Behich: 'Nothing but positives to take'

Signs of an promising future shone through Australia’s slender 1-0 defeat to Korea Republic on Friday evening, says Aziz Behich.

The Caltex Socceroos were controlled and composed for long periods of the international friendly in Busan but were undone by 75th minute match-winner from Korea Republic forward Hwang Ui-jo.

Prior to kick off, head coach Graham Arnold had flagged the clash against the Taeguk Warriors as a chance to deepen his pool of options ahead of Australia’s World Cup qualifying campaign, which begins in September.

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And on the basis of his side’s performance against Korea Republic, the Caltex Socceroos should be in good stead on the road to Qatar with several fresh faces showing they could match it with one of Asia's strongest teams.

“It’s just the beginning,” Behich – Australia’s captain for the occasion – told FOX Sports post-match.

Behich
'Nothing but positives to take' from Korea Republic defeat, says Behich

“We’ve got a great squad, Arnie [Caltex Socceroos head coach Graham Arnold] has shown that with the depth now and there’s exciting times ahead for the national team.”

Arnold gave Caltex Socceroos debuts to Andrew Redmayne, Brandon O’Neill, Brandon Borrello and Ryan Williams on the evening, while five of his starting eleven played their domestic football last season in the Hyundai A-League.

“It’s been a great training camp with a lot of new faces and the boys from day one in camp showed a lot of energy,” Behich continued.

“They should be proud of their performance because we played really well tonight against one of the best in Asia.

“It was a great night, a great atmosphere and there’s nothing but positives to take from this game.”

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'There's exciting times ahead for the national team'
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