Defender Jason Geria of the Socceroos has firmly stated that there will be no agreements for a draw with Paraguay during their final World Cup group match in San Francisco on Thursday (Friday AEST).
A draw would likely enable both teams to proceed to the knockout stage, positioning Australia second in Group D behind the USA, while Paraguay could also advance as one of the top third-placed teams.
Despite the knowledge that a single point is sufficient for progression, Geria emphasized the team’s intention not to approach the match with that mindset.
“I think you’re cheating the game in a way if you’re looking to just call a truce with 10 minutes to go, that doesn’t seem right in my opinion,” he said. “Yeah, we could both progress with a point, that’s evident, but I don’t think it’s in us to just concede or just take the foot off the gas.”
Mathematical models indicate that a loss for Paraguay would increase their chances of elimination more significantly than a loss for Australia would impact the Socceroos.
Geria noted that the team is not preoccupied with the potential scenarios. “We want to win every game, regardless of who the opponent is or what the situation is,” he stated. “I don’t think if it is 1-1 with five minutes left, or 50 seconds left, it’s going to be us taking our foot off the pedal.”
The Socceroos aim to improve their performance after an intense encounter with the USA. Geria described the upcoming match against Paraguay as a crucial challenge, noting that the opposition would be fully committed.
He acknowledged the significance of the match, recalling memorable moments for the Socceroos in previous World Cups, such as Harry Kewell’s goal against Croatia in 2006 and Mat Leckie’s decisive score against Denmark in 2022.
Geria also called on school principals and employers to allow students and employees to watch the game, even if it requires a brief interruption.
“leave everything out there” he urged. “12pm on a Friday [AEST], it doesn’t get much better than that leading into the weekend, so if they could let their employees or let their students watch, I think that would be amazing.”
On Monday, the Socceroos connected with approximately 400 traveling fans, family, and friends during a training session in Oakland, following a day spent with their loved ones.
Gianfranco Circati, father of defender Alessandro and a former professional player in Italy, expressed his pride in his son, who chose to represent Australia after being born in Fidenza, near Parma.
“Ale was born in Italy, but he lived all his life in Australia, so he’s Aussie,” Circati senior remarked. “He’s been having the mullet [haircut] for the last six or seven years, so I’m not very happy with that, but it doesn’t matter.”
Thousands of Australian supporters have been arriving in San Francisco ahead of the match against Paraguay, many planning to visit local bars and beer gardens. Circati and his wife, however, prefer a different experience. “I don’t go to the pub because I don’t drink, but it’s myself and my wife. We just go around, we look at the history of the city, we do tours, we do galleries, we do the theatre, we basically learn a bit of the history of the city that we visit.”
Former Socceroo Josip Skoko is in the United States with a traveling group. He played alongside coach Tony Popovic during the last match between Australia and Paraguay in a friendly in 2006, although he admitted his memory of that game is hazy.
“I feel that they’re in a really good position,” Skoko expressed. “I think they can get to the next round even without a result. Not that we’re looking for that.”
