Popovic era begins with 3-1 victory over China PR at Adelaide Oval
In front of a record-breaking 46,291 crowd - the highest-ever attendance for a Socceroos match in Adelaide - Australia got their qualification campaign back on track with a hard-fought comeback win thanks to goals from Lewis Miller, Craig Goodwin and debutant Nishan Velupillay, marking an encouraging start under the new head coach.
Tweet: https://twitter.com/Socceroos/status/1844335033940836631Popovic selected Adelaide local Joe Gauci in goal, while, at the back, Thomas Deng lined up alongside Harry Souttar and Kye Rowles in a three-man defence, with Miller and Aziz Behich providing width at wing-back.
In midfield, Jackson Irvine, who wore the armband, partnered Aiden O’Neill. The attacking trio featured local favourites Goodwin and Nestory Irankunda, with Mitch Duke leading the line.
The Socceroos applied early pressure in the opening 15 minutes, with Goodwin finding space as he drifted inside from the right wing. Goodwin won a few free kicks and delivered several corners, but the Chinese defence were able to clear away the danger.
Despite the Socceroos enjoying possession in the Chinese half, it was China who struck first in the 20th minute. A long ball from the goalkeeper Wang Dalei was not dealt with by the Australian defence, allowing Zhang Yuning to knock it down for Xie Wenneng.
Wenneng brushed past Harry Souttar before finishing past Joe Gauci, placing the ball into the bottom corner to give China a 1-0 lead against the run of play.
While Australia dominated possession from the outset, it took until the stroke of half-time to capitalise on their 81% possession. In added time, Behich won a free kick on the left, which Goodwin delivered perfectly into the box. Miller rose through a sea of defenders to head home his first international goal, putting the Socceroos level at 1-1. Despite a brief VAR check, the goal stood, marking a special moment for the Sydney-born Hibernian defender.
Tweet: https://twitter.com/Socceroos/status/1844319886849474834China responded with three consecutive corners right before the break, but the Socceroos handled the pressure well, going into the half on level terms. Despite Australia’s challenges in creating clear chances from open play, their dominance in possession was evident. The Green and Gold completed 385 passes in the first half, their highest in an opening 45 minutes since October 2019 against Chinese Taipei.
Popovic made two changes to inject fresh energy into the Socceroos' line-up for the second half. Irankunda and Deng made way for Riley McGree and Jason Geria. The Middlesbrough midfielder returned after missing the last international window, while Geria made his first appearance for the Socceroos since 2017.
Australia quickly turned their possession into a lead in the second half, with Goodwin firing a stunning strike to make it 2-1 just eight minutes after the restart. The hometown hero received a pass from Irvine, drove into space outside the area, and unleashed a powerful left-footed strike from outside the box, beating Dalai to put the Socceroos ahead and sending the local Adelaide crowd wild.
Tweet: https://twitter.com/Socceroos/status/1844328041427956223China made two substitutions in an effort to energise their second half, with Wei Shihao replaced by Cheng Jin and Zhang making way for Lin Liangming. Popovic then responded by replacing Behich with Bos.
It was Bos who initiated Australia's third goal, sending a ball into the box that the Chinese defence failed to handle. Velupillay, who had just made his debut ten minutes earlier, quickly made his mark by blasting the ball into the top corner after it fell fortuitously to him during a goalmouth scramble.
Tweet: https://twitter.com/Socceroos/status/1844336278579577327The Socceroos held firm to secure a 3-1 win as the Popovic era began with three valuable points. The victory provides the Socceroos first three points of the campaign ahead of their trip to Japan on Tuesday.
Match DetailsAustralia: 3 (Miller 45+2', Goodwin 53', Velupillay 90+2')China PR: 1Date: Thursday 10 October 2024Venue: Adelaide Oval, AdelaideAttendance: 46,291
Australia line-up: 18. Joe Gauci (GK), 3. Lewis Miller, 2. Thomas Deng (Geria 46'), 19. Harry Souttar, 4. Kye Rowles, 16. Aziz Behich (75'), 22. Jackson Irvine (C), 13. Aiden O’Neill, 23. Craig Goodwin (Hrustic 90'), 15. Mitch Duke (Velupillay 83'), 11. Nestory Irankunda (McGree 46')
Unused substitutes: 1. Mathew Ryan (GK), 6. Patrick Yazbek, 9. Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, 12. Paul Izzo (GK), 17. Keanu Baccus, 20. Luke Brattan, 21. Cam Burgess
