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
Venue: Adelaide Oval
Location: Adelaide, Australia
Attendance: 46,219
WCQ - AFC Table
| # | TEAM | GP | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | 5 | +18 | 13 |
| 2 | Australia | 5 | +1 | 6 |
| 3 | Saudi Arabia | 5 | -1 | 6 |
| 4 | China | 5 | -8 | 6 |
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 | Zhang Yuning |
| 17 | Fernandinho |
WCQ - AFC News
Japan thrashed Indonesia 4-0 in Jakarta on Friday as Hajime Moriyasu's relentless side moved seven points clear at the top of Group C of Asia's 2026 World Cup qualifiers and another step closer to an automatic finals spot.
For the first time in the third round of Asian qualifiers, Indonesia were given a reality check by Japan.
The Socceroos were reeling after Graham Arnold's surprise resignation, but Tony Popovic has steadied the ship.
Son Heung-Min's 50th international goal was just one of several positives from South Korea's win over Kuwait.
The Socceroos have been left to rue failing to seize control of their World Cup qualification bid after they were held to a 0-0 home draw by Saudi Arabia.