sport news How Graham Arnold pulled off one of Aussie sport's greatest wins as Socceroos ... trends now

Graham Arnold has achieved what many felt was impossible - qualifying for the round of 16 in at the Qatar World Cup.

The Socceroos boss, who took over in 2018, has long had critics calling for his head - but he is used to the criticism and has now well and truly risen above it.

It is certainly nothing new for the man who wears his heart on his sleeve and backs his players to the tilt. 

Few gave Australia a chance in the Middle East, and after being outclassed 4-1 by France in their group opener, the knives were out.

But Arnold - as he so often does - didn't waiver in his belief that his side could do something special.

Les Blues - the last World Cup winners - are a formidable outfit, and superstar Kylian Mbappe was virtually impossible to contain.

Just ask Nathaniel Atkinson, the Tasmanian born defender is still having nightmares after his brutal football lesson.

Next was Tunisia, a fixture many Socceroos fans felt was the best chance to get a result.

Mitch Duke did the rest, his glancing header was the difference and all of a sudden, the knockers were eating their words.

But surely Australia would be exposed by Denmark, who are 10th on FIFA's world rankings and had Manchester United's Christian Eriksen as their talisman.

Wrong.

Arnold's tactics were again spot on, with Mat Leckie's goal on the counter sealing another gritty 1-0 win.

And all this was masterminded by a bloke who was fined $25,000 in March by Football Australia for breaching Covid self-isolation protocols.

His crime, you ask?

Walking his dog at Narrabeen

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