After the high of last week’s 2-2 draw against world champions Germany, the Socceroos have come back to earth in a 0-0 draw against a stubborn FYR Macedonia in Skopje.
In a frustrating performance, both sides were kept goalless in the Aussies’ final outing before World Cup qualifying begins in June.
Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou cited a bumpy pitch and poor concentration for the lacklustre result.
“It was a challenging night for us, the conditions made it difficult… obviously with the pitch not being conducive to use moving the ball around,” Postecoglou said.
“I thought we started well but we got a bit frustrated because we didn’t create a lot of chances and we started forcing things.”
Despite this, Postecoglou was upbeat about the two matches, saying, “The first one we showed when we’re really committed and the team’s settled we can take it to anyone… and this game showed that when we need to grind it out we’re capable of doing that as well.”
The Socceroos had six changes from the list that was so tenacious last week in Kaiserslautern, including the debut of Adelaide United defender Tarek Elrich.
Related: Socceroos Hold Their Own In 2-2 Draw With Germany
The Socceroos’ campaign to qualify for the 2018 World Cup begins on June 14, with an away match against an as-yet-unconfirmed opponent.
