Full time: Australia 2-0 India The Socceroos begin their Asian Cup campaign with a low-key win over a determined but limited India. Australia wore India down in the first half and capitalised in the second through goals from Jackson Irvine and the substitute Jordy Bos. It was a fairly prosaic performance, but they did the necessary. We’ll be back at the same time for the Syria game on Thursday. Thanks for your company and emails, I’ll leave you with Joey Lynch’s match report. Ta-ra. Jordy Bos’s reaction It was amazing – I came on, drifted the back post and it just felt to me, my first touch. It was a great moment and it’s a great start to the campaign for me. We had just had to get this game out of the way and get three points. It’s hard to score against teams that drop so low. Hopefully getting the result leads to a good campaign for us. We’ll review the game and look to Syria over the next couple of days. We’re here to win it. Everyone has a chance to break into the first XI. No one’s spot is set in stone – you need to make the most of your opportunities, and Arnie can take it from there. Sandesh Jhingan gives the Indian reaction We are disappointed. But when you come up against a World Cup side it’s always going to be difficult. There are a lot of things to learn from the game. Some of the things we are proud of as well. I want to thank all the fans who came to support us. We’ve got two more group games to progress so we’ll focus on that now. Eight years ago we were 173-175 [in the Fifa rankings]. Now we’re consecutively in the Asian Cup and doing well in the Fifa rankings. It’s not just the team, it’s the whole country. The fans are a massive part of it as we continue to grow. We stick together, that’s what Indians are known for, and we aim for the sky. Maty Ryan reacts There’s always a bit of pressure on that first result so the most important thing was getting off to a winning start. There was a bit of rustiness which we’ll look to improve on, but all in all it’s a good first game. Our focus will turn to recovering before the Syria game. I’m sure we’ll be better for the run-out tonight and we’ll put in a better performance on Thursday. “Pretty much pointless to read anything into this game, Rob,” says Chris Paraskevas. “I was going to suggest that India might regret not asking more questions of the Socceroos in that first half, but will they really? The ludicrous structure of this tournament (and virtually all tournaments, nowadays) literally rewards damage control. “As it stands ‘Arnie can head back to the hotel and crack open a cold one knowing that his team were drawn the percect opening round opponent: three points in the bag and the amount of Graham Arnold React GIFs on Google Images has quadrupled since kick-off. “Job done.” And now you can squeeze in a nap before Newcastle v Man City! Full time: Australia 2-0 India The Socceroos begin their Asian Cup campaign with a low-key win over a determined but limited India. Australia wore India down in the first half and capitalised in the second through goals from Jackson Irvine and the substitute Jordy Bos. It was a fairly prosaic performance, but they did the necessary. 90+6 min There’s a VAR check to see whether any of those shots were blocked by a hand. They weren’t. 90+6 min A weary clearance from Thapa is cut out, which leads to four blocked shots in the space of a few seconds. Behich ends the fun by hoofing a volley into orbit. 90+4 min O’Neill yelps with pain after an overzealous tackle from the debutant Partap Singh. He becomes the first player in the match to receive a yellow card. 90+1 min Six minutes of added time. 90 min Silvera’s deflected shot is comfortably saved by Singh Sandhu. 89 min: Double substitution for India Vikram Partap Singh, making his international debut, and Naorem Mahesh Singh replace Lallianzuala Chhangte and the captain Sunil Chhekri. 88 min: Chance for Australia! Bos misses an excellent chance for his second, rifling a low drive this far wide from 12 yards after another good pass by McGree. 87 min Australia are passing the clock down. I’m sure there will be some criticism of a slightly coagulated attacking performance, but ultimately they’ve been comfortable winners. It’s a long tournament and nobody will care about this game if they go the distance. 86 min An extremely ambitious attempt from Liston, at least 45 yards from goal, deflects through to Ryan. 84 min Australia’s one-touch play in the last few minutes has been as good as at any stage in the match, though that’s partly down to India’s fatigue. Bos moves into the area and angles a cutback that just evades McGree. Those two could be a real threat from the bench as the tournament progresses. 