Here’s Joey Lynch’s match report Goodnight! Maty Ryan’s reaction We’ve got great belief that we can win the tournament. Obviously there’s a process involved in doing that and we ticked another box today. Syria are tenacious, they’re relentless and they leave it all out there. We expected a physical battle and for them to be quite direct. Thankfully we managed to deal with all those scenarios and get the win. [On Australia’s performance with the ball] Football’s not easy. You’re not gonna get it right every single time. We probed a lot, had quite a few entries in the box and were probably unlucky not to put one or two more chances away. If it’s a 3-0 scoreline everyone looks at the game differently. We got the job done. Defensively we were strong; we pride ourselves on that. [Was the fumble in the second half down to the face mask?] Nah not at all mate. I’ve made plenty of mistakes without a face mask. It’s just one of those things; the balls move around a little bit these days, but thankfully I did enough to keep it out. I didn’t execute it as well as I wanted to. Thankfully it didn’t hurt us in the end. “Full marks to Hector Cuper for keeping us all entertained with his one-man interpretive dance dressed as a Miami Vice villain,” says Chris Paraskevas. “Without him I’m not sure how we would have stayed awake...”The suit’s a bit pale for Miami Vice, no? This is more like it. The suit’s a bit pale for Miami Vice, no? This is a Miami Vice villain. Jackson Irvine’s reaction It’s about winning football matches. That’s ttournament mode: clean sheets, scoring goals, winning goals, getting through to the next round. It was a hard-fought win. The boys had to dig in against a team that threw everything at us at the end of the game. We’re pleased with the win. You’ve gotta be in there to score. We’ve got good quality in the final third; if you get yourself in there enough times, something will drop for you. In games like these the first goal is so important. We probably should have put it to bed – we had a lot of open spaces after the goal – but that’s something we can work on. A clean sheet’s the most important thing. That was very similar to the India match on Saturday, with a frustrating first half assuaged by a goal from Jackson Irvine early in the second. There was no second goal this time and Australia had one or two scares, most notably when Maty Ryan fumbled a shot and had to claw the rebound off the line. But there’s no doubt they were deserved winners. Full time: Syria 0-1 Australia Australia are into the last 16 with a match to spare after another subdued victory. 90+6 min Silvera flashes not far wide from 20 yards, a good effort on the stretch. 90+3 min Jones flashes a low cross from the right that just evades the stretching Fornaroli at the far post. 90+2 min McGree gets round the back on the left and hammers a low cross that is blocked at the near post by the keeper Madania. Australia have kept the ball well in the last few minutes. 90+1 min Australia are six added minutes away from qualifying for the knockout stage with a match to spare. 90 min: Chance for Australia! Irvine’s cross is volleyed high and wide at the far post by Silvera. It was an awkward chance as he had to backpedal, though he might have done better. He hasn’t had the best few minutes. 88 min Syria have had more of the ball since Irvine’s goal. The impressive Weiss curls a longish pass into the area towards Ham, who controls it on the run and blooters a half-volley into orbit. The angle was very tight by the time he took the shot. 86 min Souttar nicks the ball in his own half and galumphs forward like a Granite City Beckenbauer. He reaches the edge of the area and then flicks the ball outside to Silvera, whose low cross towards Fornaroli is cleared. Souttar waves his hands in frustration; he was desperate for a return pass. 85 min Silvera is booked for kneeing Al Ajaan in the chest. He was going for the ball, and may have got a slight touch on it, but it was at best a naive challenge. 84 min Youssef runs onto a bouncing ball, 35 yards out, and senses glory. He catches the ball sweetly but it flies a few yards over the bar. A decent effort, though I doubt it did much to Maty Ryan’s heart rate. 83 min: Socceroos substitution Kusini Yengi is on for the goalmaker Martin Boyle. 82 min Fornaroli makes a back for Weiss, which means a free-kick 35 yards from goal for Syria. It’s clipped in to Khrbin, who chest-volleys over the bar on the half-turn. It was a sharp bit of play, though replays showed he was offside. 81 min Australia are generally keeping Syria at arm’s length, though they won’t feel comfortable while it’s only 1-0. 