Tale of two halves as Aussies kick-off Asian Cup campaign in style

The Socceroos won the tournament in 2015 on home soil under Ange Postecoglou, but four years later, under the guidance of Arnold, were knocked out in the quarter-finals by hosts, the United Arab Emirates.

However, since then Arnold has built a strong squad and improved Australia’s depth of talent.

It led to the Socceroos reaching the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where they were beaten by eventual champions Argentina.

That effort has led to growing expectations of Arnold’s men at continental level.

And now back in Qatar – their “home away from home”, after playing of host of World Cup qualifiers there when Covid-19 caused travel restrictions and quarantine periods – the Socceroos are ready to embrace the pressure by lifting the Asian Cup.

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“There’s only one thing to look at and one thing to believe in and achieve, and that is to win it,” Arnold said.

“That’s the messaging to the players and the staff. We’ve come here for a reason, and that reason is to come here and win this Asian Cup.

“You’ve got to reach for the stars, and have high expectations, and we do that right from the start.”

Socceroos striker Mitch Duke echoed Arnold’s sentiments.

“The belief is high,” Duke said.

“If there’s someone here that doesn’t believe we can win it, then they shouldn’t be here.

“We have the players that can do the job. We can go all that way and win it.”

FULL TIME – AUSTRALIA 2-0 INDIA

It wasn’t always pretty, but the Socceroos have got their Asian Cup campaign off to the perfect start, eventually breaking through the brave Indian defensive wall, after blowing a host of early chances. While India managed to hold off the Aussie onslaught in the first half, they cracked almost immediately in the second half. After narrowly averting disaster, a frustrated Graham Arnold looked to his bench to make a host of changes, and it paid off almost immediately. Fresh on the field, Riley McGree burst through the India defence before setting up fellow substitute Jordan Bos for his first Socceroos goal. Now the 2015 Asian Cup champions look ahead to their clash against Syria on Thursday.

87TH MINUTE – Not content with scoring with his first touch of the game, Jordan Bos has come within centimetres of securing his second, and Australia’s third, goal of the game.

72ND MINUTE – Australia are in again, with Jordan Bos converting with his first touch after being substituted onto the field. Masterstroke move from Graham Arnold, with all the fresh faces on the field playing a role. India finally make some changes of their own after conceding their second goal.

68TH MINUTE – India have started to kick it up a notch, really starting to play a tad more aggressively, as the Socceroos narrowly averted disaster, after Mat Ryan was caught out of position. Graham Arnold is visibly frustrated on the sidelines.

50TH MINUTE – FINALLY! A breakthrough for the Socceroos, with Jackson Irvine in the right place as the right time, slotting the ball through with goal keeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu caught out of position.

46TH MINUTE – And we’re back underway in the second half. Can the Socceroos finally crack the Indian defence, or can the Blue Tigers continue to hold on?

HALF-TIME – Australia 0-0 India

And we’re still without a goal at the halftime break, as a desperate Indian defence continued to hold off the Australian onslaught. As commentator Simon Hill points out, its been a tale of everything but a goal for the Socceroos in the first half.

45TH MINUTE – More of the same for Australia, with another missed opportunity, with another chance gone begging, this time from the head of Connor Metcalfe. In the following corner we have a decent stoppage following a heavy head knock, and Sandesh Jhingan forced from the field temporarily. But despite being a man down, India held out the Socceroos yet again. We have five minutes of stoppage time.

30TH MINUTE – The Socceroos may be dominating possession, but they have failed to capitalise on any of their many opportunities so far. Australia is controlling the ball well and frequently putting the Indian defence under pressure, who have so far been saved by some poor execution and some desperate saves. Still 0-0 after thirty minutes of play.

21ST MINUTE – India have hit back after having the defence tested early, with Sunil Chhetri coming agonisingly close to opening the scoring, after a missed header on the back of a counter attack. Australia earned the first corner of the match after putting the Blue Tigers under more pressure defensively. Just minutes later Australia have blown another chance, with Connor Metcalfe coming incredibly close after India’s defence broke down again.

8TH MINUTE – A slow, conservative start for the Socceroos, controlling the ball in their own end and defending well, after an early attacking opportunity for India. Australia looks very happy to just play a patient game, and attack when they see an opening. Australia miss the first shot at goal of the match, while India are holding their shape well and looking to counter-attack. 0-0 after 8 minutes.

