Ange Postecoglou was disappointed to have conceded a late goal in the Caltex Socceroos’ 2-2 draw with Saudi Arabia, but conceded a point on the road was a reasonable result.
In Jeddah, in final phase World Cup qualifying on Friday morning (AEDT), the Saudis took an early lead but Australia worked their way into a winning position with 20 minutes left thanks to goals from Trent Sainsbury and Tomi Juric.
But Saudi talisman and substitute Nasser Al Shamrani popped up in the box to poke home the equaliser with ten minutes to go at a heaving King Abdullah Sports City Stadium.
Aussie keeper Mat Ryan pulled off a vital stop in the final few minutes to keep out the Green Falcons as both teams remain unbeaten after three games.
Caltex Socceroos' gutsy draw in Saudi Arabia
“Obviously not getting off to an ideal start didn’t help. They [Saudi] came out of the blocks pretty quickly,” Postecoglou told Fox Sports.
“But we worked our way back into the game really well. And we looked in control and once we got the second we should’ve maintained that.
“We lost our composure a bit a couple of times and they came into as well with a big crowd behind them.
“It’s a good point but you just feel we could’ve got more out of it.”
After wins in Perth and Abu Dhabi last month, Australia now has seven points from three games heading into Tuesday’s blockbuster clash with Japan in Melbourne.
“We’d prefer to have another win but these are tough places to come. Not many teams will come to these two places [UAE and Saudi] and come away with four points,” Postecoglou added.
“Overall it’s still a positive step for us. We’ll take the point but disappointed we couldn’t take the three.”
