But in the end the scoreline is all that mattered as Australia progressed to the final World Cup play-off against Honduras after a heart-stopping extra-time win against a Syrian side reduced to 10 men for the final 26 minutes.

Once more Australia had the indefatigable Tim Cahill to thank, his two headed goals making all the difference. If he didn't exist it would be impossible to make him up, and if the squad makes it to Russia he will surely be included despite his advancing years.

We can talk endlessly about playing styles, character, the entertainment factor, and players being role models to the kids, but on a journey like this, where the World Cup is the holy grail, then it is just about getting there.

That remains the challenge now, with an equally determined rival to come. No one will care over much how that destination is reached: the end will justify the means. So kudos at the very least to the team for getting this far, even if it has been far harder than anyone expected.

But that doesn't mean that questions cannot and should not be asked, and judgements made.

Coach Ange Postecoglou, who is set to walk away after the Honduras tie, has come under increasing fire for his tactics, his selections and the way he sets his team up as the Socceroos have limped to where they are now.

His commitment to a three-man rearguard with an aggressive push on the flanks, multiple attacking midfielders, and a fast and fluid forward trio is adventurous, reflecting his belief that Australia should back itself and take games to the opposition.

It's fine in theory. But it's not really been working in recent times, has it? Certainly not well enough to get the results required in convincing fashion or inspire much confidence.

Australia too often looks vulnerable on the counter, less than steady under pressure at the back and is exploited on the flanks, where players whose inclination to go forward often leaves the team exposed and lacking cover when attacks come in.

Postecoglou's decision to drop Aaron Mooy was baffling, as he is widely regarded as the Socceroos' best player, who controls the tempo and direction of the team.

Leaving out your fulcrum for the sake of balance - now there's an irony - to select an even more attacking line-up than usual was something no one expected, especially when one of the beneficiaries was the rarely seen Brad Smith.

It will pass into Socceroo folklore that Smith's early injury (Smith went off after 11 minutes with a hip injury, perhaps a consequence of his lack of regular game time) allowed Mooy to get into the game so soon after the start.

It was inevitable that he become a central figure in a victory which preserved Postecoglou's position, at least for a couple more games.

In the shock of Wednesday morning's revelations of his desire to go, it is perhaps time to take some stock. Postecoglou built up a large bank of credits, largely through winning the Asian Cup on home soil in 2015. But he has been making plenty of withdrawals in the past couple of years.

His mission was not just on the field. He was also looking to change the culture of the Australian game, the way the team - and the public - regard the Socceroos, and effect a shift in thinking within the administration of Football Federation Australia, particularly the way they view Australian coaches and local input at the highest levels.

It could be argued that he should stick to his knitting and only worry about coaching the team and getting results, but that was not the Postecoglou way, It would be understandable if his decision to quit and seek a club job has been influenced by exasperation of the way the game is being managed at the moment, with an intransigent FFA chairman in Steven Lowy and the prospect of a FIFA intervention to revamp its governance structures.

Egotistical? Blessed - or cursed - with enormous amounts of self-belief? A conviction that it is his way or no way?

Yes, Postecoglou is all of those things and while his plan to go now will be seen in some quarters as hypocritical given his desire to promote the Australian game, he is not likely to lose too much sleep over it. As one confidant said on Wednesday, "Ange has got too thick a skin to be worried about media criticism."

Expect more of the same in the final play-off for the World Cup, assuming he remains in charge for it.

But whether it is him or someone else in temporary charge for the Honduras games, and someone completely different if the Socceroos do make it in Russia, we should not be under any illusions.

Australia are not the team of the golden generation - very few of the current squad would even get into the party that went to the 2006 World Cup, and it's hard to see any, save perhaps Mooy, getting into the starting line-up, so a measure of realistic expectation is needed.

Competition in Asia is getting harder. The game all over the world is improving - witness the struggles to reach this World Cup being experienced by powers like the Netherlands and Argentina.

Now, 180 minutes (perhaps 210 should extra-time be needed) will determine Australia's fate next month.

At least they still have their destiny in their own hands. Strap yourself in for what will be a white-knuckle ride ...