10:25PM – And we’re just about underway at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Qatar as we hear the national anthems of Australia and India. Who will start their Asian Cup campaign off with a victory? The Socceroos or the Blue Tigers? Also a shoutout to referee Yoshimi Yamashita of Japan, who becomes the first woman to officiate a men’s Asian Cup match!

9:30PM – And the boys are in the house! Here is the Socceroos starting XI for our India clash.

9PM – The host nation Qatar got their Asian Cup campaign off to a perfect start, with a 3-0 win over Group A opponents, Lebanon. After a disappointing performance as the World Cup hosts, Qatar have a point to prove on home soil, as they look to finish on top of Group A.

8:50PM – A lot can change in 12 months. Just over one year on from the Socceroos’ Round of 16 defeat to Argentina, Australia returns to Ahmed bin Ali Stadium in Qatar. Let’s hope this time the Socceroos can walk away with a win in their opening Group B match at the Asian Cup.

8:15PM – Not long to go now! Can the Socceroos start their Asia Cup campaign off with a win?

Australia v India

Saturday, 10.30pm (AEDT) at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium

Broadcast & Livestream: Network 10, 10 Play, Paramount+

Possible Socceroos starting team: Mat Ryan/Joe Gauci, Lewis Miller, Harry Souttar, Cameron Burgess, Aziz Behich, Jackson Irvine, Keanu Baccus, Connor Metcalfe, Martin Boyle, Mitch Duke, Craig Goodwin.

World rankings: Australia 25, India 102

Head-to-head: Played 9 – Australia 5 wins, 1 draw, 3 losses.

Most recent meeting: January 2011, Socceroos 4-0 (Asian Cup group stage)

SOCCEROOS HISTORY AT THE ASIAN CUP

2007: Quarter-finalists

2011: Finalists

2015: Champions

2019: Quarter-finalists

SOCCEROOS SWEAT ON MASKED STAR AHEAD OF OPENER

Socceroos coach Graham Arnold has demanded a performance worthy of a legitimate Asian Cup contender when Australia opens its tournament campaign against minnows India on Saturday night.

But there was no confirmation on whether captain and goalkeeper Mat Ryan, who continues to wear a mask at training to protect the cheekbone he fractured last month, would start the match despite having trained fully in the lead-up to the game.

While Arnold dubbed his side’s 2-0 friendly win last weekend over Bahrain as the “perfect” preparation for Asian Cup, he wants more boldness, class and energy shown by the Socceroos in their opening Group B match at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Qatar

“I want to see some more individual quality one-v-one situations,” Arnold said.

“Those ones can change the game, and I think that we do have the players here … that have great one-v-one actions, and individual quality, and I want to see that.”

Arnold mentioned the likes of attacking weapons Martin Boyle, Sammy Silvera, Marco Tilio and Craig Goodwin, midfielder Riley McGree and left-back Jordan Bos as the Socceroos’ potential game-breakers.

“Yes, the tactical side is very important and we’ll get that right, but also it’s down to the individual mentally to be prepared to go out there and put on his best performance, and that’s what I expect,” Arnold said.

The national coach has been particularly in the ear of Middlesbrough star McGree, who returned to international duty via the bench against Bahrain after being sidelined for several weeks with a foot injury he suffered in early October.

“Something that I’m pushing at Riley and talking to him about is getting in positions in the box to score because I do believe he has that quality to score goals,” Arnold said.

“Once he gets that into his game, you’ll see him go to a high level of potentially club football as well.

“Riley’s fit, and he’s ready to go. If anything, this is in a positive way, that injury that he had gave him a bit of a break, and he’s freshened up and he looks fantastic.”

Whether McGree has done enough to start against India is uncertain, with the Socceroos having plenty of midfield depth.

Arnold wouldn’t commit on Ryan taking his place in goal despite being full recovered from his fractured cheekbone, unwilling to reveal his starting side.

“Maty’s training back fully. He’s training very well. All the boys are fit, healthy and ready,” he said.

“I can’t give you the starting line-up at the moment.”

Arnold said the Socceroos would again strive to be lethal from set pieces, particularly from Goodwin’s delivery of free-kicks and corners to giant central defenders Harry Souttar and Cameron Burgess.

“It is very important … we get our set pieces right, because set pieces can change the game as well,” he said.

“We’re working on all those patterns and working on finishing, getting players in those positions to put the ball in the back of the net.

“It’s important that we’re patient and we stick to what we’re good at, and that’s retaining the ball and moving ball quickly

“We’re here to win seven games, and obviously our expectations are high.”

Originally published as Asian Cup Qatar 2024: Socceroos v India, live scores, updates, how to watch, live stream