Australia vs China, 2026 World Cup Qualifying - AFC, Third Round
· FIFA World Cup Qualifying - AFCPopovic's Socceroos sink China to revive World Cup hope
New coach Tony Popovic has steered the Socceroos to a 3-1 victory against China to revitalise hopes of qualifying for the World Cup.
Match Timeline
- 20': Xie Wenneng (China) Goal at 20'
- 36': Li Lei (China) Yellow Card at 36'
- 45'+2': Lewis Miller (Australia) Goal at 47'
- 45': Behram Abduweli (China) Substitution at 45'
- 45': Jason Geria (Australia) Substitution at 45'
- 45': Riley McGree (Australia) Substitution at 45'
- 53': Craig Goodwin (Australia) Goal at 53'
- 66': Wang Shangyuan (China) Yellow Card at 66'
- 68': Jin Cheng (China) Substitution at 68'
- 68': Liangming Lin (China) Substitution at 68'
- 75': Jordan Bos (Australia) Substitution at 75'
- 77': Liu Yang (China) Substitution at 77'
- 83': Nishan Velupillay (Australia) Substitution at 83'
- 90'+2': Nishan Velupillay (Australia) Goal at 92'
- 90'+4': Ajdin Hrustic (Australia) Substitution at 94'
Statistics
 CHN |
AUS |
|
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Fouls | 9 |
| 2 | Yellow Cards | 0 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 0 | Offsides | 0 |
| 3 | Corner Kicks | 3 |
| 1 | Saves | 0 |
| 27.3 | Possession | 72.7 |
| 7 | SHOTS | 18 |
| 1 | ON GOAL | 4 |
| 0.1 | On Target % | 0.2 |
| 0 | Penalty Goals | 0 |
| 0 | Penalty Kicks Taken | 0 |
| 0 | Accurate Passes | 0 |
| 0 | Passes | 0 |
| 0.0 | Pass Completion % | 0.0 |
| 0 | Accurate Crosses | 0 |
| 0 | Crosses | 0 |
| 0.0 | Cross % | 0.0 |
| 0 | Long Balls | 0 |
| 0 | Accurate Long Balls | 0 |
| 0.0 | Long Balls % | 0.0 |
| 4 | Blocked Shots | 3 |
| 0 | Effective Tackles | 0 |
| 0 | Tackles | 0 |
| 0.0 | Tackle % | 0.0 |
| 0 | Interceptions | 0 |
| 0 | Effective Clearances | 0 |
| 0 | Clearances | 0 |
Game Information
Competition: FIFA World Cup Qualifying - AFC
Venue: Adelaide Oval
Location: Adelaide, Australia
Attendance: 46,219
Venue: Adelaide Oval
Location: Adelaide, Australia
Attendance: 46,219
WCQ - AFC Table
| # | TEAM | GP | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | 4 | +14 | 10 |
| 2 | Australia | 4 | +1 | 5 |
| 3 | Saudi Arabia | 4 | -1 | 5 |
| 4 | Bahrain | 4 | -4 | 5 |
Line-Ups
Australia (3-4-2-1)
| No. | Name |
|---|---|
| 18 | Joe Gauci (GK) |
| 19 | Harry Souttar |
| 4 | Kye Rowles |
| 2 | Thomas Deng |
| 22 | Jackson Irvine |
| 13 | Aiden O'Neill |
| 16 | Aziz Behich |
| 3 | Lewis Miller |
| 15 | Mitchell Duke |
| 11 | Nestory Irankunda |
| 23 | Craig Goodwin |
China (4-4-2)
| No. | Name |
|---|---|
| 14 | Wang Dalei (GK) |
| 16 | Jiang Shenglong |
| 2 | Jiang Guangtai |
| 4 | Li Lei  |
| 13 | Hu Hetao |
| 8 | Li Yuanyi |
| 6 | Wang Shangyuan |
| 10 | Wei Shihao |
| 20 | Xie Wenneng |
| 9 | Yuning Zhang |
| 17 | Fernandinho |
WCQ - AFC News
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South Korea's recent struggles to settle on their first-choice striker might just have been solved by Oh Hyeon-Gyu.
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Japan nearly contrived to lose to Australia but had too much quality waiting in the wings to be defeated.
Socceroos let lead slip but hang on for Japan draw
A Cameron Burgess own-goal denied the Socceroos what would have been a huge World Cup qualifying win over Japan.