Will he change anything at half-time?Credit: Getty Images
Photo The Sydney Morning Herald
10.54pm
HALF-TIME: Indonesia 0-0 Australia
That’s the end of the first half. The Socceroos have dominated proceedings at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta but they don’t have anything to show for it. Not yet.
It’s 0-0 at half-time against Indonesia, the best chance of the match so far coming from the explosive boot of Nestory Irankunda, whose long-range shot rattled the right post and nearly rebounded in off the back of their goalkeeper.
The final action of the half was a free kick from Craig Goodwin; he found the head of Harry Souttar, who nodded the ball across the face of goal, but Alessandro Circati couldn’t reach it at the back stick.
Australia is clearly the better side here, you’d like to think quality will shine through and the breakthrough goal will come - but that is exactly what we thought on Thursday night against Bahrain.
Indonesia have shown they are no mugs and can ask some searching questions of the Socceroos, and the crowd is incredibly loud and firmly in their corner, so Graham Arnold’s men need to tread cautiously.
Harry Souttar gets his head on it.Credit: Getty Images
Photo The Sydney Morning Herald
10.49pm
Yellow card for Baccus
A second Socceroo has been cautioned tonight - this time it’s Keanu Baccus for sticking out his shoulder/arm and using it to block a ball that had been threaded through for a promising counter-attack by Indonesia. Goodwin is the other player who was shown a yellow ticket earlier.
The Socceroos have had eight shots - three on target - and 65 per cent of possession but no goals. Sound familiar? The longer this goes for, the more encouraged Indonesia will feel, and the more frustrated Australia will feel. They need to remain patient and avoid letting the score affect them… while also doing everything possible to score as quickly as they can. Good advice from me there.
Indonesia 0-0 Australia, 40 minutes
10.41pm
Irankunda works both ways
Wonderful work by Irankunda in the other direction now, sprinting back to dispossess an Indonesian player and break up a dangerous looking counter-attack. Top work by the youngster, Graham Arnold will love that.
Photo The Sydney Morning Herald
Indonesia 0-0 Australia, 37 minutes
10.39pm
OH MY WORD IRANKUNDA!
WOW. That was almost an absolute sizzler by Nestory Irankunda, who wound up from about 25 metres out and launched an absolute rocket on goal! It hit the right post and then rebounded into the back of Indonesia’s goalkeeper Maarten Paes - and then out to safety.
Insane stuff. And now Craig Goodwin shoots straight at Paes… corner number 10 now is it?
Indonesia 0-0 Australia, 34 minutes
10.37pm
China is beating Saudi Arabia
Corner number seven for Australia… wait, make that eight… Goodwin takes it short, Silvera jinks, beats his man and crosses… it’s cleared. Indonesia are safe. For now.
Meanwhile, in one of the other Group C matches, China is 1-0 ahead of Saudi Arabia, who have been reduced to 10 men. That’s crazy. And very good for the Socceroos. If they can take advantage of their dominance here, that is.
Indonesia 0-0 Australia, 32 minutes
10.33pm
Irankunda misses a header
There’s a chance for Nestory Irankunda, who was delivered a lovely cross from the left by his ex-Adelaide United teammate Craig Goodwin - but the young lad’s messed that up, somehow screwing it wide of the target when he had the goal at his mercy. That was a really good opportunity gone begging, but to be fair to Nestor, he’s not known for his aerial work.
Indonesia 0-0 Australia, 28 minutes
10.28pm
Corners on corners on corners
That’s a cracking corner from Craig Goodwin and Souttar is there at the back post - he gets his head on the ball but not with a lot of power and the keeper is able to parry it out, so it’ll be yet another corner… that one is cleared by Indonesia. One of these needs to go in for the Socceroos and the game will be almost entirely relieved of its tension, because they are outclassing the hosts right now.
