Ryan hoping New Zealand win builds momentum
Subway Socceroos captain Mathew Ryan hopes the side’s recent performances keep the fire burning of interest in football in Australia.
Goalkeeper Ryan kept a clean sheet - his 27th for his country - as the Subway Socceroos recorded a comfortable 2-0 win over New Zealand to claim the Soccer Ashes trophy.
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Ryan explained that the team were intent on making a statement at Gtech Community Stadium, following a four-game winless run heading into the fixture.
“We talked about, pre-game, wanting to come out here and put in a good showing. Every time we get to pull this great shirt on it’s always an honour and a privilege and we want to represent the country in the best possible way,” he said.
“It’s extra special with the trophy that was up for grabs tonight. Hopefully, it’s something that we can continue to play for into the future. But it’s nice to be taking back home with us and putting in another positive performance tonight to build on what we’re doing post-World Cup.”
He had a new defender playing in front of him in London - Alessandro Circati and he was full of praise for the newly-minted Socceroos centre-back.
“I thought there were plenty of positives he could take from it. He showed tremendous courage out there on the ball, some of the decisions and some of the execution he made, carrying the ball into midfield and the passes that he played I think were very mature,” Ryan said.
“He’s a great kid, he’s got a great attitude, and he embraces the culture and all that we ask of players when they come in, and it’s down to him now to continue to build on that and continue to bring something to the team and make us stronger.”
Tweet: https://twitter.com/Socceroos/status/1714407148548186465
Ryan, 31, also played with Massimo Luongo for the first time since 2019. The 31-year-old midfielder played a little over an hour on his return which Ryan said demonstrated his superb attitude.
“Probably there were times when he thought he may have played his last international game," said.
"It wasn’t too long ago that he was a star of the Asian Cup in 2015 - he was a mainstay back then. But football and life as we know throw curve balls at you and it’s a testament to him and his resilience in his character to keep battling away and keep staying strong.
“He was only sharing a story of how close he was to going to Australia and signing with Perth Glory, but he decided to stick it out and he’s flying at the moment with Ipswich [Town] and they’ve set a good foundation to a real crack at getting promoted this year.
“He’s someone I grew up playing against as a young kid and to share that journey and be back in here. He’s a great character - another one who embodies everything to be a Socceroos and represent our great country in the best possible way.”
Australia have come close to causing an upset plenty of times since the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, taking on world champions Argentina, followed by Mexico and England.
However, the results have eluded them despite strong performances in those matches. The New Zealand victory on Wednesday saw it finally come together for the Socceroos, and the skipper hopes that keeps the momentum for the sport going.
Tweet: https://twitter.com/Socceroos/status/1714393592155050060
“I feel like we’ve got momentum. The sport as a whole in Australia off the back of what the Matildas did and we want to keep the interest in the game," he continued.
"We’ve probably been victims in the past when the World Cups come around, and there is interest in the game, and then it peters out, so we’re hoping that we can continue to represent the country in a great way by putting in great performances.
“When we’re facing the opposition that we’re facing, we want to make statements with every game that we play, and hopefully that’s enough to continue to get the public to embrace the game.
“Hopefully with a bit more support from the government we can continue to keep that interest in the game and continue to help it grow back home and continue to inspire and influence the public back there to go and chase their dreams.”