83 min: Australia substitution Aiden O’Neill comes on for Keanu Baccus, who dominated the midfield and ensured India couldn’t get out of their half for large parts of the game. Socceroos and St Mirren fans will know him better than me, but every time I see Baccus he looks a player. 82 min Fornaroli cracks a free-kick from 20 yards that is punched away by Singh Sandhu, diving to his left. A pretty comfortable save. 81 min We’ve barely mentioned the referee Yoshimi Yamashita, which is a reflection of how well she has done. It hasn’t been a difficult game to referee, admittedly, but I can still think of a few who would have made a ego-fuelled Horlicks of it. 80 min Local rights permitting, here’s a video of Australia’s opening goal from Jackson Irvine. 79 min: India substitution Deepak Tangri, who had a decent debut and worked extremely hard in midfield, is replaced by Anirudh Thapa. 77 min The Socceroos’ next game is against Syria on Thursday. India play Uzbekistan later the same day. 75 min: Double substitution for India Akash Mishra and Liston Colaco replace Suresh Singh Wangjam and Subhasish Bose. That was a good goal. McGree swerved elegantly away from Ralte on the riught before picking out Bos at the far post with a low cross. He opened his body to pass the ball into the net from six yards. GOAL! Australia 2-0 India (Bos 73) Bos scores with his first touch in an Asian Cup game! 72 min: Double substitution for Australia Jordy Bos and Bruno Fornaroli come on for Craig Goodwin and Mitch Duke. 71 min India’s centre-backs, Rahul Bheke and Sandesh Jhinghan, will sleep well tonight. They’ve given everything. 69 min: What the bloody blazes?! Almost an absurd equaliser for India. Baccus received a short pass near the centre circle with his back to goal. He was challenged strongly from behind, after which the ball flew back towards the Australia goal, past Ryan on the edge of the area. Thankfully for Australia the ball started to swerve away from goal and then slow down, but for a split second it looked like it was going in. Graham Arnold throws his hands towards his head and lets out a bark of frustration. 69 min Manvir Singh mistimes his run down the right and is caught offside. India are growing into the game ever so slightly. 66 min Saying which, a long ball down the left tempts Ryan out of his area. The ball hits the unsighted Jones on the back and drops safely; had it not done so, Cchangte might have been in. 65 min The game is essentially the same as it was at 0-0, with Australia pressing and India hanging on. They can’t get Chhangte into the game on the left. 64 min: Double substitution for Australia Samuel Silvera and Riley McGree replace Martin Boyle and Connor Metcalfe. Up the Boro! 61 min Goodwin’s corner is missed by the stretching Souttar before hitting the back of Jhingan and looping over the bar. The keeper Singh Sandhu, who came for the ball but didn’t get there, needs some treatment. He’s okay to continue. 59 min Manvir Singh makes an excellent sliding challenge on Goodwin just outside the box. Australia are in total control now. 57 min “India’s first ever international was against Australia, their first win was over Australia and also the most famous win in quarter-finals of the 1956 Olympics,” writes Sri Gutta. “Unfortunately, it does not quite look like they are going to add to those successes today.” 55 min Now Australia can keep the ball at their leisure and wait for an opening rather than try to force the issue. A neat passing move ends with a couple of shots being blocked, the second from Behich eight yards from goal. The Indian defenders look shattered. 53 min Another replay suggests Irvine’s shot might have hit the inside of the post without that touch from the keeper, so it’ll probably go down as his goal. 52 min You know, I think that might have been an own goal from the keeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. There was one replay that suggested the shot was going off target before it hit the hand of Singh Sandhu and ricocheted between the two defenders on the line. Boyle’s floated cross from the right tempts Singh Sandhu from his line. He stretches but can only palm it to Irvine, who watches the bounce and cracks the ball into the net via the hand of the keeper. It’s a mistake from Singh Sandhu, one that looked a consequence of mental fatigue. GOAL! Australia 1-0 India (Irvine 51) Relief for the Socceroos. 