CARL VALERI'S not known for his goal-scoring prowess, but that didn't stop the Socceroo from chancing his arm in an otherwise dream Canberra homecoming.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The 27-year-old midfielder had several nice touches before being removed at half-time of Australia's 5-0 thumping of Malaysia on Friday night.
And while he'd scored only once in his previous 41 internationals, Valeri took advantage of the Socceroos' dominance to launch a couple of long-range efforts. Unfortunately the first was directed straight at the Malaysian goalkeeper while the second sailed harmlessly over the bar.
''I was trying, I was trying,'' Valeri laughed yesterday as he prepared for Tuesday night's World Cup qualifier against Oman in Sydney. ''I thought, if I'm not going to shoot tonight, when am I going to shoot? I'd love to get one in a World Cup qualifier to seal a victory, so let's just say I'm saving them for Tuesday.''
Valeri was one of four changes made by Holger Osieck at the break, denying the Sassuolo distributor a fitting send-off from the 10,041 fans at Canberra Stadium.
''At the end of the day the game wasn't about me, it was about the Socceroos, it was about the qualifying process,'' Valeri said. ''I was just happy to be a part of it, play that 45 minutes.''
More than 100 of Valeri's friends and family turned out for his first international appearance in his home town in what he described as ''a night I will remember for the rest of my life''.
''I hope Canberra gets more games because it was a great atmosphere last night,'' he said.
''The only thing is that it is hard for players coming overseas coming from such a long flight. If we were able to have a little bit more time in Australia we could've had more time in Canberra.''
