DOHA, Jan 19 — Australia booked their place in the 2023 Asian Cup round of 16 after edging Syria 1-0 in their second Group B match at the Jassim Bin Hammad Stadium, here, last night.
Striker Jackson Irvine was the toast of the Socceroos when he broke the deadlock in the 59th minute after a goalless first half.
Graham Arnold’s side have now have six points from two matches and have qualified with a game to spare.
The Syrians under Hector Raul had a major share of dominance throughout the match but failed to turn their chances into goals and paid the price after almost an hour of play.
Australia, the 2015 champions, will complete their Group B fixture against Uzbekistan on Tuesday while Syria will face India.
Meanwhile, Uzbekistan revived their chances of making it to the next round after scoring a convincing 3-0 victory over India in another Group B match at the Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium.
Uzbekistan scored all three goals in the first half and seemed contended with the score as the players lifted their foot off the pedal in the second half. Although India had several opportunities, their finishing was lacking.
The win saw Uzbekistan move to second place in the Group B table with four points while Syria are in third spot with a single point. India remain rooted to the bottom with no point after two matches.
India will need to beat Syria and earn three points to have any chance of making it to the round of 16 as the best third placed team in the competition.
