The unique challenge that awaits Socceroos

Having ticked a lot of boxes during their first FIFA Series match against Cameroon, the Socceroos are out to tick a few more when they take on Curacao tomorrow.

In case you missed Australia’s 1-0 win on Friday night, or the plethora of reaction content we published after the game, you can check out the best of it below.

ANALYSIS: Three hints point to the future of this Socceroos team

BIZARRE: Cameroon coach accuses Socceroos of breaking FIFA rules

THE DEBUTANT: The exact moment Popovic knew he’d found the next Socceroo

THE X-FACTOR: Irankunda ‘changes the game’ for Socceroos in new role to spark World Cup debate

COACH REACTS: The player Popa ‘feels sorry for’ and clear glimpse of next steps in World Cup plan

While Nestory Irankunda was the x-factor that sparked the Socceroos attack to life on Friday night, it was Jordy Bos who scored the winner, continuing a brilliant season for the 23-year-old.

Watching on from the sidelines was the wily veteran who is essentially competing head-to-head with Bos for the left wing-back position, Aziz Behich, but he’s been as pleased as anyone about his compatriot’s hot streak.

“I’m always there for him,” Behich said of Bos. “… because at the end of the day, he’s a bright, young Australian footballer, and I’m more than happy to help my own kind.”

It’s enough to make you proud to be a Socceroos fan!

It’ll be interesting to see if Behich gets an opportunity to state his case tomorrow night, either in place of Bos or potentially in the less familiar position of right wing-back, where Jacob Italiano was so impressive against Cameroon.

Next up for Tony Popovic’s men is an assignment against Curacao, the tiny island nation set to make its World Cup debut in North America later this year.

Their 2-0 loss to China on Friday night wasn’t a great omen for how they’ll fare on the world stage, but there’s still so much to like about Curacao - if you’re not familiar with their story, the article below is a great place to start.

As far as criticisms go, it sounded like a pretty strange one.

“We cannot arrive with the wrong idea of that we are so good, we are so handsome, we are so well dressed and we are Americans,” USA coach Mauricio Pochettino said after watching his team cop a 5-2 belting from Belgium yesterday.

They’re strong words from the former Chelsea, Tottenham and PSG boss, and seemingly strange ones in isolation, but in the broader context of what he had to say at his press conference, they just about made sense.

Pochettino was clearly trying to emphasise the fact he wasn’t happy with his team’s approach to the game against a Belgium side missing plenty of stars, and he wants it rectified quick smart, with another friendly to come against Portugal this week.

The Socceroos would surely have taken note of Pochettino’s criticism of his side lacking intensity, for that will surely not be an issue for Tony Popovic’s men when they face the USA at the World Cup.

Whether this “reality check” works in their favour or not remains to be seen.

Read the full article here.

Elsewhere in international friendlies played over the weekend, Mexico drew 0-0 with Portugal, while Iceland secured a 2-2 draw against Canada (who Australia beat 1-0 in October). In other games, Japan edged Scotland 1-0, South Korea were on the wrong end of a 4-0 hiding from Ivory Coast, and England drew 1-1 with Uruguay.

Get the full list of results and upcoming games all over the world in our Scores & Fixtures section.

Loving our newsletter?

Help more people get the football news they need to know by forwarding this email to your football-loving (or just football-curious) friends and family.

Or better yet, send them here to sign up.

Once Sam Kerr gets on a roll, she’s pretty hard to stop.

The Matildas captain has continued her goal-scoring hot streak from the Women’s Asian Cup upon her return to the UK, scoring for Chelsea in their 4-3 win over Aston Villa in the Women’s Super League.

The goal comes at an interesting time for Kerr, with reports earlier this week claiming she’s set to leave Chelsea at the end of the current season.

Meanwhile, Caitlin Foord got just the pick-me-up she would have needed, playing her first game for Arsenal since returning from Australia.

After quite publicly heaping blame upon herself following the Matildas’ heartbreaking Asian Cup Final defeat, Foord looks to have got her mojo back.

Foord came off the bench in the North London derby against Tottenham, and the Aussie forward nabbed a goal just 15 minutes after coming on.

“I was super pleased to get in the game, get that last game out of the way now to move on, and to put the ball in the back of the net again,” Foord said.

Steph Catley started the game, as did Tottenham’s Maika Hamano, the Japanese star who scored the winning goal in the Asian Cup Final.

Not present, however, was Kyra Cooney-Cross, with Arsenal confirming the 24-year-old is going to miss the rest of the season to spend time in Australia with her family, following her mother’s cancer diagnosis.

We wish them all the best.

Tottenham Hotspur are once again on the lookout for a new manager after Igor Tudor’s departure was announced overnight.

Tudor lasted just 44 days at Spurs before leaving “by mutual consent”.

His reign was five days longer than Ange Postecoglou’s at Nottingham Forest, although Ange was at least in charge of eight games there, while Tudor managed just seven at Tottenham.

It’s been a shocking week for Tudor, leading Spurs to a 3-0 loss at home to Forest, then finding out immediately after full-time that his father had died.

Whoever takes over will have the singular task of avoiding a calamitous relegation for Tottenham, who currently sit in 17th place on the Premier League ladder.

What a day it was for Melbourne City yesterday.

Before their game in the Women’s Asian Champions League had even kicked-off they already had something to celebrate, with Wellington Phoenix’s surprise loss to Western Sydney in the A-League Women meaning City were confirmed as A-League Premiers.

Then a few hours later, City recorded a 2-1 win to book their place in the Champions League semi-finals.

That win came courtesy of a 90th-minute winner from Chinaza Uchendu, although it did come at a cost, with Matildas forward Holly McNamara leaving the field with concussion.

The result means City are still on track for a historic treble, as AAP’s Anna Harrington wrote in this report.

Elsewhere in the A-League Women, Sydney FC earned a surprise three points against Melbourne Victory courtesy of a 2-1 win, while Brisbane Roar put in the top performance of the weekend, dispatching Perth Glory 5-2.