“Obituaries were being prepared”: Harper bemused at near Socceroos disaster in Bahrain

Football commentator Andy Harper was left stunned after the Socceroos almost lost the “unlosable” against Bahrain on Wednesday morning.

Australia led after just 38 seconds thanks to Kusini Yengi capitalising on a defensive mistake. The Socceroos were largely in control before Bahrain substitute Mahdi Abduljabbar flipped the game completely with two goals in three minutes.

Emotional rollercoaster in Bahrain as Yengi brace spares Socceroos blushes

Yengi was once again the hero for the Socceroos with a stoppage-time equaliser but Harper said the performance by Tony Popovic's men left a lot to be desired.

“It was ridiculous. It was a very ordinary game,” Harper said on SEN 1170 Breakfast.

“In the first half, we barely broke a sweat. Yengi scored after 38 seconds thanks to an error and it set the tone for the game.

“Then it just exploded freakishly and Australia were on the verge of losing the unlosable.

“Pencils were sharpened and obituaries were being prepared for this disaster of a performance.

“The Socceroos somehow pulled it out of the fire. It was bad. It was ‘blood drained out of your cheeks' bad.

“The white of your eyes turned into this yellow colour. It was like watching Beetlejuice on steroids.

“Bahrain were improved in the second half and they had more energy. They were woeful in the first half and wouldn’t have beaten the Tibooburra Under 12s.

“The Socceroos are too cautious for me. The game can turn from nothing and all of sudden, all hell broke loose.

“Scoring goals for the national team has really been a problem.

“It was crazy stuff and I was watching the game and thinking how in the hell were we in this pile of poo.”

Following the draw, Australia rose to outright second in Group C of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

The Socceroos’ next leg of World Cup Qualifiers is next year when they host Indonesia on March 20.