first half as France failed to land a shot on target from then until after the break. Could do little to repel Griezmann's penalty, nor France's winner after a cruel deflection off the boot of Aziz Behich. Was alert in the second period when acting as a sweeper keeper on occasion. Distribution with his feet was mixed but a solid performance when called on. Socceroos goalkeeper Mat Ryan could do nothing to prevent Antoine Griezmann scoring from the penalty spot. ( Reuters: John Sibley Josh Risdon - 6.5 Booked more than any other player in the A-League season just gone, his sloppy foul on Griezmann in the opening 10 minutes, when Australia was on the back foot, didn't auger well. But he recovered to contribute to an impressive effort from the defensive unit, as well as getting forward at times to support the forwards. Conceded the contentious VAR assisted penalty, but was painfully unlucky doing so, getting to the ball but then catching the already falling Griezmann's back leg with the follow through. Trent Sainsbury - 8.5 Loading Australia's man of the match. His positional sense, distribution and general leadership at the back against some of the most expensive players on the planet was heroic at times, and set the tempo throughout for a fully functioning back line. Always in the right place at the right time in first half when France tried to thread balls in to the box, including a fantastic last man intervention on Griezmann as France briefly threatened to overwhelm the Socceroos. One tackle on Ousmane Dembelle on the half hour was so hard it burst the ball. Mark Milligan - 7.5 Concerns over Milligan's lack of pace were dispelled by his consistent display of defensive intelligence. Took his cues from Sainsbury next to him and was solid for the most part. Always keen to get the ball forward and launch attacks through the midfield, but he did at times struggle to find the feet of teammates in decent positions. Aziz Behich - 7 Exposed by the pace of Mbappe in the first minutes of the game, but shook that off and put in a typically industrious performance both in defence and going forward. Combined well with Robbie Kruse down the left wing and regularly overlapped. Was booked late on after being put in trouble by Ryan and losing the ball, but did more good work than bad throughout. He was unfortunate to see Pogba's effort spoon off his outstretched foot to loop in to the net — just — for France's winner, with no real blame attached to him for that. Aaron Mooy was vital in screening the defence as well as launching Australian attacks against France. ( Reuters: Toru Hanai Aaron Mooy - 8 Put in an incredible shift against France's much vaunted midfield, especially the metronomic consistency of N'Golo Kante. Always willing to put his body on the line, he also managed to produce moments of quality with his deliveries from dead ball situations, most notably when he drew the handball from Samuel Umtiti that resulted in Australia's equaliser from the penalty spot. Kept things ticking over in the middle of the park without producing any defence splitting interventions. But once again showed he is the glue that holds things together between defence and attack for Australia. Mile Jedinak - 7.5 Loading Restored to the starting line-up — despite reports he was to miss out after being scrubbed from a pre-match press conference — Jedinak put in a customary captain's performance, offering an effective shield to the back four. Showed nerves of steel to despatch the penalty that had Australian fans dreaming of an historic result. But then for a man who has the best conversion rate from 12 yards of any player at this competition (including Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo), you wouldn't expect anything different. Mathew Leckie - 7 Booked in the first half for a late lunge on Lucas Hernandez (the Frenchman who appeared to be playing on ice, he hit the deck that often) Leckie's evening was one of graft and endeavour. Expended most of his first half energy involved in physical tussles with opponents, and was harshly treated by both them and the referee at times. Nonetheless, he did get in to dangerous positions on occasion, most notably when his flick on from a Mooy free kick nearly drew the opening goal via a French touch, Hugo Lloris saving his defender's blushes when an own goal looked likely. Tom Rogic - 5.5 Australia's great hope for unlocking the defence of one of the pre-tournament favourites, Rogic was unable to bring his form from Celtic in to a match that passed him by much of the time — through a combination of being marshalled by France and his team-mates' inability to find him often enough. When he did get the ball he was neat and tidy with it, and for a moment looked like he was going to find a route to goal with one mazy run through a crowded scene on the half-hour mark. Enough blue shirts arrived to snuff out the danger, though, a constant theme for Rogic's night.<doc-sep>