78 min: Australia substitution Bruno Fornaroli replaces a limping Mitch Duke. 78 min: Substitution for Syria Antonio Yakoub comes on for the hard-working forward Ibrahim Hesar, who clearly wanted to work some more: he gives his manager Hector Cuper a look of disgust as he walks off. 76 min With nothing much happening on the field, here’s that goal from Jackson Irvine. 74 min McGree runs into trouble on the edge of the area after leading a four-on-four break. Ideally Australia need to be more clinical with opportunities like that. 72 min That shot from Al Ajaan was Syria’s first on target in the whole tournament, which is absurd given the promise they have shown in attack. 70 min Syria are having probably their best spell of the game. They look pretty good when they attack; they should try it more often. 69 min Ryan actually did well to react so quickly and claw the ball off the line. And though he should have held the first shot, replays suggest it was wobbling a fair bit. 68 min: Almost a howler from Maty Ryan! Al Ajaan collected a loose ball 30 yards out and swished it hopefully towards goal. It dipped awkwardly in front of Ryan, who fumbled and had to scramble backwards to push the ball off the line. Blimey. 66 min The substitute Youssef breaks dangerously over the halfway line, but Souttar comes across to make a superb challenge. Had he missed that Australia would have been in trouble. 65 min: Double substitution for Syrua Omar Khrbin and Fahd Youssef come on for Pablo Sabbag, who hit the post early on, and Mahmoud Al Aswad. 63 min That goal will open the match up, as it did against India, and Australia will fancy their chances of scoring more. It’s a totally different game when Syria aren’t hanging on to a 0-0 draw. Jackson Irvine has scored the opener for the second game in a row. Boyle nutmegged Ramadan on the right and surged infield towards the penalty area. His attempted pass to McGree was blocked, but he forced the loose ball across to Irvine. He flicked the bouncing ball cleverly away from Elias, turned and toed the ball through the legs of Madania. Nicely done. GOAL! Syria 0-1 Australia (Irvine 59) The first shot on target of the match brings the first goal! Triple substitution for Australia 57 min Riley McGree, Sam Silvera and Keana Baccus replace Connor Metcalfe, Jordy Bos and Aiden O’Neill. 56 min “I’ve been wondering how Australia made it out of the groups at the World Cup…” says Chris Paraskevas. “In Qatar, however, they had an in-form Souttar doing his peak Maldini impersonation: all inch-perfect tackles and oozing class with distribution. “That same player is a shadow of himself and as a result, his teammates look directionless. Without him at his best, the Subway Socceroos will really struggle against the ‘Michelin Star’ teams in this tournament. “I can’t think of a national team more reliant on a single player. Arnold put all his chips on nationalszing him. As a result, the more he rots on the bench at Leicester, the more his talented is wasted and the ‘Roos suffer. “The craziest thing, Rob? I wouldn’t be surprised if they win the bloody thing - unlike in 2011 when they played brilliantly all the way through and lost to Japan 1-0 in the final...” Football can be so odd like that – teams who are apparently useless end up lifting a trophy a fortnight later. William Goldman’s quote about Hollywood feels more applicable than ever. 55 min Keanu Baccus is getting ready to comeon for the Socceroos. Fine player though he is, I’d be looking at McGree and Fornaroli first. And it seems I’m not the only one. 53 min “I expected much better, and got peanuts instead,” says James Paraskevas. “Wow. At least Hector Cuper is showing some class with a nice suit! “Greatest Moments top three: 1. Freeman 2. Bradbury 3. Aloisi/Vine (tie!! Can I do that?)” It’s 2024, you can do whatever the flip you like. (Provided you have enough IP addresses.) 52 min We’ve been having a few technical problems – apologies. But it’s still 0-0 (shots on target and goals). “Good morning, Rob, from a still dark and snowy Indianapolis,” writes Joe Pearson. “Given the evidence of the first half, I’m not sure this was worth getting up early for, but I am pleased that there is an MBM to keep me company. Better football would be nice, though.” Half-time reading This is such an interesting topic. Since you asked, I voted for 1999 cricket World Cup semi-final just because I’m obsessed with that game. But it has to be Cathy Freeman, doesn’t it? Half time: Syria 0-0 Australia Not good. Not good. Australia have been frustrated by a determined Syria side, who came closest to scoring when Pablo Sabbag hit the post early on. Neither team had a shot on target, and though Australia had over 70 per cent of the possession, Syria ended the first half on top. 45+5 min A good cross from Al Ajaan is headed away a little despeately on the six-yard line, I think by Irvine. Syria are