Australia swat aside India to launch Asian Cup title bid
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Australia defender Jordan Bos celebrates after scoring his team's second goal in the 2-0 Asian Cup win over India.
PHOTO: AFP
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DOHA – Australia are looking forward to a good campaign as they cruised to a 2-0 victory in their Asian Cup opener against India on Jan 13, with Jackson Irvine and Jordan Bos scoring from close range to launch their title bid.
In front of a deafeningly pro-Indian crowd at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Doha, the Socceroos made hard work of the first half, squandering a few chances while the underdogs defended raggedly and eyed opportunities to pounce.
But Irvine opened the scoring just after the restart, the moustachioed midfielder driving home from 10 yards after India goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu came for a cross only to flap it back into the danger zone.
The 2015 Asian Cup champions were in full control from then on, as Indian legs tired and Australia coach Graham Arnold took advantage of the depth in his squad.
Bos doubled Australia’s advantage shortly after the 70th minute.
A matter of seconds after coming off the bench, the 21-year-old slotted home from six yards after fellow substitute Riley McGree fizzed the ball hard and low across the box from the byeline.
“It was amazing – I came on, drifted the back post and it just fell to me, my first touch. It was a great moment and it’s a great start to the campaign for me,” said Bos.
“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.”
A mostly unremarkable match did offer one moment of regional football history, as Japan’s Yoshimi Yamashita became the first woman to referee at an Asian Cup.
Indian fans among the official attendance of 36,253 kept up their fine voice throughout, even as their team’s chances of a goal faded with the desert sun.
India defender Sandesh Jhingan took confidence from the defiant performance the team put in to deny Australia for so long.
“We are disappointed for losing, but when you come up against a World Cup side it is always going to be difficult,” he said.
“In every defeat, there are things to be learnt but there are a lot of things to be proud of and we want to thank the fans who came to support us.
“We have two more games in the group stage to progress and must focus on that now.
“We are consecutively in the Asian Cup and doing well in the Fifa rankings, as well, but it is not just the players, it’s the whole country – so the fans are a massive part of the uprising.
“There will be setbacks but we stick together – that is what Indians are known for and we aim for the stars and aim for the sky.”
Next up in Group B, they face Uzbekistan on Jan 18, when Australia take on Syria.
In the opening match of the tournament on Jan 12, two-goal Akram Afif said Qatar had “forgotten about the 2022 World Cup” after the Asian Cup holders also got their campaign off to a winning start.
The hosts beat Lebanon 3-0 in Group A at the 88,000-capacity Lusail Stadium, where a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina beat France on penalties in the World Cup final 13 months ago.
Qatar suffered a disastrous 2022 World Cup on the pitch, making a first-round exit after losing all three games, the worst performance by a host in the history of the competition.
But Afif said that the team were ready to make a fresh start at the Asian Cup, five years after they won the continental title for the first time by beating Japan.
“It was disappointing but we are proud that we played at the World Cup,” said the forward.
“We have forgotten about the World Cup, we have forgotten about 2019 – we are living today in a new day. Every day is a chance to compete and to fight for a chance to hold the (Asian) Cup.” AFP
