Rhyan Grant and his Socceroos teammates held to a nil-all draw against Saudi Arabia in FIFA World Cup qualifying

The Socceroos, who were playing their first game on Australian soil for over two years, went into the match against the undefeated Saudis having won three and lost one in the third round of qualifying in Asia.

The Saudis were stubborn in defence and often reverted to time wasting, obvious to fans early on that they wanted to play for a draw.

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While it was negative football from the visitors, the tactics worked a charm and the Green Falcons denied several Socceroos opportunities, but they did create a few of their own.

Socceroos forward and new Melbourne City recruit Matthew Leckie said his team created enough opportunities to score.

"Obviously we wanted the three points. Playing at home, obviously it's been so long, so we wanted to get three points for the fans," he said.

"I think the boys had a great performance today, but it was just centimetres that just stopped us from scoring.

"I'm proud of the boys, I think we put in a great effort but unfortunately we couldn't get the win."

While disappointed Australia couldn't get the win, Leckie believes there were plenty of positives to take out of the game.

"Obviously [the Saudis] defended really well," he said.

"It was just one of those games where the ball didn't want to go in.

"But it was still a positive performance. We created chances and on another day, we score."

The Socceroos are in action again on Wednesday morning when they take on China at Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.

A win would take Australia one step closer to World Cup qualification.

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