Australia Faces World Cup Knockouts with Key Injuries

Australia will walk into the World Cup knockout rounds with a hole in their squad and a lump in their throat. Matthew Leckie is gone. Jacob Italiano is gone. Tony Popovic now has just 24 players to carry the Socceroos into the round of 32.

Two injuries, one big headache.

Leckie’s tournament ended with a leg injury in the defeat to the USA, a cruel blow for a veteran who had only just dragged himself back from a long lay-off at the end of the A-League season. Italiano followed him onto the treatment table, suffering a groin problem in training before the draw with Paraguay.

Both have left camp to continue their rehabilitation with their clubs, Football Australia confirmed. No replacements allowed. No safety net.

For Leckie, this one stings.

The 33-year-old forced his way into the squad as a surprise inclusion, a reward for months of grind behind the scenes. Those inside the camp saw the work. Aziz Behich saw it every day at Melbourne City.

"I'm gutted for him," Behich said. "I saw first-hand this year what he had to do to get back on that pitch for us at Melbourne City and then what he did in Sarasota.

"He left no stone unturned and it's a credit to him, it's not easy, not just physically but also mentally at his age.

"We're all gutted for him because we want him to stick around because we know what he can give us as a team and even when he's not playing."

Leckie’s value has always gone beyond goals and assists. Experience in tournament football, a voice in the dressing room, the calm of a player who has seen most of what this level can throw at you. Australia will now have to chase knockout success without that presence on the pitch or on the bench.

Popovic’s wide dilemma

If Leckie’s loss hits the heart of the group, Italiano’s absence attacks the structure.

The right-back had worked his way into Popovic’s plans and his departure instantly forced a reshuffle, visible in the draw with Paraguay. Regular left-back Jordy Bos flipped to the right. Behich came in on his natural left side. It worked in patches, but it was a clear sign of what’s to come: adjustments, compromises, players nudged out of their usual lanes.

"(Italiano) worked hard to get himself in this position and I thought he did really well in the games that he played as well," Behich said.

The Socceroos cannot call anyone up to replace the pair, leaving Popovic short in the wide defensive areas and limiting his options if games stretch or go to extra time. Every selection from here carries a risk. One more knock in the full-back positions and the tactical board starts to look very thin.

Behich, though, has been waiting for this door to open.

"For myself, obviously I came here to play. I put myself in this position as well, to be involved in my third World Cup," he said.

"I've been biding my time. I've been working hard at training every day and just waiting for my opportunity.

"I think we're in a good headspace. Obviously, two soldiers down, but we've got a lot of boys that can cover depth and position."

That is the defiant tone Australia will need now. No excuses, no replacements, just 24 players trying to stretch themselves into a 26-man job.

The road ahead

The squad will stay in Oakland until July 1, using the relative calm to rewire their plans and settle the reshuffled back line. Then comes the move to Dallas and a very different kind of heat, both on and off the pitch, for the round-of-32 clash on July 3.

Two soldiers down, as Behich put it. A lighter bench, a heavier burden on those still standing.

This is the World Cup reality for Australia now: fewer bodies, same expectations.