Pim Verbeek looked like he wanted to pluck every nose hair off Harry Kewell. Why Kewell remains on this team is beyond me. He lacks speed and gives up the ball too easily.
Then again he wasn’t the only Socceroo who looked like he was on Mary Jane. The Socceroos somnambulated through the match. Josh Kennedy drifted in deeper and deeper into midfield as the supply lines were cut off by the hustling opposition.
Bahrain should have gone up by at least three or four goals but they were woeful in their finishing. They swarmed the defense keeping Schwarzer on his toes. Salman Isa adroitly exploited the weak right flank. Chris Coyne and Lucas Neill were woeful.
But fate is cruel. After besieging the Socceroos for most part of the match, Bahrain was undone by a last gasp goal by Mark Bresciano, who did what the Bahrainis could not do all match long, finish of the chance.