Australia’s Socceroos came from behind to beat China 3-1 in their crucial Asian Football Confederation World Cup qualifier in Adelaide on Thursday night.
Adelaide-born winger Craig Goodwin proved the hometown hero for the Socceroos, assisting the equalizer and scoring the second goal from long range as Australia got their first win in the third round of AFC qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
China stunned the hosts in the 20th minute when a long free kick taken by goalkeeper Wang Dalei was headed on by Zhang Yuning to Xie Wenneng who controlled the ball and beat two Australian defenders to fire his shot into the bottom right corner of the goal from inside the box.
Australia had 80 percent of possession in the first half but struggled to create clear chances in the first match under new head coach Tony Popovic, with defender Jiang Guangtai successfully shutting down the Socceroos’ central attack.
The breakthrough for the Socceroos came in first half extra time when a free kick from Goodwin was headed into goal under the outstretched hand of Wang by defender Lewis Miller in the 47th minute.
Goodwin’s brilliance was again on display early in the second half when he received a pass in space from Jackson Irvine and took two touches before shooting from outside the box into the far left corner of the goal in the 50th minute.
China pushed hard for an equalizer but could not again break through the Australian defense in front of a record Adelaide crowd for a Socceroos match of 46,291 people, including a large and boisterous group of Chinese supporters.
Winger Nishan Velupillay sealed victory for the Australians with the third goal in the 93rd minute – 10 minutes after he was substituted on for his international debut.
The match marks the third consecutive defeat for China and leaves China last in Group C in the third round of AFC qualifying. It was Australia’s first win in the third round as the Socceroos aim to qualify for a sixth straight FIFA World Cup.
China will next play Indonesia in Qingdao on Tuesday, with Australia to face Japan in Saitama on the same day.