Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Alessandro Circati senses that a fighting 4-2 loss to Brazil featuring a brilliant goal and sideline scuffle has only enhanced the Socceroos’ reputation ahead of their Asian Cup mission.
Australia trailed 1-0 before they’d completed a pass on Tuesday in Brisbane, only to rally spectacularly and – after a special Connor Metcalfe strike – lead the five-time World Cup champions approaching halftime.
Tensions were high after a 1-1 draw in Townsville on Friday and things boiled over in a testy second half before the visitors found two late goals to salute in front of 52,423 at a heaving Suncorp Stadium.
The two-game series were the side’s first games since bowing out on penalties to Egypt in the World Cup’s round of 16.
“At the World Cup we showcased ourselves and now they’ve (supporters) started to realise (that), ‘You know what, we’re actually half decent, we can kick a ball around’,” goal-scorer Circati smirked.
Accor Stadium was only one-third full when the Socceroos hosted Cameroon in March, while less than 17,000 fans watched them play Curacao in Melbourne days later.
Perth product Circati, who moved from Parma to Benfica after the World Cup, said the side’s improved standing was clear to see.
“Those games played in Melbourne and Sydney, it was like playing in my back garden. Tonight was extraordinary,” he said.
There have been efforts made to embolden the side’s ball movement and it was on show on Tuesday after Brazil’s hot start.
“We could have crumbled and we didn’t; we played our way out of that pressure,” impressive midfielder Jackson Irvine said.
“Bit of naivety at 2-1 up (to concede before halftime) … but the fearlessness to find a foothold in the game was really top tier.
“We’ve played a lot of big nations over the last few years and we’re always competitive but we showed we can be competitive in a different way.
“It’s exciting to see we have added that to our game.”
Qatar have won both Asian Cups since Australia clinched the 2015 event on home soil in Sydney.
They’re confident they have the gears and nous to pick apart teams that play expansively like Brazil, or sit back like many Asian opponents tend to.
“It is a shift in mentality, and the flow of the game but we’re capable,” Irvine said.
