Irvine strikes as Australia advance to last 16

Doha, Qatar: A brilliant second-half goal by Jackson Irvine secured title contenders Australia a crucial 1-0 victory against Syria, taking the Socceroos to the last 16 of AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023, yesterday.

The lone goal at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium was Irvine’s second in the tournament as Graham Arnold’s men topped the Group B standings, having beaten India 2-0 in the opening match last Saturday.

“The most important thing for us is our mentality, our work rate and keeping a clean sheet,” said Australia coach Graham Arnold.

“Clean sheets win tournaments,” Arnold added.

Arnold, who took Australia to the last 16 of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, rang three changes for yesterday’s match following Australia’s dominant display against India, bringing in center-back Cameron Burgess, Aiden O’Neill and Jordan Bos, who made his mark, scoring his maiden international goal on Saturday.

Jackson Irvine almost opened the scoring in the 36th minute.

A superbly executed cross from a Martin Boyle corner kick set the stage, but the diving attempt by Gethin Jones narrowly missed its mark by a few centimetres.

Despite an action-packed first half in which the Australians dominated the possession, the resilient Syrian defensive line was too good to penetrate.

Irvine’s decisive close-range finish came in the 59th minute. Martin Boyle tapped one past Amar Ramadan, delivering a crucial assist to Irvine, who skillfully directed the ball into the net, giving the Socceroos advantage in the match which saw limited scoring opportunities.

Australia faced an early challenge from Syria when Ibrahim Hesar delivered a cross to Pablo Sabbag but the ball struck the post to add to their disappointment.

As the game entered the final quarter, Australia custodian Mathew Ryan faced a scare but managed to prevent Mouaiad Al Ajaan’s long-range strike from crossing the line.

Australia now need to avoid a defeat against Uzbekistan on Tuesday to confirm the Group B top spot while Syria will have to beat India to stand a chance of advancing.

Uzbekistan, who defeated India 3-0 in the group’s second match yesterday, are placed second ahead of Syria while the South Asian team is in a dire strait after back-to-back defeats.