Subtitute’s epic late blitz sparks big Socceroos win as Aussies reach Asian Cup quarters
It was far from pretty, but the Socceroos booked their place in the Asian Cup quarter-finals on Sunday night with a 4-0 win over a combative Indonesia.
World number 146 Indonesia – a full 121 places below the Socceroos – were the lowest-ranked team to make the knockouts.
But they punched well above their weight in an equally aggressive and gutsy performance that constantly troubled the Socceroos, who struggled for large parts of the match before two late goals blew out the scoreline.
Veteran midfielder Jackson Irvine added to his impressive highlights reel this tournament – with two goals in the group stage – when he opened the scoring in the 12th minute.
Against the run of play, Irvine bulldozed his way into the box and attempted a cross from the right side, but it was deflected off defender Elkan Baggott into the net.
The Socceroos then snared a second on the brink of halftime when Gethin Jones raced down the right flank and whipped in a beautiful cross. Martin Boyle threw himself at the bouncing ball with an almighty dive, heading it into the bottom corner – and appearing to injure his head and shoulder in the process, though he was able to play on.
Australia were sluggish for large parts of the second half but a raft of substitutes sparked a late charge, with Craig Goodwin scoring then assisting Harry Souttar in the space of three late minutes to seal the result in stoppage time.
Alex Brosque called it “Very very flattering on our part...” on Channel 10, saying there was still a “concern” over creating chances up front despite the goals.
Australia will face tournament favourites Saudi Arabia or South Korea in a very difficult quarter-final matchup.
Jackson Irvine told Channel 10: “Overall, I’m especially really
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