50 min India can’t keep this up for another 40 minutes. They’re defending admirably but they’ve been on the seat of their pants for too long. 49 min Singh Sandhu springs from his line to just beat Irvine to Goodwin’s through pass. 48 min The pattern of attack v defence has resumed. Baccus’s pass is controlled on the run by Irvine, but he curls high and wide from the edge of the D. 47 min “While you’re correct that Australia will almost certainly win, as a neutral I can’t help but dream of an upset,” writes Kári Tulinius. “It would certainly be one of the big ones, but how big? Jack Charlton’s Ireland beating Roberto Baggio’s Italy? A team of American amateurs derailing England’s first ever World Cup campaign? Wales beating the Belgian golden generation in 2016?” I think it would be much bigger than Ireland beating Italy 1994, though not as seismic as 1950. 46 min Peep peep! The average positions on this graph show the extent of Australia’s terrorial dominance. Only Maty Ryan and the two centre-backs had an average position in the Australian half. “Terrible!” says James Paraskevas. “If we can’t break down India we might as well pack our bags.” Chris Paraskevas’s half-time verdict P̶l̶a̶n̶ ̶A̶:̶ ̶L̶u̶m̶p̶ ̶I̶t̶ ̶U̶p̶ ̶T̶o̶ ̶’̶A̶r̶r̶y̶ P̶l̶a̶n̶ ̶B̶:̶ ̶L̶u̶m̶p̶ ̶I̶t̶ ̶U̶p̶ ̶T̶o̶ ̶M̶i̶t̶c̶h̶ ̶D̶u̶k̶e̶ Plan C: Just Lump It Up There, mate. Regardless of Plan variant: chew fingernails, scowl and remain utterly GIFable. Thing is, even if they don’t win today it’s unthinkable that they won’t qualify. The format gives everyone a second chance, sometimes even a third. Half time: Australia 0-0 India A frustrating half for the Socceroos, who attacked incessantly but were repelled by a fiercely committed Indian defence. Though Australia were nowhere near their best – only two of their 21 attempts* bothered the goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu – they should be ahead. If they hold their nerve and stay patient they will almost certainly win this game; if they don’t, an almighty shock could be on. * Including blocked shots, in case you’re looking at the official stats and thinking I’m talking out of my databox. 45+6 min Incidentally, this is Igor Stimac at work in the Euro 96 quarter-final. You can see where the Indian defenders get their intensity from. 45+4 min Goodwin’s cross ricochets to Irvine, whose shot from the edge of the area is blocked. Then Goodwin chops inside and whacks another effort that is blocked with his stomach by Jhingan. He goes down for a few seconds and then gets up stroking his chest. He’s been in the wars in the last few minutes. 45+3 min Another corner leads to a scramble in the Indian penalty area before the ball is headed behind again. Irvine’s inswinger is forced away at the near post. I think that was the Socceroos’ 12th corner of the first half. 45+1 min A rare India attack. Wangjam breaks into space but shoots straight at Ryan from 25 yards. 45+1 min Five minutes of added time. Stimac isn’t amused by that either. 45 min Jhingan has to stay off the field for the next corner, which leads to a spike in Igor Stimac’s systolic reading. It’s a temporary one: the corner is poor and headed away at the near post. 44 min Rowles is back on his feet. And now so is Jhingan, whose head has been bandaged. 43 min Goodwin’s dangerous corner leads to a nasty clash of heads between Jhingan and Rowles. Both are receiving treatment in the six-yard box. 41 min Goodwin’s flat cross from the left is met by Metcalfe, whose header deflects wide off Bheke. It was on target but wouldn’t have troubled Singh Sandhu. 40 min Australia have had 70 per cent of the possession – but only two shots on target. 39 min The corner is punched away to Baccus on the edge of the area. He sprays a half-volley over the bar. Although Australia have been nowhere near their best, it does feel like a goal is coming. 38 min Goodwin’s dangerous inswinging free-kick is headed behind by Manvir Singh, jumping in front of his own goalkeeper. The resulting corner is half cleared and eventually breaks to Metcalfe, whose snapshot from the edge of the area deflects wide. I think it came off a Socceroos player but a corner has been given. 36 min “Bad luck Rob,” writes Matt Leonard. “You definitely drew the short straw having to watch our dire #Arnieball play. Which 1983 team tactic has Arnie copied for this style for the Socceroos?” Don’t mention 1983 when India are playing Australia. 35 min Boyle crosses low towards Duke, who screws a first-time shot that is excellently blocked by Jhingan. 34 min Goodwin’s deep inswinging corner is confidently claimed by Singh Sandhu – who immediately has a shot! Ryan was halfway inside the Australia half and Singh Sandhu tried to launch the ball over him on the run. He didn’t get hold of it at all but it was definitely an attempt at goal because there were no Indian players forward. 