- The Socceroos suffered an embarrassing defeat to Bahrain
- The hosts, playing with 10 men, conceded a goal in the 89th minute of the match.
- Furious fans blamed coach Graham Arnold for the defeat.
A 10-man Socceroos side suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Bahrain on the Gold Coast, dealing a disastrous setback to their hopes of direct qualification for the World Cup.
Striker Kusini Yengi was sent off for a serious foul and the Socceroos were then red-faced by an 89th-minute own goal against the run of play as Bahrain thwarted their way to a first-ever win over Australia.
The loss, in the team’s opening game on the Gold Coast, is a major setback as they begin the third round of qualifying which continues in Jakarta against Indonesia on Tuesday.
Furious Socceroos fans took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express their anger at the result, insisting coach Graham Arnold’s time in charge is running out.
“Get Arnold out please,” one fan said online.
Another said: “The best time to sack Graham Arnold was six years ago, the second best time is now.”
“Arnold shouldn’t be living through this,” said a third fan. “The football has been awful for years and now the results are starting to suffer.”
“Do Australia a favour and get rid of hacker Arnold,” said a fourth supporter.
Australia suffered a humiliating defeat in their World Cup qualifier on Thursday
The Socceroos suffered an embarrassing 1-0 defeat to Bahrain on the Gold Coast
It was a remarkable victory for the international team, ranked 80th in the world.
“Can we get rid of Arnold now?” another fan asked. “He has no idea.”
Only the top two teams from a group that also includes China, Japan and Saudi Arabia will qualify for the 2026 tournament.
Australia enjoyed 70 per cent of possession and, in the second half in particular, camped out in Bahrain’s half of the half as they tried to up the tempo after a lacklustre first 45 minutes that produced few standout moments.
They made more than twice as many passes as their opponents but those efforts only produced four shots on target, with goalkeeper Ebrahim Lutfalla causing little trouble as a frustrated Socceroos side slowly lost patience.
Things threatened to fall apart in the final 20 minutes when crafty Bahraini winger Mohamed Marhoon went down in the corner and earned Alessandro Circati a yellow card, despite replays suggesting a lack of contact.
Marhoon was back to being theatrical moments later, falling to the ground after Circati won a headbutt.
Defender Harry Souttar was then booked for a high foul and Yengi was shown a straight red card after 80 minutes when his boot struck Sayed Baqer’s neck as he challenged for a loose ball.
Yengi had a forgettable night, losing the ball early in the match and then turning away Craig Goodwin’s laser-like cross near half-time.
Socceroos fans said coach Graham Arnold (left) was to blame for the defeat
Not even Bayern Munich’s injection of excitement from Nestory Irankunda in the 57th minute could set off alarm bells.
He started on the right, showed agility to win an early free-kick, then had a shot blocked and a shot saved after moving to the left ahead of substitute Awer Mabil.
Bahrain spent much time on the ball looking to run out the clock but it was the visitors who struck first when Abdulla Alkhalasi’s cross deflected off Souttar and past Mat Ryan at his near post.
There were only six minutes of stoppage time allowed, but the Socceroos missed a golden opportunity to level the scores when Mitchell Duke’s open header went straight in.
A pitch invader capped the chaos, with Australia’s final foray ending in a powerless turnover before the final whistle, sparking wild scenes on the Bahrain bench.
