The Pararoos have defeated the United Arab Emirates National Paralympic Team to build on their strong performances at the 2012 AFC Dream Asia Tournament.
The Pararoos have defeated the United Arab Emirates National Paralympic Team to build on their strong performances at the 2012 AFC Dream Asia Tournament.
After fielding a young side, Head Coach Paul Brown was confident the result was a good sign for his squad and the development of the sport in Australia.
“It has taken seven years for the Australian program to get to where it is now and I am very proud of what both the players and the staff have accomplished in that time,” said Brown.
“Of course none of this would have been possible without the support of the Australian Paralympic Committee, Football Federation Australia and of course the State Associations that have worked so hard to develop their Paralympic football programs.”
“The Australian National Team now has players from five different states with another two states in their infancy with junior programs.”
Against the UAE, Brown and Assistant Coach, Kai Lammert, opted for a fresh starting line-up consisting of most of the new recruits to the Australian side which included Jared Eiby (QLD), Josh Seaman (SA), Ben Atkins (NSW), Ryan Kinner (SA), Chris Pyne (NSW), James Turner (NSW) and Connor Marsh (NSW).
“I was a bit hesitant at first about passing so much responsibility onto my young players, some of which are only 15 years old, but they did themselves and Australia proud on the international stage, he Brown”.
The Pararoos scored their first goal after only one minute after a well-placed ball from Ben Atkins to Chris Pyne. Minutes later James Turner and Ryan Kinner scored their first international goals for the Pararoos.
Australia continued to apply pressure to the UAE with good build-up play, patience and possession. The UAE goalkeeper forced into making some courageous saves on numerous occasions to defy the Aussies.
A lapse in concentration in the second half allowed the UAE to reduce the deficit and they were nearly in again minutes later but were denied by a strong save from goalkeeper Jared Eiby.
After the game Brown was philosophical about the result but said the match was a good sign for the game moving forward.
“At this level different nations are at different levels of their development and it is great to see nations like Jordan, Singapore and of course The UAE including Paralympic Football as part of their football "play for all" programs."
"I am sure that the UAE will come back bigger and stronger the next time that we play them,” he said.