ADELAIDE: Australia got their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign back on track by beating China 3-1 on Thursday in coach Tony Popovic’s first game in charge.
The Socceroos had picked up just one point from their opening two Group C games in September, and they feared the worst after 19 minutes at the Adelaide Oval.
Xie Wenneng ran onto a Zhang Yuning header to shoot powerfully into the net and silence the majority of the 46,000 crowd.
Australia, going for a sixth straight World Cup appearance, struggled to turn possession into clear chances but just before the break, Lewis Miller headed Craig Goodwin’s free kick into the net for his first international goal.
Goodwin fired home a spectacular second from outside the area eight minutes after the restart to put Australia ahead 2-1. Nishan Velupillay added a third in stoppage time in his debut international appearance to seal the win and condemn China to a third loss in three games.
Popovic was hired last month after the resignation of Graham Arnold as head coach.
Australia are second in the group above Saudi Arabia, which takes on leader Japan later Thursday in Jeddah.
The top two from each of the three six-team groups qualify directly for the World Cup while the third- and fourth-place finishers advance to a fourth stage of qualification to compete for Asia’s two remaining automatic berths.
Australia revive World Cup hopes with 3-1 win over China
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Australia revive World Cup hopes with 3-1 win over China
- The Socceroos had picked up just one point from their opening two Group C games in September
- Popovic was hired last month after the resignation of Graham Arnold as head coach
South Africa do not fear Salah or Marmoush, coach Broos says
- South Africa’s Belgian coach said he will not use a special approach to contain Salah or Marmoush
- “We are focused on no one. The most important thing is the team,” Bross said
RABAT: Coach Hugo Broos said South Africa do not fear Egypt’s Premier League contingent, Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush, ahead of their Group B clash in the Africa Cup of Nations on Friday.
Manchester City forward Marmoush scored the equalizer against Zimbabwe, before a late strike from Liverpool’s Salah secured a 2-1 win in their opening game in Morocco on Monday.
South Africa beat Angola by the same score in their Group B opener thanks to Lyle Foster’s screamer.
South Africa’s Belgian coach said he will not use a special approach to contain Salah or Marmoush.
“We are focused on no one. The most important thing is the team,” Bross, who led Cameroon to the 2017 edition title over Egypt, told a press conference on Thursday.
“We all know how good Salah is, we all know how good Marmoush is and we all know how good Trezeguet is and other players. They are such a good team. Why should we focus on one player? We have to be prepared to beat the team.”
The last meeting between the two sides in AFCON ended in South Africa’s favor, after they beat the hosts of the 2019 edition 1-0 in the Round of 16.
“We have to put Egypt in difficult (situations) and you can only do that when you use your quality and the players you normally use,” added Broos.
