Nine’s Wide World of Sports
Former professional football player Andy Harper was dumbfounded after the Socceroos almost lost the "unlosable" against Bahrain in their FIFA World Cup qualifier on Wednesday morning.
A double from forward Kusini Yengi lifted Australia's World Cup campaign off life support, with a last-gasp equaliser clinching a 2-2 draw away to Bahrain.
Speaking on SEN 1170 Breakfast, Harper declared that Australia's showing was not even close to being good enough.
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"It was ridiculous. It was a very ordinary game," he said.
Kusini Yengi of Australia scores his team's first goal past Ebrahim Lutfalla of Bahrain during their FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifier. Christopher Pike via Getty Images
"In the first half, we barely broke a sweat. Yengi scored after 38 seconds thanks to an error and it set the tone for the game.
"Then it just exploded freakishly and Australia were on the verge of losing the unlosable.
"Pencils were sharpened and obituaries were being prepared for this disaster of a performance.
"The Socceroos somehow pulled it out of the fire. It was bad. It was 'blood drained out of your cheeks' bad.
"The white of your eyes turned into this yellow colour. It was like watching Beetlejuice on steroids.
"Bahrain improved in the second half and they had more energy. They were woeful in the first half and wouldn't have beaten the Tibooburra Under 12s.
"The Socceroos are too cautious for me. The game can turn from nothing and all of sudden, all hell broke loose.
Harry Souttar reacts to Australia's draw with Bahrain. Mike Owen via Getty Images
"Scoring goals for the national team has really been a problem.
"It was crazy stuff and I was watching the game and thinking how in the hell were we in this pile of poo."
The Aussies got off to a flying start when Yengi scored inside 40 seconds as he pounced on a poor back pass from a Bahrain defender.
The Aussies held a 1-0 lead until the 75th minute when Mahdi Abduljabbar lobbed a fortuitous shot from around 40 metres to beat Socceroos goalkeeper Mat Ryan.
Then just a minute or so later, with Bahrain on the attack, Mahdi Abduljabbar hurt the Aussies again.
Defender Hayden Matthews tried to head a cross away but unfortunately for Australia, it hit the right post leaving Ryan stranded, with Abduljabbar in the right spot to score a tap-in. In the blink of an eye, the Socceroos trailed and faced the prospect of a nightmare loss.
But Yengi made sure that wasn't the case when he banged it in from close range with just about the last kick of the game after an Aiden O'Neill cross during injury time.
"It was good," Socceroos coach Tony Popovic said of Yengi's display post-match.
"He's there to score goals so getting a couple of goals … [but] I'd have liked him to score the chance at 1-0 when the ball was cut back because that would have been game over."
The 96th-minute equaliser made sure the Socceroos maintained second place in their World Cup qualifying group.
"A lot of emotions now because a lot of things happened in the match, obviously," Popovic said.
"Taking the lead early, which was great. A couple of really good chances to make it 2-0 in the second half that we didn't capitalise on – and then we gave away a couple of goals quickly and then we showed some great character to come back.
"So, overall it's an important point, keeps us in second place and we move forward to the next window."
Australia has seven points, one point in front of Indonesia who sits third with six points.
First and second place during the group stage gain automatic qualification to the 2026 World Cup.
Japan leads the group with 16 points. If Australia had lost the match that would have left them with six points, tied with every other team in the group.
Although their goal difference is better than all the teams below them, a loss would have put extra pressure on the team's direct qualification to the World Cup.
With four games left in the qualifying phase, the Socceroos will need to be at their best to keep themselves in second place after Indonesia kept the pressure on with a 2-0 win over Saudi Arabia in Jakarta.
Japan also beat China 3-1.
The Socceroos don't play again until March 20 next year, when they host Indonesia at a venue yet to be finalised.
They then play China, away, five days later.
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