Australia into Asian Cup last 16, Uzbekistan outclass India

Doha – Australia failed to sparkle but joined hosts and holders Qatar in the Asian Cup knockout rounds on Thursday, with Uzbekistan in pole position to join them.

Jackson Irvine scored the only goal in a stodgy 1-0 victory over Syria to put the Socceroos into the last 16 with a game to spare.

With one round of matches to go, Australia top Group B with a perfect six points, two ahead of Uzbekistan. Syria have one point and India no points and no goals.

Uzbekistan only need a point from their final game — against Australia on Tuesday — to guarantee they go through after easing to a 3-0 win over India.

Australia and Syria mustered only one shot on target each in their game, but Socceroos coach Graham Arnold dismissed the suggestion that his side had been lucky to win.

“The most important thing for us is our mentality, our work rate and keeping a clean sheet,” said Arnold, who took Australia to the last 16 of the Qatar World Cup, before losing 2-1 to eventual champions Argentina.

“Clean sheets win tournaments,” added Arnold, whose team beat India 2-0 in their opening game and are considered one of the contenders to win the Asian Cup.

Australia won the title in 2015 on home soil.

They had more of the ball against a stubborn Syria but struggled to break their opponents down.

Lower-ranked Syria might have taken the lead inside five minutes but Colombian-born striker Pablo Sabbag hit the post.

With Australia struggling to create chances, Arnold made a triple substitution in the 57th minute, including throwing on the attacking midfielders Riley McGree and Samuel Silvera.

Three minutes later they took the lead through Germany-based Irvine.

The midfielder swivelled in the box before poking the ball through the legs of goalkeeper Ahmad Madanieh for his second goal of the competition.

Uzbekistan, who were held 0-0 by Syria in their first game, had no such trouble breaching India’s leaky defence.

The Uzbeks were 3-0 up at the break following a torrid first half for Igor Stimac’s men.

The Central Asians were ahead within five minutes, through an Abbosbek Fayzullaev header, the 20-year-old CSKA Moscow winger nodding in Otabek Shukurov’s looping header.

Chaotic Indian defending led to the second 14 minutes later, a sliding Sandesh Jhingan chipping the ball against his own bar for Igor Sergeev to score on the rebound.

Ranked 102nd in the world to Uzbekistan’s 68, India had their moments but were mostly limited to speculative crosses in front of more than 38,000 people at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.

Their hopes of a comeback were extinguished during first-half stoppage time, Sherzod Nasrullaev exploiting some statuesque defending to notch a third.

In the final match on Thursday, Palestine play the United Arab Emirates.