Socceroos fans breathed a sigh of relief on Thursday night after Australia came from behind to beat China 3-1 during their 2028 World Cup qualifying clash.
The home team marked a new era for Australian men’s football under new coach Tony Popovic, demonstrating their resilience to come back in the second half after going a goal down.
It was local hero Craig Goodwin who was the star of the show, setting up Lewis Miller for the Socceroos’ equalizer before the break, before curling in a stunning shot from over 25 yards.
Substitute Nishan Velupillay would come on in injury time to seal the third goal and end Australia’s two-match winless streak, having failed to beat Bahrain and Indonesia in their previous two matches.
But the Socceroos looked shell-shocked from the start. China’s Wenneng Xie put the visitors ahead within 20 minutes, prompting some fans to lash out at Popovic’s team on social media.
Australia’s defense appeared to fall asleep, allowing Xie to enter their penalty area before placing the ball into the bottom right corner of the net.
Craig Goodwin scored a stunning goal and scored another to help Australia beat China.
Goodwin fired home from over 25 yards, to put the hosts 2-1 up in the second half.
And Socceroos fans took to X to criticize the team for conceding first.
‘Absolutely catastrophic defense. “There have been some moments of indecision where the Socceroos players didn’t know who was going to receive the pass, and that kind of hesitation destroyed them in scoring the goal.”
“The Socceroos realize they have to score goals to win, right?” another said.
“Shame,” said another reacting to the goal.
Despite that, fans were encouraged by the full-time result, with many stating that there were still things to work on but that the team had improved.
“Honestly, a great result, the players have struggled for a while to recover from a nosebleed, so to win convincingly on the scoreboard after trailing is a big deal.”
But the Socceroos looked shocked from the start after China’s Wenneng Xie put the visitors ahead in the 20th minute.
Some fans attacked the Socceroos in X after the team lost a goal in the first half.
‘I finally got there. I think the substitutes made the difference and Goodwin is just a talisman. When he sings, so does the rest of the team.
“We urgently need the 3 points, but let’s be honest, Japan will massacre us.” They effortlessly beat this team from China by 7 and I would be very surprised if we don’t wash out too if we continue playing like this. Playing with Duke up front is playing WITHOUT a forward…’ wrote one.
The victory lifts Australia to third place in the six-nation group, with four points; There are five games left in this qualifying phase for the 2026 cup in North America.
Popovic’s charges will face undefeated group leaders Japan on Tuesday night in Saitama, who have accumulated six points from two games.
The first two nations secure direct passage to the top football competition in 2026 and the third-place nation moves on to another qualifying phase.
Popovic was appointed when Graham Arnold resigned as coach after a goalless draw in Indonesia and a shock 1-0 defeat to Bahrain on the Gold Coast in last month’s qualifying window.
Popovic made a pre-game impact by benching Ryan, who has been captain since October 2019, in favor of Gauci.
The new coach also called up Miller, who had been out since committing a penalty and free kick that resulted in South Korean goals in Australia’s 2-1 Asian Cup quarterfinal defeat in February. past.
Popovic’s show of faith was rewarded in the 47th minute when Miller, despite being pinned down by Chinese defenders, took advantage of a Goodwin free kick and headed home the equaliser.
Lewis Miller (right) scored the first goal for Australia just before half-time, leveling the team.
It was the perfect start for new Socceroos coach Tony Popovic after the team’s poor run of form.
But at full-time, Socceroos fans were encouraged by their teams’ second-half performance, despite looking a little “difficult”.
After half-time, South Australia’s Goodwin wowed the 46,291 crowd at Adelaide Oval – the largest attendance at a Socceroos match in the state – with his sublime goal.
And substitute Velupillay sealed the victory in the 92nd minute with a brilliant right-footed shot from six meters away.
