TOWNSVILLE, Australia — Members of both Brazil‘s and Australia’s squads have voiced their displeasure with the playing surface at the Queensland Country Bank Stadium following their 1-1 draw on Friday evening.
Placed in a deficit by Nestory Irankunda’s stunning 68th-minute free kick, a header from Rayan with the last touch of the game salvaged a draw for the Seleção in Townsville, ending a contest in which both sides struggled to find sure footing on a slippery and continually degrading surface.
Speaking post-game, Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti said his side had battled back to secure a deserved draw against a well-organised Australian defence but described the grass as a “difficult pitch to play on” and voiced hope that the surface at Lang Park in Brisbane, which will host these two sides next Tuesday, would be of a better quality.
“[The pitch] was not good,” said the Brazil coach. “The pitch … it was difficult to play on a pitch like this. And we hope to have a better pitch for the next game.”
Australia coach Tony Popovic didn’t disagree with his opposite number’s assessment but made sure to add that, while an added spotlight would be provided by the presence of the Seleção, difficult pitches were unfortunately common for his side.
Football is not the dominant code in Australia, trailing Australian Rules Football and Rugby League when it comes to resources and infrastructure and often sharing venues with these sports. This, in turn, leads to challenges in maintaining quality pitches.
Queensland Country Bank Stadium’s regular tenants are the men’s and women‘s sides of the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League (NRL), who staged a double-header at the venue on Sept. 5. Lang Park, meanwhile, hosted an NRL preliminary final between the Dolphins and Sydney on Friday evening.
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“Because it’s Brazil, they see the pitch, and of course they’re not happy with it,” the Australia coach said. “But I haven’t been pleased with what I’ve seen the pitch in many qualifying games, [and] I’ve never heard anyone discuss it after.
“I remember some qualifying games where the pitch wasn’t good, that we played at home. It’s something that we’re accustomed to. Unfortunately, we’d love to have carpet as grass to play on, as we did at the World Cup. That’s a dream for us, but at the moment, that’s a dream that’s not close to reality.”
After coming within a hair of upsetting the more fancied South Americans, Socceroos midfielder Jackson Irvine — who was at pains to praise the atmosphere and fans in Townsville — also noted that the challenges of the surface were the same for both sides.
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“It is what it is,” Irvine said. “It’s not something that we’re not used to; playing in Asia, we come up on pitches that are quite similar to this kind of grass here.
“I had a couple of frustrating moments, which is not ideal. But it is what it is. It’s the same for both teams.”
Popovic said he also saw signs of progress in Australia’s performance as well as their sense of disappointment from failing to come away with a win against the record five-time World Cup winners.
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“I think it’s maybe a sign of progress if we are a bit disappointed, and I think the dressing room’s a bit quiet,” Popovic said. “I think that’s a good sign. Yes, of course, you’re delighted that you get a point in a game like this against Brazil.
“But when you have the lead up until the last kick of the game, then of course you walk off a little bit deflated. Once that settles down, I’m sure we can look at the performance as a whole and be very happy. But, you know, I’m actually glad there’s disappointment, because I have it as well.”