33 min Jones is having a few tricky moments against the left-winger Chhangte and gets away with what looked like a cynical pullback. Had a foul been given he might have been booked for that as well. 31 min: Chance for Boyle! A long crossfield pass finds Behich on the left wing. He curls an early cross towards the far post, where Irvine twists his body to smack a volley over the bar. He couldn’t quite get his foot over the ball. 31 min Goodwin’s fourth corner from the right is his best yet, a good ball that beats the men at the near post and is headed away by Wangjam. 29 min No sign yet of frustration among the Australian players. Almost all of the game is being played in the Indian half, and if it stays that way they’ll expect to break them down eventually. 27 min And he curls the second corner onto the roof of the net. I think he was going for goal. 27 min Bheke shanks a clearance over his own goalkeeper and not far wide. Goodwin’s corner is headed behind by Chhetri for another… 24 min Jones fouls Chhangte, who looks by far India’s most dangerous attacker. He might have been booked for that. 21 min: Chances plural for Australia! The keeper Singh Sandhu, under pressure from Duke, gives the ball straight to Goodwin on the left. It’s moved infield to Metcalfe, whose stinging shot from the edge of the area is too close to the keeper. He pushes it away, and then Boyle’s dangerous low cross leads to a fresh-air kick on the six-yard line, I think from Irvine. 20 min Souttar tries an imaginative through pass towards Boyle, making an angled run infield from the right. Singh Sandhu comes off his line to claim. 18 min Corner to Australia on the right, their first of the match I think. Goodwin’s inswinger is headed away at the near post. 17 min The replays we’ve seen suggest Maty Ryan would probably have had Chhetri’s header covered had it been on target. But I wouldn’t put the farm on it. 16 min: Chance for Chhetri! Having barely crossed the halfway line in the last 10 minutes, India almost take the lead. Poojari runs at Behich on the right and hits a deflected cross towards the far post. Souttar misjudges the flight of the ball and Chhetri stoops to head not far wide from 12 yards. That was a really decent chance. 15 min Behich’s overhit cross goes out of play. Australia aren’t at their best but they are still well on top. 13 min Baccus clips an angled pass towards the unmarked Boyle on the right side of the area. The ball comes to him both at pace and at an awkward height, and all he can do is improvise a flying header towards goal. It’s too close to Singh Sandhu, who saves comfortably. 11 min Australia’s first set-piece leads to a quarter-chance. Duke gets across Chhetri to meet Goodwin’s free-kick but heads over from 15 yards. 10 min The pacy Chhangte hurtles down the left and crosses low to the near post. Manvir Singh gets to the ball first but is shepherded away from danger by Souttar (I think). The cheers when Chhangte got moving were quite something; goodness know what it’ll be like if India score. 9 min I thought Australia would make a faster start than this, but it’s been a bit cagey. I suppose they’re playing the long game by trying to wear the Indian defence down. 7 min Behich seizes on a loose ball and finds Goodwin on the left. His cross is headed away to huge cheers by Bheke. 6 min After a long passing move, Behich drags a long-range shot well wide. 5 min India are letting Australia have the ball in the middle third, which has meant plenty of low-risk possession as they probe for an opening. 3 min Nothing to report yet. India have started confidently, though, and certainly don’t look nervous. 1 min Peep peep! The Socceroos’ Asian Cup 2023* campaign is under way. * Yes, I know. “I predict 6-0 Australia (Souttar 2, Duke 2, Boyle, Fornaroli),” writes James Paraskevas. “Cheers and beers all round for Arnie and the boys.” “G’Day Rob,” writes Chris Paraskevas. “Graham Arnold will be desperate to improve on his record at the Asian Cup. The 2007 tournament saw us embarassed despite our favourites tag, with whispers about player power and a complete breakdown of authority. “Arnold spent the subsequent years rebuilding his coaching career in the A-League, but he hasn’t quite cracked the continentental code at club or international level – the Socceroos also unceremoniously dumped out of the last Asian Cup, with Arnie again at the helm. “The performance at the World Cup put Arnold right up there on the list of Australia’s greatest managers, but he really needs to win this tournament to stand alone. Plan A: Lump It