I followed the Socceroos around the world to 4 World Cup qualification playoffs and the finals in Russia. I paid for it all with crypto I won betting on the games! See the introductory post for details.

The game: Australia 2 – Syria 1 (Australia qualify)

Another unconvincing performance from the Socceroos. They dominated possession so overwhelmingly that they inevitably created a number of good chances. But they failed to finish all but 1 of them in the 90 minutes.

The Socceroos play a slow, patient and controlled build-up from the back rather than playing fast and direct football. This gives the opposition the chance to set up their lines and defensive structure.

We often play one-too-many passes or pass to a teammate who is surrounded by defenders. This causes turnovers after which we are vulnerable to counterattack because we only have 3 at the back.

With this level of play, the Socceroos are unlikely to win against Honduras next month.

The bets

In this 2nd-leg my bet was “Australia to qualify” and we did just that. I got it on at odds of 1.155 and it closed at 1.11, so this was a great bet.

A similar thing happened with my “Double chance: Draw or Australia” bet on the 1st-leg. I got it on at 1.23 and it closed at 1.15!

Winner winner chicken dinner! The expenses for this trip to Melaka Malaysia and Sydney Australia were 886 m฿ in total. The amount I won betting on the games counted 886 m฿!

Sydney Australia

I am from Melbourne so I begrudgingly admit that Sydney is a great city. Melbourne is a better city but Sydney is the great Australian city. By that I mean Melbourne is the least Australian city in Australia (it’s the most European).

The Socceroos could not have a better home base than Sydney and Stadium Australia is fantastic soccer venue. I can’t wait to come back here with 76,000 Socceroos fans for the 2nd-leg of the intercontinental playoff against Honduras.

Betting my way to Russia: Asian qualification conclusion

Well, this has been an unqualified success! In the 1st leg, I discovered a gem of a town in Melaka Malaysia. In the 2nd leg, I caught up with friends and family in Sydney. I watched the Socceroos get 2 good results and I travelled in style.

I paid for it all with crypto I won betting on the games. If I can keep this up all the way through the World Cup in Russia it will be a dream come true.

I can’t wait for the travel experience of the intercontinental playoff against Honduras but I am nervous about Australia’s chance of qualifying.

Author-Nakul-Shah photo

Nakul Shah

Author

In 2016, I worked on my first client to help write a white paper for a crypto and blockchain project they were building, and started delving deeper into blockchain and distributed ledger technology.

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