That left them requiring a draw against Egypt to advance out of the group stage and it was evident what the game-plan was in the first 45 minutes as the Olyroos sat back, and absorbed pressure, instead of pursuing the free-flowing attack that led to such a strong start at the Tokyo Games.
Arnold s conservative approach to the match proved costly as Egypt pounced on the counter attack and found soft spots to exploit in the tiring Olyroos defence.
Ahmed Fotouh #20 of Team Egypt shakes hands with Harry Souttar #5 of Team Australia (Getty)
Ahmed Rayan gave the Egyptians a 1-0 lead moments before halftime after Ramadan Sobhi nutmegged towering Aussie defender Harry Souttar to tee up Rayan to score.
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Matthew Comito 1627272103,1627272102
AFTER defeating Argentina 2-0 in their first fixture of the Men s Football Tournament at Tokyo 2020, the Olyroos fell just short of another impressive result against Spain on Sunday night.
Olyroos boss Graham Arnold handed starts to seven players who featured in the A-League throughout the 2020/21 campaign as he looked to orchestrate another shock result at the Sapporo Dome. Australia held firm until the 80th minute when Spanish forward Mikel Oyarzabal headed home the only goal of the game to hand the Olyroos a 1-0 defeat.
Australia now need to register a draw or better against Egypt on Wednesday, July 27 to progress to the knockout phase of the tournament.