Match report
That’s all for today’s coverage, but we’ll have a match report on the site shortly. Thanks for your company – see you on Friday for the quarter-final.
Jackson Irvine’s reaction
We knew Indonesia had nothing to lose and that they would right and fun. In the first half they caused us some problems with their energy and intensity, but I think our experience and professionalism shone thorough in the second half. We just had too much for them on the day. That’s the kind of team we want to be: experienced, see the game out and get the goals at the end to seal a good performance.
I’m really pleased with the second-half performance. They play with a lot of emotion. They got a little bit nasty, a little bit naughty, towards the end and we had to stay calm. We did that well enough.
Full time: Australia 4-0 Indonesia
Australia are through to the quarter-finals after a comfortable victory over a game but limited Indonesia. The scoreline flatters the Socceroos, who only had three shots on target, but they never looked in danger of losing from the moment Elkan Baggott’s own goal put them ahead in the 12th minute.
On paper Australia’s progress through the tournament looks serene: 1-0, 1-0, 1-1 when they’d already qualified and now 4-0. But they will need to play a fair bit better, particularly in attack, when they meet Saudi Arabia or South Korea on Friday.
⏰FT | 🇦🇺 Australia 4️⃣-0️⃣ Indonesia 🇮🇩
— #AsianCup2023 (@afcasiancup) January 28, 2024
Indonesia's fairytale journey come to an end as Australia continue their march into the quarter-finals!#AsianCup2023 | #HayyaAsia | #AUSvIDN pic.twitter.com/ZSS2iPrul4
Updated
90+4 min Atkinson fouls Struick, who shoves him over in retaliation. He’s booked.
GOAL! Australia 4-0 Indonesia (Souttar 90+1)
Harry Souttar gets his 11th goal for the Socceroos! Goodwin on the right curled a lovely free-kick towards the near post, where Souttar steered an accomplished header past Ari.
Updated
90 min Amat is booked for manhandling Boyle.
GOAL! Australia 3-0 Indonesia (Goodwin 89)
Now that’s an impact substitution. Atkinson’s excellent cross was met by Irvine, whose powerful header was pushed away by the diving Ari. The ball dropped towards Goodwin, who cut across a left-foot volley that beat Ari at the near post. Good finish.
Updated
88 min Shane Warne once said that Monty Panesar hadn’t played 33 Test matches, he’s played the same Test 33 times. Australia’s Asian Cup campaign to date feels the same – bar the odd fluctuation in scoreline, all four matches have been very similar, and not in a good way.
Updated
86 min: Double substitution for Australia Aiden O’Neill and Craig Goodwin replace Jordy Bos and Keane Baccus.
84 min Atkinson cracks a long-range shot wide of the near post. Ari had it covered.
82 min Irvine is penalised for a tackle on Jenner, then throws the ball away in a huff. He’s lucky not to be booked for that.
81 min: Chance for Duke! Something happened and I can’t deal with it. Boyle, in his own half, curled a marvellous long pass around the defence to put Duke through on goal. He tried to flip a first-time shot over the outrushing Ari but got it all wrong. Goalkick to Indonesia.
Updated
79 min A corner from the left is punched away by Ryan. He’s had only one save to make, a long-range shot from Justin Hubner in the first half.
78 min I don’t know what to tell you, because nothing is happening. The entire second half has been soundtracked by Brian Eno.
75 min: Indonesia substitution Rizky Ridho comes on for Yakob Sayuri. The second half, sorry to say, has been a non-event.
74 min “Hmmmm,” says Chris Paraskevas. “Ange’s work with Brisbane Roar really did away with the cagey, cautious approach favoured by A-League managers until that time. It was arguably a throwback to the more adventurous, attacking years of the old National Soccer League (where he previously had success with South Melbourne as manager).
“He sort of provided a bridge between two worlds: what some would call ‘Old Football’ and ‘New Soccer’, both with his personality and the playing style of his teams (shades of late 70s/early 80s).
“Other than the Asian Cup success, I’m not sure his uncompromising style (tactical and man-management) really translated as well with the Socceroos: people forget how close they were to failing to qualify for the World Cup, before his relationship with Football Australia soured.
Tactically, though, largely unrivalled at domestic level – and showed a lot of other aspiring local coaches that there is a pathway to success overseas.”
And all that just by copying Pep, mate.
72 min How’s this for a weird stat. In the last three matches Australia have had a total of three shots on target. They’ve scored four goals.
69 min: Australia substitution Nathaniel Atkinson replaces Gethin Jones, who was going to leave the field one way or another. It looks like an injury precaution.
Updated
68 min Bos collects a loose pass and goes straight at the heart of the defence. Walsh trips him cynically and is booked.
67 min “Nice to see the sun shining in Doha,” says Joe Pearson ,”proving to this sceptical Hoosier that it does indeed exist, having not seen evidence of it in many, many gloomy winter days. The football is not as interesting.”
64 min Jones is booked for a retaliatory kick at Struick, which prompted a melee near the touchline. At first I thought he’d be sent off but replays show it was more of a trip than a full-blown kick. It was still a strange and needless action.
