Just when it seemed Australia would merely shuffle their way into the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup, in the end they completed a 4-0 rout over Indonesia to march into the last eight of the tournament.
The end result was certainly flattering, but it was a case of job done for the Socceroos at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha and they will now face South Korea in what is sure to be a trickier test for Graham Arnold’s side.
It came down to one moment of fortune orchestrated by Jackson Irvine and another of flash finished off by Martin Boyle that ultimately enabled Australia to claim the knockout win.
The opening two goals were scored in the first half, with Craig Goodwin and Harry Souttar adding two more late in the match, and while the result is really all that matters there may yet be a few lingering questions for the Socceroos coach about a performance that is unlikely to strike too much fear in their next opponents.
With Maty Ryan barely troubled all match, the Socceroos could not fully capitalise at the other end as they struggled – not for the first time this tournament – to find any real spark for long periods of the match. Creativity up front has been a problem all tournament and, final scoreline aside, the same issues were on display against Indonesia.
While the 2-0 scoreline looked comfortable for the Socceroos at the break, the only moment of real quality came on the stroke of half time.
Arnold’s men had led from the 12th minute when Irvine’s shot took a heavy deflection off Elkan Baggott and flew past the goalkeeper into the near post. Irvine peeled away to celebrate what, at first, appeared to be his third goal of the tournament, but replays showed it was a clear own goal.
The Socceroos’ lucky lead was a blow for Indonesia, who seemed to have Australia rattled in the early stages of the match with their high tempo attack. Shin Tae-yong’s side came into the match as if they had no pressure on them, which ranked 146 to the Socceroos’ 25 they probably didn’t.
Even after the Socceroos went in front, Indonesia had plenty of chances to draw level, only for some poor finishing to let them down.
As has been the story for Australia during their Asian Cup campaign so far, their attack was underwhelming. With Mitch Duke injured, Arnold has rotated his attack and for this match opted to start with the A-League veteran Bruno Fornaroli. It was soon apparent why, with the 36-year-old showing his experience to expertly hold the ball up and unleash the likes of Irvine and Jordan Bos.
Yet for a large chunk of the first half there was no real threat forthcoming from the Socceroos and they didn’t appear overly settled in the match. That changed in the 45th minute when Gethin Jones whipped in a wonderful cross from the right and found the brave, diving head of Boyle at the far post. It was a flashy moment to end a not so flashy first half by the Socceroos.
But the quality didn’t continue into the start of the second half. With Fornaroli quiet, Arnold opted to replace him with Duke and hauled off Riley McGree for Connor Metcalfe at the same time. Jones, after picking up a needless booking as tempers flared, was replaced by Nathaniel Atkinson soon after.
Duke, who is just returning from a hamstring niggle, had a glorious chance to get on the scoresheet late in the game, but in the end it was Goodwin and Souttar who added the third and fourth. And while South Korea will be expected to provide more formidable opposition, the Socceroos will at least take confidence and belief out of their result against Indonesia.
