by damo11
U21 Confederations Cup 2019
Australia – The Road to Victory
Filling in for grinner again this week (we want you back!), the Aussie U21 squad met expectations and then a little more by bowing out in the Quarter Finals of the U21 Confederations Cup.
Again, with no insight to the Aussie U21 Socceroos whatsoever, I can categorically say that after the group stages, it was always going to be tough for the country to compete against the big wigs.
A great Round of 16 matchup against MZ Country saw the side win 2-0 in what was a largely one-sided contest. The 4-4-2 formation worked well to provide 17 scoring shots on target, while retaining much of the possession. An early and a late goal to Neville Burmeister did the trick as the Aussies went to the Quarter Finals.
The Quarter Finals saw the Aussies face off against the Brazillians, in what was always going to be a tough matchup. Outclassed by a much larger country, there was little room for any continuity as they peppered in a 0-5 win thanks to 23 shots on target to 5.
Pearce Hines went from 10th to 12th in the Golden Boot leaderboard after failing to score in the final two matches, however, Neville Burmeister would be equal 15th, had the tables allowed to show all equal scorers on 5 goals.
In the end the Brazillians went on to the final but fell short. To come up against the best along the way is no easy feat and the Aussies should be proud of their efforts.
The future is still bright for U21 Aussies as 20-year-olds Steve Panetta, Eliot Aroege, Brayden Orvad, Andrew Mckay, Aaron Argoud, Martyon Everett and Carmichael Bungaard are all eligible for U21 World Cup Qualifiers next season.
aussiezone 