AFC Asian Cup 2023, Australia blank India 2-0: Key stats
India suffered a 2-0 defeat against heavyweights Australia in their opening clash of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup on Saturday at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium. India held the Socceroos for the first 45 minutes before two second-half goals from Jackson Irvine and Jordan Bos turned the tide in Australia's favor. It was a scrappy affair for Australia as they squandered many chances.
Irvine and Bos return with goals for Australia
Irvine capitalized on Gurpreet Singh Sandhu's mistake from a corner as he toe-poked the ball into the net. This was his ninth goal for the Socceroos in 56 appearances. The lanky midfielder plies his trade for 2. Bundesliga outfit St. Pauli. Meanwhile, substitute Bos netted the second goal for Australia. This was his third appearance and he slammed home his maiden international goal.
Australia dominate India in the head-to-head stats
Australia and India have a long history in football. Both teams have met each other nine times and the Soceroos hold the advantage with six victories in comparison to India's two wins and a solitary draw India's first-ever win against Australia was a 4-1 thumping back in 1938 in an international friendly. Australia defeated India 4-0 in the 2011 Asian Cup before winning 2-0.
An impressive debut for Deepak Tangri
Deepak Tangri made his debut in the opening game of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. He has represented India at various age groups and has also featured for the Indian Arrows previously. Tangri plays for ISL outfit Mohun Bagan Super Giant. The combative midfielder fared well against superior counterparts in the middle. He shielded the backline brilliantly for most of the game.
India's record in the AFC Asian Cup
This is India's fifth appearance at the tournament. Before this, the Blue Tigers have qualified for the event in 1964, 1984, 2011, and 2019. Their best campaign was in 1964 when they finished as the runners-up. Notably, India have never cleared the group in their last three attempts. This is the first time India have qualified in consecutive two editions of the tournament.
A look at the match summary
India started positively as Lallianzuala Chhangte created an opening early on but Sunil Chhetri failed to reach the ball. Chhetri had a golden opportunity in the 16th minute but his header was inches wide. Later, Connor Metcalfe forced a save from Gurpreet following his sloppy goalkeeping. In the second half, Gurpreet's error saw Irvine break the deadlock before Bos scored from Riley McGree's assist.
Here are the match stats
Australia registered 28 attempts in comparison to India's four. The Socceroos had six shots on target to India's one. Igor Stimac's men enjoyed only 29% possession while completing 289 passes in comparison to Australia's 692 passes. Australia had 88% passing accuracy and 14 corners.
