Hearfield grabs late equaliser against Mexicans
Newcastle Jets midfielder Troy Hearfield grabbed a dramatic late equaliser two minutes from full time as the Qantas Under 23s drew 1-1 against Mexico in their international match played this morning (Aust time) in San Francisco, USA.
Newcastle Jets midfielder Troy Hearfield grabbed a dramatic late equaliser two minutes from full time as the Qantas Under 23s drew 1-1 against Mexico in their international match played this morning (Aust time) in San Francisco, USA.
Playing in front of a partisan sell-out crowd of 47,440 spectators at the McAfee Coliseum, Mexico opened the scoring courtesy of an 18th minute own goal from Australian defender Adam D'Apuzzo who deflected in a cross.
However Jets midfielder Hearfield, who came on as a second half substitute, struck from close range with just two minutes of normal time remaining to seal a result for his team.
It also extended the Qantas Under 23s unbeaten streak to nine matches since defeat away to Saudi Arabia last April.
It was an impressive result for Graham Arnold's team against a Mexican side coached by the legendary Hugo Sanchez who are poised to commence their Olympic qualifying next week after lengthy preparations.
Arnold was also without numerous regulars that featured in the qualifying campaign and today's match saw seven players debuting for the Qantas Under 23s. Newcastle Jets trio James Holland, Tarek Elrich, and Jason Hoffman, Central Coast Mariners pair Nigel Boogaard and Matt Simon, plus Perth Glory's Nikita Rukavytsya and Tando Velaphi all making their first appearance in an international for the team.
Mexico created the better opportunities in the match however the Australians defended well under pressure lead by acting captain Adrian Leijer, while goalkeeper Velaphi was also in outstanding form making several spectacular saves.
In a match played in blustery conditions striker David Williams had Australia's best opportunity to score mid-way through the second half after latching onto a Billy Celeski pass, however the ball failed to run for the Danish-based striker as he attempted to go around the goalkeeper.
The equaliser eventually came with Leijer's glancing header from a long throw-in rammed in from close range at the far post by Hearfield.
"Today was our first step towards Beijing since we qualified, and while it was a good result, the main thing was the match gave me an opportunity to look at some different players and to see what they can do at this level," said Arnold.
"We had a lot of young and inexperienced players on the field and I am very pleased with what we showed today especially given the respective preparations of the two teams and also the context of the game. Mexico have been in camp for five or six weeks playing several matches preparing for their own qualifiers next week.
"Today was a great experience for our players to play in front of a large and noisy crowd and against a highly skilled and well-drilled team."
The match was the first for Australia since the team qualified for the Beijing Olympics last November following an arduous 14-match Asian qualifying campaign.
Match Details:
Australia 1 (Troy Hearfield 88') Mexico 1 (Adam D'Apuzzo own goal 18')
Australia line-up: Tando Velaphi; Ruben Zadkovich, Adrian Leijer, Leigh Broxham (Robert Cornthwaite -85), Adam D'Apuzzo (Nigel Boogaard 53'), Nikolai Topor-Stanley, David Williams (Jason Hoffman 75'), Billy Celeski (Troy Hearfield 75'), Bruce Djite (Matt Simon ‘72), Nathan Burns (Nikita Rukavytsya -72), James Holland (Tarek Elrich 60').
Mexico line-up: Guillermo OCha; Julio César Domínguez, Hugo Ayala, Francisco Gamboa (Luis Omar Hernández 46'), Patricio Araujo, Edgar Castillo, César Villaluz, Sergio Ávila (Edgar Andrade 46'), Pablo Barrera (Omar Arellano 78'), Enrique Esqueda (Alan Zamora 78'), Santiago Fernández (Luis Ángel Landín 46').
Venue: McAfee Coliseum, Oakland, San Francisco Attendance: 47,440
The draw for the Beijing Olympics football tournaments will be held on April 20.