pressing for a goal before the break. Correction: they were pressing for a goal, and then an excitable Krouma decided to shoot from 55 yards. I won’t insult your intelligence by telling you what happened next. 45+4 min Weiss’s very deep cross fron the right is headed back across goal by Hesar towards Sabbag. He controls the ball on the stretch with his back to goal, but loses his balance as he tries to turn and runs into a defender. That was another promising attack from Syria, who have been the better team leading up to half-time. 45+3 min Apart from a 10-minute spell of pressure early on, Australia have been ponderous and predictable going forward. I’d still expect them to break Syria down in the second half but something doesn’t look right with the team at the moment. 45 min Six minutes of added time, and why not. 44 min Another half chance for Syria! Burgess tackled Hesar 25 yards from goal and inadvertently gave the ball to Sabbag. He opened his body and curled a left-foot shot over the bar. Again Ryan had it covered but it was a pretty good effort. Syria haven’t crossed the halfway line too often, but when they have they’ve looked fairly dangerous. 44 min I forgot to say that Boyle and Bos have switched wingers. Not everyone approves of this inversion. 43 min It’s still 0-0. And that’s shots on target, never mind goals. 41 min As the commentators said earlier in the half, another 0-0 draw would be an outstanding result for Syria, who will fancy their chances in the final group game against India. They’re a limited side, no question, but they do look awkward to play against. That said, this hasn’t been a great performance from Australia. They need more wit in attack, so we might see Riley McGree sooner rather than later. Bruno Fornaroli’s aggression and movement make him a good option as well. 39 min A half chance for Syria! Ousou’s cross was headed away by the stooping Jones, but only as far as Ramadan on the left edge of the area. He pushed the ball infield and dragged a low, right-foot shot into the side netting at the near post. I suspect Ryan had it covered. 38 min Syria win their first corner of the game. It’s taken short to Ramadan, but he overhits an inswinging cross. Goalkick to Australia. 36 min Boyle’s inswinging corneris headed on by Jones and just evades Irvine at the far post. That was a much better corner; in fact Jones’ flick-on almost went into the net before it flashed past Irvine. 36 min Duke dummies a defender neatly on the left of the area and stabs a cross-shot that deflects behind for a corner. 33 min Syria are stopping the game at every opportunity, whether it’s through committing fouls or taking time out when they are a given free-kick. No judgement here, I do the same if I was their manager. But the upshot is that Australia are really struggling to build any pressure. 30 min Sabbag is fine to continue. It’s been a frustrating first half hour for Australia – loads of possession (76 per cent last time I checked) but not much attacking rhythm. And no clear chances. 28 min Both sets of players had a go at the referee after that decision. Syria wanted O’Neill to be sent off; Australia complained that Al Aswad should have been booked for a few minutes ago. 27 min O’Neill is booked for waving his arm in the face of Sabbag, whose nose is bleeding. It looked more of a handoff than a deliberate elbow, though it’s hard to be sure these days. The free-kick was given to Australia because Sabbag had pulled O’Neill back, but then O’Neill caught him in the face. 25 min Al Aswad stands on Souttar’s foot, a late challenge that merits a yellow card. The referee settles for a warning. Souttar politely tells Al Aswad where to insert his apology. 22 min That Sabbag chance aside, this has been like a training session: attack and defence, invasion and repulsion. So far Syria are winning, in that they’re drawing. 19 min Metcalfe’s inswinging corner from the right is headed up in the air by Irvine and claimed comfortably by Madania. Australia have had a few set-pieces, but so far Metcalfe hasn’t been able to locate Souttar’s abundant noggin. 17 min Metcalfe’s free-kick from the left is headed over by Irvine beyond the far post. It was a tough chance because he was diving forward and had to divert the ball back towards goal. 16 min Most of Australia’s threat so far has been down the left, through Behich and especially Bos. 13 min Behich, Irvine and Bos combine nicely on the left before Bos’s cross is cleared a little unconvincingly. Australia are well on top, though Syria came closest to to scoring when Sabbag almost stuck one on in the onio- no, I can’t hit the post. 11 min Bos drags a shot well wide from 20 yards. Told you he was really good. 11 min “Hi Rob,” says Patrick O’Brien, “Jordy Bos sounds like a short lived YouTube sensation.” Or chief hunk in an New Kids on the Block reboot. He’s a really good footballer though. 