In reaction to critics, Australia’s captain Ryan states, “Football isn’t easy.”

Australia’s captain, Mat Ryan, aged 31, has brushed off criticism of the Socceroos’ Asian Cup campaign, referring to it as “outside noise.” While acknowledging that there is room for improvement, particularly before the quarter-finals, Ryan remains focused on the team’s results. The 4-0 triumph over the 146th-ranked Indonesia received only subdued praise in the local media, with fans expressing concerns about the team’s attacking fluidity. Coach Graham Arnold had previously defended the squad’s performance following a less-than-convincing 1-1 draw with Uzbekistan in the group stage. For Ryan, the priority lies in achieving positive outcomes on the field.

“There’s often a lot of external chatter and expectations about what the team should achieve,” he expressed. “However, football isn’t as straightforward as it may seem from an outsider’s perspective. When you’re on the field as a professional footballer, facing another team equally determined to win, it’s a challenging task. It’s not as easy as people make it out to be. I must give credit to Indonesia; they put up a commendable effort.”

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The 2015 champions, Australia, are set to face either Saudi Arabia or South Korea in the quarter-finals.

The team is optimistic about having forward Craig Goodwin in the starting lineup, considering he came off the bench around the hour-mark against Indonesia, having missed the Uzbekistan game due to a hamstring strain.

Mat Ryan expressed his belief that there’s still significant room for improvement in the team, viewing it as a positive outlook for the upcoming matches.

Describing the team as a close-knit group, Ryan emphasized the strong camaraderie among the players, treating each other like family.