BRISBANE, Queensland -- After two impressive performances against Brazil, the Socceroos say they're ready to shift their focus towards the coming Asian Cup and embrace the challenge and expectations of being one of the continent's best.
After a 1-1 draw with the Seleção in Townsville, Tony Popovic's side rallied from an early deficit and led 2-1 at one stage in Tuesday's clash at Lang Park, only for the Brazilians to equalise from the spot late in the first half and then add two more goals -- including another penalty -- in the second stanza to seal a 4-2 win.
But while neither game ended with a win, a building block for the future was laid as the Socceroos demonstrated a hitherto unseen level of purpose, willingness to embrace risk, and connectivity in possession and across both games.
"This was another step forward for us against outstanding opposition, top quality players, and we acquitted ourselves very well over the two games," said coach Tony Popovic.
But while Popovic was quick to shift credit to his players -- emphasising their growth in mentality since the World Cup -- midfielder Jackson Irvine said just as much of the shift was by design.
"We've played a lot of big nations over the last few years -- top opposition, top players -- and we were always competitive in these games," Irvine said. "But I think we showed tonight we can be competitive in a different kind of way.
"Obviously, it's by design. It's not luck, it's not chance, it's not random. These are the things that we've worked on in the last few days, images we've seen, and it's been a process to build to this. So it's it's not a surprise.
"You can see the confidence build in players, the desire to make runs, to make forward passes."
Tuesday's defeat came 100 days out from Saudi Arabia and Palestine opening the Asian Cup in Riyadh, with the Socceroos to commence their campaign in Khobar a few days later against Singapore. Preparations for that tournament will ramp up in November, when they play 2023 finalists Qatar and Jordan.
After primarily adopting an underdog role throughout their FIFA World Cup campaign and against Brazil, the Socceroos transition into a heavyweight role in Asia -- from both a footballing and physical perspective -- and are widely expected to serve as one of the favourites for the Asian Cup.
It will necessitate a shift in mentality from several younger members of the squad who, still in the formative stages of their careers, haven't filled that kind of role yet. But Irvine was confident they'd rise to the challenge.
"It is a shift in mentality," the veteran explained. "It's a shift in the way that the flow of the game can come, as well. Where you're playing against teams where, maybe, we're seen as the ones that have to bring the emphasis.
"But I think [the players are] really capable of doing that. We've shown the steps that we've taken, the way that they've grown as players, and the way we've grown as a unit. The football that we've been playing, we're capable of doing it in every phase of the game.
"Whether teams want to come out and press us high, or if we are going to be more dominant and have the ball in the opponent's half, we've shown that we can create chances that way too. So I think it will be a different mentality, but the players are more than capable of handling it.
"We've already started to shift our focus even before this camp. We knew that Asian Cup preparation is the priority. Obviously, you know, want to test ourselves against top opponents going into that, and then just build those blocks going into January."
Defender Alessandro Ciracti, who was on the scoresheet in Brisbane, spoke at the World Cup of his desire for Australia to shed its underdog tag on a global level and said he was relishing the chance to embrace heightened expectations, drawing a comparison with the major club move that he -- as well as several other members of the squad -- have recently made.
"It's a similar challenge I have with my club [Benfica]," Circati said. "Try and win every game. If you lose, it's a disappointment; if you draw, it's also a disappointment. I hope it can become like this.
"[Be] like Japan. In Asian football, Japan is ahead of every nation. It's thanks to that, their expectations, and I think now we're in a position that we can match that and the same expectations that they do."
