#austraiia

[s2z]

Sailors Hill, Daylesford, Victoria, Australia. 2021-06-19 14:58:11 by stuart murdoch Via Flickr: Winter weekends outdoors, we were celebrating a milestone, not that the Pandemic helped

[sportsbanter]

New Post has been published on www.sportsbanter.com.au

New Post has been published on http://www.sportsbanter.com.au/asian-cup-semi-final-preview-australia-v-united-arab-emirates/

Asian Cup Semi Final Preview – Australia v United Arab Emirates

Australia v United Arab Emirates

Hunter Stadium, Tuesday 27 January, 8.00pm AEDT

Australia will tackle the United Arab Emirates at Hunter Stadium as they fight for a spot in the Asian Cup final at Newcastle’s Hunter Stadium.

The Emiratis surprised the whole continent when they eliminated defending champions and favourites Japan 5-4 on penalties. Ali Mabkhout put his nation ahead after seven minutes but were unable to resist the Japanese onslaught conceding in the 81st minute. An extra 30 minutes and a penalty-shoot-out later Mahdi Ali’s men were through to their first semi final since 1996.

While 24 hours earlier a spectacular double from Tim Cahill secured Australia’s progress to the final four with a 2-0 win over China.

Both nations have cruised through to the semis apart from a minor hiccup each on match day three. Australia recorded big wins over Kuwait and Oman.

Socceroo captain Mile Jedinak returned to the first team last week and this week they will welcome back Matthew Spiranovic from suspension giving Ange Postecoglou a full team to choose from. While Emirati star Omar Abdulrahman had a relatively quiet affair against Japan compared to his performances in the group stage but has shrugged off an injury concern and will always be a threat when on the ball.

However, former Mariner enforcer Trent Sainsbury told the media that his side will exploit his weaknesses.

“He’s (Abdulrahman) very tidy on the ball, but not the hardest worker.”

Australia’s strengths obviously lie up front. Matthew Leckie and Robbie Kruse have both enjoyed impressive performances at the tournament. Cahill, their all-time leading goal scorer, will also keep the UAE defence on their toes. The 35-year-old scored a stunning bicycle kick and a trademark header to add to his goal in the opening match.

Ali’s side will have to be aware of the green and gold’s aerial prowess. The 1996 runners-up have had less time to prepare for the match and played an extra 30 minutes. This could give Australia the advantage they need to win this clash.

“I don’t think the UAE has got the legs and the stamina to go with us for 90 minutes,” Sainsbury said.

The PEC Zwolle defender said that the Socceroos will move the ball quickly and will choke their opposition until they are blue.

There has been a lot of discussion about the venue for this match with Hunter Stadium only holding 23,000 due to AFC restrictions.

The stadium was resurfaced at the end of the National Rugby League season in preparation for the competition and has already hosted two group matches including Australia’s past opponents Oman and Kuwait.

Newcastle is home to approximately 500,000 but will play host to one of the most important matches in Australian football history. The city has produced greats such as Col Curran, Ray Baartz and former Liverpool midfielder Craig Johnston and will have a chance to be a part of Australian football history if the green and gold prevail to the final.

Watch out for: Tim Cahill’s forehead. The New York Red Bull has made a successful career of getting his head on the end of crosses with great effect. Expect Leckie, Kruse and wingbacks Ivan Franjic and Jason Davidson to go route one to Cahill’s head as he looks to score another landmark Australian goal.

Don’t hold your breath: Do not expect a repeat performance by Mile Jedinak. He was understandably below his usual best against China, it was his first match back from an ankle injury. He has the tough ask of shutting down Omar, who has attracted interest from Europeans clubs such as Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City. It will be an exciting battle between the two and expect the Crystal Palace man to be up for the challenge.

Prediction: Ange Postecoglou’s men have  dominated teams who have sat back and allowed them to play their own game. If the UAE are not fit enough Australia will round rings around their opposition. If they are not struggling from fatigue, which is the likely option, expect a fast, thrilling match as both teams will put everything on the line to make sure they are playing in Sydney on the 31st instead of Newcastle on the 30th.

Australia 1, United Arab Emirates 0

[currentsinbiology]

Unlike Anything They Have Ever Seen Before (NYTimes)

Two species of deep-sea dwelling, mushroom-shaped organisms discovered off the coast of Southeast Australia defy all existing classifications of life, researchers from the University of Copenhagen say. The organisms, described in the journal PLOS One, are multicellular and nonsymmetrical, and live 400 to 1000 meters deep. They have been classified in an aptly named new genus, Dendrogramma enigmatica.

University of Copenhagen, Denmark

[transformhate-blog]

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