62 min Rowles wins a header and follows through into the head of Sulaeman, who goes down. A few of the Indonesia players aren’t happy but the referee decides it was a fair challenge. Sulaeman is okay.
Updated
60 min: Double change for Australia Connor Metcalfe and Mitch Duke replace Riley McGree and Bruno Fornaroli. Both had very quiet games.
58 min: Indonesia substitution Witan Sulaeman comes on for the captain Asnawi Mangkualam.
56 min “To respond to Burt at half-time, there’s Ajdin Hrustic,” says Matthew Stephens, “if he can find a club that will actually play him.”
55 min Indonesia are still full of optimism and intent when they go forward. They are limited, certainly, but their attitude is admirable.
53 min “Looking at the bench, most of the creativity comes from the wide players in Arnie’s set up (Goodwin, Tilio),” says Chris Paraskevas. “He’ll always favour an attritional battle in the middle of the park, where the ‘battler’ ethos is drilled into his Club Subway Socceroo set-up: work hard, graft, grind... just give it all, mate.
“Even the strikers in this squad are functional/one-dimensional, none of them really reflecting the more modern version of a striker. It all points to a consistent problem Australian football has had in developing, nurturing and valuing the playmaker or ‘No10’ for lack of a better term - ditto world-class goalscorers.
“That’s not to say that this team doesn’t contain interesting players: there is guile to go with the graft, in. But the current generation are also largely born out of the A-League and the philosophy of its clubs, where coaches value systems and functionality over creativity…”
Interesting. Is there any reason why Postecoglou’s success inspired people to play more adventurously?
51 min Nothing much to report. According to the official statistics, Indonesia have had five shots at goal to Australia’s one; they trail 2-0.
48 min Ryan comes a long out way out of his area to beat Struick to a ball forward.
46 min Peep peep! Australia begin the second half. Neither manager has made any changes.
Half-time reading
“Is there no player available for Australia who can hold the ball in midfield and then pass it with some guile the way Aaron Mooy did?” says Burt Bosma. “Apparently not. Even with everyone running around fast, the play seems so slow. It sounds counter intuitive, but we need someone who can slow the pace of the game, hold the ball and then pass it with creativity to speed up the attacks.”
Can’t Riley McGree do that, at least in theory? They’ve just seemed really flat all tournament. Maybe they’re just pacing themselves, because it gets a whole lot tougher from here.
Half time: Australia 2-0 Indonesia
Australia are heading towards a quarter-final against Saudi Arabia or South Korea. Jackson Irvine’s cross was deflected into his own net by Elkan Baggott early on, and then Martin Boyle scored a nice goal on the stroke of half-time.
That was a rare moment of quality in a poor first half. Indonesia played the perkier, faster football without really troubling Maty Ryan. Australia are becoming specialists in winning ugly; I guess it beats the alternative.
45 min Three minutes of added time.
It was made by the right-back Gethin Jones, who curled a devastating cross into the corridor of uncertainty. Walsh left it, unsure what was beyond him, and Boyle dived to head n at the far post. He hurt himself when he landed but I think he’s okay.
🎯 @GethinJones8 ➡️ @MartinBoyle9 🟰 ⚽
— Subway Socceroos (@Socceroos) January 28, 2024
What a cross from the right-back 🔥
🎥 @10FootballAUS#AUSvIDN #Socceroos #AsianCup2023 #DifferentBreed pic.twitter.com/zwrW0WoxSX
Updated
GOAL! Australia 2-0 Indonesia (Boyle 45)
Martin Boyle makes it two with a really good goal.
Updated
43 min Australia still look unsure whether to try to secore a second or protect what they have. Behich does well to win a corner on the left, which allows the big men to come forward.
38 min Marselino’s flat, deep cross is shinned wide on the volley by Sayuri, a very tricky chance.
35 min Mangkualam jumps for a high ball and accidentally knees Behich in the back of the head. He’s booked.
34 min Fornaroli, who has been booked, catches Pattynama. A couple of Indonesia players enquire whether it’s worth a second yellow; it wasn’t.
Updated
32 min “When will be ever see some trickery from the Roos?” weeps Martin Turnbull. “Indonesia are far better technically, so far.”
The thing that stands out is the speed of their attacking compared to Australia’s. I don’t really understand why the Aussies are so one-paced because they have some good players.
31 min In other news, because the square root of bugger all is happening in this game, England have followed West Indies by pulling off an astounding Test victory.
28 min Australia have had 54 per cent possession, and as I type they are keeping the ball in the middle third. Let’s take the positives: they’re winning.
25 min Australia’s attacking play has again been very ponderous. Maybe a tougher challenge in the quarter-final will get them going, assuming they win today, but something doesn’t feel right.
23 min After some nice, quick football from Indonesia, Hubner’s long-range shot is comfortably held by Ryan.
22 min Indonesia try a funky training-ground free-kick and make a Horlicks of it.
21 min There’s no sign of Australia going for the throat, at least not yet. Struick is shoved over by Rowles, just outside the area on the right…
17 min A long ball forward is left by a defender, Souttar I think, almost allowing Sayuri a chance. He just can’t reach the ball and Ryan claims.