9 min Free-kick to Australia on the left wing. Metcalfe’s cross leads to an almighty scramble that includes at least two blocksed shots. There’s a VAR check for handball, but it’s quickly cleared. 8 min “After our sleepwalk against India I am expecting much better (at least some sort of football aimed around passing and shooting),” says James Paraskevas. “Fornaroli will come and on and win a penalty off a dive in the last minute. Socceroos 1-0 at the death. Cheers and beers for all once again.” Win or lose… 5 min: Sabbag hits the post! Syria almost took the lead with their first attack. A ball into the area from the right was controlled near the byline by Al Aswad, who laid it back to Sabbag. He moved the ball onto his left football and cracked a low shot that took Ryan by surprise. It beat his dive and thumped off the near post. 4 min Australia appeal for a penalty when Bos’s cross hits the arm of Ousou. It was tight to his body, though, and he was trying to pull it behind his back. Not even the sickest VAR deviant would give that. 1 min Peep peep! The Socceroos kick off from left to right as we watch. The two teams line up for the anthems. The Socceroos are wearing their obsidsian and green glow (sic) away strip. The colours are great; not sure about that pattern below the neck though. Syria are managed by Hector Cuper, the Argentinian who disappeared off the face of European football after taking Valencia to back-to-back Champions League finals in 2000 and 2001. I bet he wishes he had Kily Gonzalez’s left foot tonight. A reminder of the teams “G’day Rob,” writes Chris Paraskevas. “My Thursday night began with that most quintessentially Australian suburban pastime: a full-blown argument with my neighbour over the (literal) garden fence. I went full Graham Arnold GIF mode. Even the neighbours down the road got involved... “I don’t think they truly appreciate the particulars of my permanently sleep-deprived, anti-Circadian state, or the effect football results can have on my mood. “Anyway, it feels as though the Socceroos have always struggled against West Asian sides: our supposed physical / height advantage isn’t as pronounced, and over the years they have become increasingly organised at youth and senior levels. “Whatever the reason, teams like Syria will always raise their game against us and their previous performance in this tournament – like Australia’s against India – might be a red herring...” I think Australia will win comfortably, but I’m not going to argue with you in such an anti-Circadian state. I don’t even know whether anti-Circadian is a word but, well, see above. You’re right, Chris! How did we survive without things like emojis and internets? Team news: Socceroos make three changes Syria are unchanged, Australia are changed. Jordy Bos, who came off the bench to score the second goal, Cameron Burgess and Aiden O’Neill replace Craig Goodwin, Kye Rowles and Keanu Baccus. I’d imagine Baccus is being rested as he was superb against India. Syria (4-4-2) Madanieh; Weiss, Ousou, Krouma, Al Ajaan; Al Aswad, Elias, Ham, Ramadan; Sabbag, Hesar. Substitutes: Alma, Al Midani, Jenyat, Khrbin, Al Marmour, Anez, Kourdoghli, Abraham, Youssef, Al Khouli, Yakoub, Mousa. Australia (4-1-2-3) Ryan; Jones, Souttar, Burgess, Behich; O’Neill; Metcalfe, Irvine; Boyle, Duke, Bos. Substitutes: Deng, Rowles, Silvera, Fornaroli, Yengi, Tilio, McGree, Baccus, Gauci, Miller, Goodwin, Yazbek. Preamble Hello and welcome to live, minute-by-minute coverage of Syria v Australia in the Asia Cup. The Fifa rankings (91st v 25th) say this is a banker – but the memory banks of Socceroos fans say otherwise. In the three meetings between the sides, Syria have been buttock-clenchingly tough opposition. In 2017, Australia needed an extra-time goal from Tim Cahill in Sydney to win a ding-dong World Cup qualification playoff. There was no extra-time in the group stage of the 2019 Asian Cup – but there was injury time, during which Tom Rogic gave Australia a tense 3-2 victory. That said, Syria’s performance in their opening game of the Asian Cup – a 0-0 draw against Uzbekistan in which they had no shots on target – reinforced the case for a comfortable Socceroos victory tonight. Syria’s recent form is poor, and their last victory of note was probably against Tunisia in 2021. Australia didn’t exactly send a chill through the competition in their opening game, though their 2-0 victory over India was ultimately very comfortable. Another victory today would put them through to the last 16 with a game to spare. You don’t need Vanilla Ice to tell you that anything less would be a misdemeanour. Kick off 2.30pm local / 10.30pm AEDT / 11.30am GMT.