Caltex Socceroo defender Trent Sainsbury said the conditions in Abu Dhabi were the toughest he’d experienced but was proud of his team’s display in winning 1-0 over UAE on Wednesday morning [AEST].
The Socceroos have now made it two wins from two in the final phase of World Cup qualification in Group B after defeating Iraq 2-0 in Perth last Thursday.
“It’s a massive result for the boys, we put in a really good shift tonight. To take home three points after the travel is definitely what we deserve,” he told Fox Sports.
Super-sub Cahill wins it for the Caltex Socceroos
“It’s probably the toughest I’ve ever played in. I know a few of the boys were suffering from sickness from the travel - myself included.
“So to come here and play with the intensity that we did in the heat and these conditions is a credit to the boys.”
He added: “We’re not going to change our way for any opponent. It doesn’t matter the conditions we’ll play to our strengths.”
The Socceroos adapted their high-energy game to the 30 degrees plus conditions, opting for a more energy-efficient possession-based game that largely blunted the direct UAE by making them chase the ball.
After weathering an early storm, the Australians dominated the game.
“I think we knew they’d come out for the first 10-15 minutes really hard. But as soon as they couldn’t stay with us, we knew we could get on top of them.
“They were the same in the second half. They had another ten minutes but then we controlled the game. We just had to watch out for their counter-attacks and limit their opportunities with Omar [Abdulrahman] whipping those balls in. He’s one helluva player.”