THE Socceroos were brave in defeat as they fell to a 2-1 defeat to heavyweights France in their World Cup opener in Kazan, with a late own-goal sealing their fate. Some of the Aussies’ biggest stars stood up on the biggest stage as the likes of Maty Ryan, Mile Jedinak, Aaron Mooy and Trent Sainsbury led the way. Bert van Marwijk’s men can hold their heads high after an outstanding showing against one of the favourites to win the tournament. MATCH: HEARTBREAK, CRAZY PENALTY DRAMA AS GALLANT ROOS FALL TO FRANCE WATCH: ROOS MAKE UNWANTED HISTORY HERE’S HOW WE RATED EVERY AUSSIE... MATY RYAN – 8 Absolutely huge between the sticks. Made four saves in the first eight minutes and was on his game from the word go. Only beaten eventually by a penalty from Griezmann and a ballooning own-goal. JOSH RISDON – 6 The first man in World Cup history to be penalised via VAR – almost fitting it was an A-League player. The right back was mostly solid throughout as Ousmane Dembele looked to exploit him. But that one moment of madness, a lunging tackle on Griezmann, will go down in history. Unfortunately for him, it could easily have been a massive shining light had the VAR seen it differently. TRENT SAINSBURY – 8 An absolute colossus in the heart of defence. Was easily the best player on the pitch in the opening half and continued to be immense from start to finish. A big performance that will no doubt have attracted transfer attention as he set the standard for his teammates with some huge interventions, blocks and tackles on France’s attacking superstars. France's forward Antoine Griezmann (L) is tackled by Australia's defender Joshua Risdon giving a penalty opportunity to France Source: AFP MARK MILLIGAN – 8 Alongside Sainsbury, the makeshift centre-back enjoyed a massive outing in defence. Looked a different player to the one who struggled in Budapest as he marshalled the likes of Griezmann and Mbappe with composure and aplomb. AZIZ BEHICH – 6 Was his usual adventurous self down the left where possible. Behich had his hands full but also managed to find some space down the flank at times, and was solid in his defensive duties as well. Was really unlucky to have his attempted block on Pogba balloon off the crossbar and into the net to hand France the win. MILE JEDINAK – 7.5 A surprise inclusion in the XI as Van Marwijk played mind games in the lead up to this clash. His leadership and steel in midfield were important for the Aussies, and his coolness from the penalty spot levelled up the clash at a crucial stage. Australia's defender Aziz Behich and Australia's defender Trent Sainsbury (R) vie for the ball with France's forward Olivier Giroud (C) Source: AFP AARON MOOY – 7.5 Had a fair bit of the ball through the middle and looked to direct traffic for the Socceroos. His set pieces were dangerous all day and eventually yielded the equaliser as his free kick caught the hand of Umtiti to send Jedinak to the spot. Was solid on the ball throughout. TOM ROGIC – 5 No real impact from the man dubbed the Wizard of Oz in Kazan. Failed to get involved as France predictably won the midfield battle. Van Marwijk faces an interesting conundrum in how to get the best out of the Celtic player. Replaced by Irvine in the 72nd minute. MATHEW LECKIE – 6 Enjoyed a physical battle with Lucas Hernandez. Was booked early on and had to watch himself as a result. Added his usual pace down the right, but couldn’t quite manufacture any real chances going forward. Was strong in defence as well. Australia's Mathew Leckie beats Lucas Hernandez of France Source: AAP ROBBIE KRUSE – 5 Another largely irrelevant display from the much maligned winger. He didn’t really make his presence felt at all in his 84 minutes. Didn’t do anything particularly wrong, but also failed to really add anything. Replaced by Arzani late on. ANDREW NABBOUT – 5.5 It was always going to be a tough outing for the lone striker. Opted for as the No. 9, Nabbout attempted to add the pace and defensive awareness that has impressed Van Marwijk throughout the last few weeks. But the quality of France’s back four and the irregularity of Australia’s attacks stopped him really getting into the match. Replaced by Juric in the 64th minute.