Socceroos coach Graham Arnold has been left encouraged by a “great lesson” after seeing his side beaten by Ecuador in a friendly.
After beating the South American side handily last week, the Socceroos let an early lead slip as Ecuador ran out 2-1 winners courtesy of a second-half double.
The signs were promising for Arnold’s men early as Western Sydney Wanderers forward Brandon Borrello scored his first goal in the green and gold in the 16th minute.
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Australia led 1-0 at the break, but were soon pegged back through a penalty in the 51st minute before William Pacho headed in a winner in the 65th minute.
Despite the loss, Arnold was encouraged by the progress his side had shown.
“I think it was a great lesson,” he told Channel 10.
“You see how physically strong they were I think they won the physical battle … I think that was one of the biggest standouts.
“They won pretty much every second ball because they were physically better.”
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Borrello said he was “stoked” at his maiden goal for his country.
“Of course in the moment I was stoked … but we win together and we lose together, it’s as simple as that,” he said.
“It was definitely fiery, they won a lot of second balls … but I think there’s a lot of positives.”
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