Stat attack: Uncovering the Socceroos’ top performers in qualifying so far
As we count down the days until the Socceroos return to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ qualifying, take a look back at some of the stats that saw Australia cruise through the last phase.
It all began back in late 2019 when the Socceroos kicked off their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers with four consecutive victories before the global pandemic put a halt on proceedings.
After 18 months without a game, the players gathered in Kuwait to complete the second phase of qualification.
While the Socceroos cruised into the third stage of qualifying with an unblemished record and an eighth-straight win in a single campaign for the first time, there were plenty more impressive stats to emerge.
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Graham Arnold's side notched an imposing 28 goals at an average of 3.5 per game while conceding just the two.
On an individual note, Harry Souttar scored six goals in the second round of the 2022 Asian World Cup Qualifiers. This was 3.6 more than his Expected Goals value and the highest difference of any other player in qualification.
The 22-year-old, who had only scored a handful of goals in his club career to date, proved to be unstoppable in the air as Australia’s Group B opponents struggled to contain him in almost every match.
The Stoke City central defender contested 36 aerial duels in the second round of the 2022 Asian World Cup Qualifiers which was more than any other player in qualification.
In the June qualifiers, Souttar had a 100% success rate in the air as he won all 19 of his aerial duels – by far the most of any player.
While the 6-foot 6-inch defender demonstrated his aerial prowess, Souttar also displayed his ability to dispossess opponents by winning 82% of duels contested in the second round – the highest rate of any player.
In the Socceroos midfield, Jackson Irvine was the standout performer. The new FC St. Pauli man won possession more times than any other player in qualification.
This enabled him to make 172 passes ending in the final third, and create six big scoring chances which was again, the most in qualification.
The 28-year-old was in career-best form for the Socceroos during the second round of qualification. Irvine concluded the phase as Australia's top goal contributor – scoring three times and registering five assists.
Irvine’s five assists were 3.1x more than his Expected Assists value suggests he should have – the best overperformance by any player in qualification.
Socceroos attackers Awer Mabil and Adam Taggart also notched up some impressive numbers.
Mabil made the joint-most carries that ended in a scoring chance created during the second round of the 2022 Asian World Cup Qualifiers. The only other player to make five carries ending in a scoring chance created was Japanese winger Junya Ito.
Of any player to have at least four shots on target during qualification, Taggart was the best with 100% shooting accuracy.
Speaking of accuracy, Aaron Mooy (55%) and Ajdin Hrustic (50%) had the highest accuracy on crosses/corners of any players in qualification.
While Mooy missed the June qualifiers, Hrustic took up the mantle and flourished in the number 10 role.
The 25-year-old looked untouchable on his starting debut against Kuwait, winning a penalty in the first half before curling home a second-half set-piece.
Not only did he deliver a man of the match performance on debut, but he also created the most scoring chances of any player during the June qualifiers.
Australia will be hoping to break more records and bring up many more impressive individual milestones when they return to FIFA World Cup qualifying this week.
The Socceroos fixtures against China PR and Vietnam in September will be broadcast exclusively live and free in Australia on Network 10. Coverage of Australia’s first match in September will be from 3.30am AEST on Friday, 3 September 2021, with kick-off at 4am AEST.
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FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ – AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar (Final Round)
Australia v China PR
Date: Thursday, 2 September 2021
Venue: Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar
Kick-off: 9pm local (4am AEST – Friday, 3 September 2021)
Broadcast: Live and free in Australia on Network 10 – pre-game coverage from 3.30am AEST
