Australia a team in steady decline but UAE know Socceroos are a tough nut to crack

As Japanese referee Ryuji Sato blew for full time, Australian bodies slumped to the turf in disappointment and disbelief.

Around them, Emirati players and fans inside Al Ain’s packed Hazza bin Zayed Stadium were delirious in celebration. Goalkeeper Khalid Essa dropped to the ground, overcome with emotion as towering defender Ismael Ahmed wrapped his arms around his teammate.

The UAE, led by Italian tactician Alberto Zaccheroni, had just knocked Australia, the defending champions, out of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup at the quarter-final stage thanks to a goal from Ali Mabkhout, who capitalised on a mistake by Australia defender Milos Degenek.

It was the first time the UAE had beaten Australia in six attempts, and while far from a vintage performance, it was a milestone win all the same.

From an Australian perspective, the premature exit from a tournament they had visions of winning, perhaps provided a glimpse into the future and the struggles that lay ahead on the road to Qatar 2022.

The prevailing view in Australia is that the Socceroos have been on a steady decline since the early-to-mid 2010s when the last of the so-called Golden Generation - with the likes of Mark Viduka, Harry Kewell, Lucas Neill and Mark Schwarzer - hung up their boots.

UAE fans celebrate their success against Australia. AFP

Since the late Pim Verbeek guided Australia through qualifying for South Africa 2010 with relative ease, each subsequent qualifying campaign has become that little bit tougher and harder to navigate.

It took until the final game - and the final moments - in qualifying for Brazil 2014 before Australia secured their berth, while the road to Russia was even more difficult as they had to navigate the sudden-death playoffs, as they do