Socceroos defeat stubborn Syria 1-0 in second Asian Cup group game to qualify for Round of 16

The Socceroos have qualified for the Round of 16 of the Asian Cup with a game to spare after a  tense 1-0 win over Syria on Thursday night.

Following their rusty 2-0 win over India in their opening Asian Cup match, the Socceroos were aiming for a more convincing performance against Syria in their second group game of the tournament, but came up against a resolute defensive side who regularly threatened on the counter-attack.

Despite a bright opening 15 minutes and continued dominance of possession, Australia weren’t able to find a way through Syria’s tightly-packed defence, failing to register a single shot on target for the entire first half.

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In fact, the Socceroos’ only shot on target came through midfielder Jackson Irvine, who scored his second goal in the past two games after pouncing on a deflection in the 59th minute and poking the ball beneath goalkeeper Ahmad Madania’s legs to make it 1-0.

Australia were able to withstand a number of Syrian attacks in the closing half-hour, and threatened to double their lead after the introduction of the impressive Riley McGree and tricky Bruno Fornaroli.

However, Irvine’s goal was enough to see the Socceroos secure their spot at the top of Group B and qualify for the knock-outs, taking the pressure off their final group-stage game against Uzbekistan on Tuesday night.

Check out how all the action unfolded in our liveblog below.

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