Souttar full of pride as Socceroos secure Round of 16 spot

Socceroos centre-back, Harry Souttar said he was filled with pride after Australia made history, advancing to the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 for just the second time with a plucky 1-0 win over Denmark on Thursday morning (AEDT).

Souttar put in another colossal performance at the back as the Socceroos defence held firm for a second World Cup clean sheet in the space of three days.

It was Mathew Leckie’s solitary goal on the hour mark that sealed the Socceroos’ passage to the last 16 for the first time since 2006, with an incredible six points - our highest-ever points tally - to finish second behind France on goal difference in Group D.

Souttar praised his teammates following another all hands on deck display in Thursday’s win.

“Just incredible, the whole performance today from back to front, the lads were unbelievable,” Souttar said.

“I’m just so proud, so pleased for the players, for the staff, for the fans, the families, there’s just that sense of emotion, just pride, I could say all the words in the world, it’s just unbelievable.

“It was a tough game, they had their chances and we had to ride our luck a little bit in the first half early stages, we didn’t really start the game well I don’t think.

"But we kind of grew into the first half and then obviously second half we knew that the pressure was going to mount when we got the goal, they were just going to go for it.”

Next up for the Green and Gold is a clash against Group C winners Argentina in the last 16 of the competition.

Sunday morning’s (AEDT) match will take place at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, the same venue the Socceroos defeated Peru on penalties in June to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

“Obviously the lads have got some good memories from that stadium so hopefully we can take that with us, it doesn’t matter who we play, the objective’s going to stay the same, we’re going to try and win the game,” Souttar said.

“We’ve got to do our recovery protocols and everything properly now because obviously, there’s a day less to recover but we’ll get all that done, we’ll get all the lads fit and ready to go again.

“It’s going to be another great occasion, I just can’t wait for it.”