Vidmar praises resilient Joeys after Costa Rica draw

Joeys head coach Tony Vidmar has praised his side’s resilience after coming from behind to earn a 1-1 draw with Costa Rica on Monday morning (AEDT).

Australia’s U-17 national team went behind early after conceding a goal following a turnover in defence, but fought back in the second half through a Jake Brimmer free kick.

Joeys head coach Tony Vidmar said the catalyst in the result was understanding how the Costa Ricans were playing the game and shutting them down.

“In the first half we had a lot of issues with turning the ball over cheaply, and our pressing wasn’t great,” Vidmar said.

“In the second half, we changed that.

“Our pressing was a lot better and they found it difficult to play.”

The Costa Ricans lined up with a 5-3-2 which caused the Australians some problems early on.

After the early goal, the Joeys found their feet and began to take control of the game.

Vidmar said the second half showed not only the resilience of the Joeys, but proved they were ready for the big occasion come next week.

“We had a lot more of the ball [in the second half] and we created a lot more opportunities to score.

“Overall, there were a lot of good moments to take out of that game against Costa Rica.

“We need to take those moments into next week.

“That performance shows we’re ready for the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup.”

Australia kicks off its campaign against Germany on Monday, 19 October at 6.00am [AEDT], before taking on Mexico on Thursday, 22 October at 7.00am, and wrapping up its group games against Sunday, 25 October at 9.00am, and all three group games will be broadcasted live and in full high-definition on SBS ONE.

A top-two finish will see the Joeys automatically progress to the Round of 16, while a third-placed finish in its group will leave Australia with a nervous wait to see if it is one of top four third-placed teams, who will also qualify.

In addition to broadcasting all of Australia’s games, SBS will also broadcast both Semi-Finals of the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup Chile on Friday, 6 November.