March 28 : Australia coach Tony Popovic said he plans to continue experimenting with his line-up ahead of the World Cup after the Socceroos ended a three-game losing streak with a 1-0 victory over Cameroon in Sydney on Friday.
Jordy Bos scored the only goal five minutes from time when he slipped into the penalty area to steer the ball into the bottom corner.
“Winning’s always important and there’s no greater feeling than that,” said Popovic. “When you can debut players and try players in different positions and still get the win, you’re getting the best of both worlds.
“It doesn’t always go that way, with what we did in October and November but there’s a process and plan in why we are doing that and we’ve continued in this camp.
“We got the win in the end so hopefully we get another one on Tuesday and that will be the plan, experiment with more players but wanting the win. That hasn’t changed.”
Popovic’s starting line-up featured a mix of experienced performers and fringe players plus international debutants Lucas Herrington and Deni Juric.
The Socceroos’ most recent win had come against Canada before losses to the United States, Venezuela and Colombia threatened to rob the team of momentum heading into the June 11 to July 19 World Cup in North America.
Ajdin Hrustic had a 70th minute penalty saved before the midfielder played a key role in Bos’ winner, sliding the ball into his teammate’s path from outside the area.
Australia, who have been drawn to play the U.S., Paraguay and either Kosovo or Turkey at the World Cup, take on Curacao on Tuesday with Popovic keen to continue tinkering with his team.
“I’m quite open to putting players in different areas to see how they cope with that,” he said.
“Because, in the World Cup, knowing you can make a change or someone can make an impact in 10 minutes in a position that’s a little bit foreign for them but they’ve experienced in this window, that will help these players.”