Up To ‘Arry (Souttar).” Here come the players, to a huge cheer from a crowd largely made up of Indian supporters. They’re led out by Yoshimi Yamashita, who is about to become the first woman to referee a match at the men’s Asian Cup. Joey Lynch talks to Harry Souttar, the Socceroos’ unlikely goal machine who has had a frustration season on the sidelines at Leicester. Knowing that the Asian Cup was always around the corner … it was always kind of just try and get yourself as fit as you can. Even though you’re not going to be playing a lot, do extra sessions here and there and keep yourself as top fit as best you can. I’ve worked so hard to get here, so my full concentration is on the next month and a half. John Duerden’s Asian Cup preview If Australia and Japan win their groups, they could potentially met in a humdinger of a semi-final. A PFA Player of the Year and two other fellas wish India well The Socceroos have played India only once at the Asian Cup before, a 4-0 victory in 2011. Tim Cahill got two, Harry Kewell thrashed a fine goal and Brett Holman also troubled the scorers. I can’t embed the highlights because the AFC have blocked that particular rush of dopamine, but there’s a link below. It says ‘highlights’. A reminder of the teams Australia (possible 4-2-1-3) Ryan; Jones, Souttar, Rowles, Behich; Baccus, Irvine; Metcalfe; Boyle, Duke, Goodwin. Substitutes: Deng, Atkinson, Bos, Silvera, Fornarou, Yengi, Tilio, Thomas, O’Neill, McGree, Gauci, Burgess. India (possible 4-3-3) Singh Sandhu; Poojary, Jhingan, Bheke, Bose; Tangri, Ralte, Wangjam; Manvir Singh, Chhetri, Chhangte. Substitutes: A Singh, Kaith, Lalchungnunga, Mishra, Thapa, Fernandes, Colaco, N Singh, Kannoly Praveen, Kotal, Mehtab Singh, Partap Singh. Referee Yoshimi Yamashita (Japan). Australia have won this tournament once, back in 2015. Whatever happened to the bloke who was in charge back then. Tonight’s match is the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, where Australia performed so bravely in losing to the eventual World Cup winners Argentina. Every time I watch this replay, a small part of me thinks Aziz Behich is going to score. So, how good are Australia? The teams in full Australia (possible 4-2-1-3) Ryan; Jones, Souttar, Rowles, Behich; Baccus, Irvine; Metcalfe; Boyle, Duke, Goodwin. Substitutes: Deng, Atkinson, Bos, Silvera, Fornarou, Yengi, Tilio, Thomas, O’Neill, McGree, Gauci, Burgess. India (possible 4-3-3) Singh Sandhu; Poojary, Jhingan, Bheke, Bose; Tangri, Ralte, Wangjam; Manvir Singh, Chhetri, Chhangte. Substitutes: A Singh, Kaith, Lalchungnunga, Mishra, Thapa, Fernandes, Colaco, N Singh, Kannoly Praveen, Kotal, Mehtab Singh, Partap Singh. India team news The captain Sunil Chhetri, who has scored 93 goals for his country, played against Australia at the 2011 Asian Cup. He was 26 then. Deepak Tangri, who is 24 now, makes his international debut. Socceroos team news No big surprises in Graham Arnold’s team. Aziz Behich and Kye Rowles are preferred to Jordy Bos and Cameron Burgess in defence. Maty Ryan has recovered from a fractured cheekbone and captains the side, and Gethin Jones – a former Wales youth international – makes his competitive debut at right-back. Preamble Hello and welcome to live, minute-by-minute coverage of the Socceroos’ opening match of the Asian Cup. Australia are playing India again, but this time it’s men’s football rather than women’s cricket. And with all due respect to the team ranked 102nd in the world, you’d expect a comfortable night for Australia. Then again, we thought the same four years ago before the holders Australia lost stunningly to Jordan in their opening game. It set the tone for a dreary campaign that ended in the quarter-finals. The tournament format – six groups of four, top two and the four best third-placed teams go through – makes it unimaginable that Australia won’t reach the last 16. Their ambition is to top a group that also includes Uzbekistan and Syria; if they do so they should have a smoother route to the business end of the competition. India had a good 2023, keeping eight consecutive clean sheets at one stage, but all those games were against relatively weak opposition. Their most recent match, a 3-0 defeat to Qatar in a World Cup qualifier, feels more indicative of the challenge that faces the Aussies tonight. They’re coached by Igor Stimac, who Derby and West Ham fans of the 1990s will remember as a quality, unsentimental defender. The hosts Qatar got the competition under way by beating Lebanon 3-0 last night. Now it’s Australia’s chance to make a statement of intent. Kick off 2.30pm local/10.30pm AEDT/11.30am GMT.