Saudi Arabia hold Socceroos goalless in soggy World Cup qualifying stalemate

11-Nov-2021 11:38:10 | Guardian

Australia struggle to create clearcut chances in the wet
Saudi Arabia remain top of Group B after 0-0 draw

Graham Arnold once called Parramatta Stadium a “little shed”. In 2015, back before Pirtek Stadium was demolished, the then Sydney FC coach had a cute pre-Sydney derby crack at the Wanderers’ 21,000-capacity home ground. Six years later its successor, CommBank Stadium, hosted his Australian team’s long-awaited homecoming that was tipped to make or break their World Cup qualifying campaign but instead offered little insight into the road from here to Qatar 2022.

This venue, with its steep stands and capacity to hold 30,000, was made for moments of grandeur, and this perhaps should have been one of them. It was the Socceroos’ first home match in 763 days, since before the start of the pandemic. They rarely lose here – in home World Cup qualifiers it has happened only twice in the past 40 years. Victory would have set them on course for automatic qualification ahead of next Wednesday morning’s tie with China.