15 min Fornaroli tries a scissor kick but instead boots the defender Mangkualam, who got in front to head the ball away. Fornaroli is booked.
Yes, it’s definitely an own goal. Irvine collected a loose ball on the right side of the area and curled a cross that took a huge deflection off Elkan Baggott before beating Ari at the near post. A total fluke, but Australia won’t mind.
Updated
GOAL! Australia 1-0 Indonesia (Baggott og 12)
Jackson Irvine is celebrated but I think this is an own goal from Ethan Baggott.
Updated
9 min Indonesia have started very perkily, with no sign of them parking the bus. I listed their formation as 5-2-2-1 but at the moment it’s much closer to 3-4-2-1.
6 min: Chance for Indonesia! Marcelino touches the ball back to Hubner, whose cross is flicked over at the near post by Struick. He just tried to help the ball on as it bounced across him, and for a split-second it looked like it might drop into the goal. Instead it rippled the roof of the net.
Updated
3 min Early pressure from Australia. Irvine finds space in the area but overhits his cross towards Boyle at the far post; then Bos’s cross is booted away at the near post.
1 min Peep peep! Indonesia kick off from left to right as we watch. It looks a lovely day in Doha, warm but with a cooling breeze.
Ten minutes to kick off. Let’s have a reminder of the teams.
Australia (4-1-2-3) Ryan; Jones, Souttar, Rowles, Behich; Baccus; McGree, Irvine; Boyle, Fornaroli, Bos.
Substitutes: Atkinson, Silvera, Metcalfe, Yengi, Tilio, Thomas, O’Neill, Duke, Gauci, Burgess, Goodwin, Iredale.
Indonesia (5-2-2-1) Ari; Pattynama, Baggott, Amat, Walsh, Mangkualam; Jenner, Hubner; Sayuri, Marselino; Struick.
Substitutes: Riyandi, Ridho, Sulaeman, Drajad, Vikri, Arhan, Kambuaya, Caraka, Alis, Prasetyo, Klok, Argawinata.
“I know you’ve been enjoying the Socceroos’ waltz through the group stages looking every bit the Brazil ‘82 reboot we all knew they could be,” says Chris Paraskevas. “Whack a white bandana on Jackson Irvine and you’ve basically got Socrates reincarnate.
“It’ll be interesting to see how Bruno Fornaroli holds up tonight. He’s kept in very good shape throughout his A-League career and deserves to start in an important game for the Socceroos - but I just wonder whether Arnie might have liked to have Jamie Maclaren amongst his subtitutes tonight...”
Updated
“All due respect, if we can’t beat Indonesia it will be a national embarrassment,” says James Paraskevas. “We should be winning this game comfortably - at least 3-0.”
All doo respect. (NB: Clip contains lots of adult language.)
Updated
Tunnel vision 🎧🔒
— Subway Socceroos (@Socceroos) January 28, 2024
🇦🇺 v 🇮🇩 - 28.1.24, 10:30pm AEDT
📱💻📺 Live on Channel 10, Paramount+, 10 Play#AUSvIDN #Socceroos #AsianCup2023 pic.twitter.com/Ma6om0ivav
This is the first knockout game at this year’s tournament. John Duerden previews the round of 16.
Indonesia team news
Three changes from the defeat to Japan on Wednesday. Elkan Baggott, Asnawi Mangkualam and Shayne Pattynama replace Rizky Ridho, Egy Maulana Vikri and Pratama Arhan.
Indonesia (5-2-2-1) Ari; Pattynama, Baggott, Amat, Walsh, Mangkualam; Jenner, Hubner; Sayuri, Marselino; Struick.
Substitutes: Riyandi, Ridho, Sulaeman, Drajad, Vikri, Arhan, Kambuaya, Caraka, Alis, Prasetyo, Klok, Argawinata.
Updated
Socceroos team news: Fornaroli starts
Graham Arnold makes two changes from the draw against Uzbekistan. Bruno Fornaroli replaces Kusini Yengi up front, and Gethin Jones comes in at right-back for Nathaniel Atkinson.
📋 Two changes to the starting line up for our Round of 16 match.
— Subway Socceroos (@Socceroos) January 28, 2024
🇦🇺 v 🇮🇩 - 28.1.24, 10:30pm AEDT
📱💻📺 Live on Channel 10, Paramount+, 10 Play#AUSvIDN #Socceroos #AsianCup2023 #DifferentBreed pic.twitter.com/9qbgS37b8C
Joey Lynch’s preview
Even if Australia do win comfortably, they could do with a more convincing attacking performance. In this tournament they have struggled against a low block.
Updated
Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Australia v Complaency in the last 16 of the Asian Cup. Everyone expects the the Socceroos to beat Indonesia, the tournament outsiders who are ranked 146th in the world, and thes biggest danger is that their subconscious agrees with that assessment.
Look, they should win. They almost certainly will win. But this afternoon’s events at the Gabba are a reminder that, even with the inequality of modern sport, David can still sink a stone deep into Goliath’s noggin.
Kick off is at 2.30pm in Doha / 10.30pm AEDT. The winners will play Saudi Arabia or South Korea in the quarter-final on Friday.
