‘We're ready for more’: Irvine turns attention to crunch Denmark clash

Euan James 1669686100,1669686221

While the Socceroos had a moment to enjoy their 1-0 FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ win over Tunisia on Saturday night, Jackson Irvine said the focus has now switched to their next test.

After the Green and Gold secured a gutsy 1-0 triumph over Tunisia, Australia is daring to dream heading into its final Group D match against Denmark on Thursday morning AEDT.

Saturday’s victory means the Socceroos control their destiny going into their final Group D match against Denmark.

Speaking on Socceroos Insider Live in-camp Q&A, Irvine said the squad is now fully focused on securing another victory and progressing to the Round of 16.

“We are still just so focused,” Irvine explained.

“Obviously with the game the other day, you have to enjoy it in the moment because there is that feeling of achievement when you do something special. But there really is a big sense of focus amongst the players. It's just so immense and so high.

We really are already ready for more. We want to go again in a couple of days time and have that feeling probably even on a more heightened level.

“I saw an interview with Messi recently and he was saying that he has played in five World Cups but he maybe didn't ever really enjoy them because of the pressure. That was his advice for younger players to really embrace it and enjoy it when you're here playing and be present.

“You want to do that to a certain extent but you don’t want to lose that real focus so it’s a fine balance and I think we've done that pretty well so far.”

The Socceroos are on the cusp of a berth in the Round of 16, with a win against Denmark enough to make them just the second Australian side to get through the group stage.

However, if the side is not victorious, a draw will still be good enough, provided Tunisia does not beat France, due to the Eagles of Carthage boasting a superior goal difference.

While belief is high within the camp, Irvine said the side is fully aware of the difficulty given the undeniable quality in the Danish side.

“Obviously they are a very, very strong team,” he said.

“They had a really strong qualifying campaigning and were good in the Nations League. They have players playing at the highest level. They have technical quality and are solid defensively.

“We saw with set-pieces the other night there's a lot of qualities as well so for us, we're just about focusing on our game. We will be focusing on our game plan and how we can hurt them but also being aware of those things.”