Australia v China: New coach Tony Popovic delivers brutal home truths before Japan clash
The Socceroos kicked off the Tony Popovic era with a win - but the new coach gave his team a brutal assessment of their victory, as they warm up for the first real test against Japan.
Socceroos coach Tony Popovic has issued an “elite” warning to his squad before facing Japan away in another crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.
Popovic said the best football nation in Asia would test Australia after the Socceroos recovered from conceding a goal inside the first 20 minutes before beating a ragged China 3-1 at Adelaide Oval on Friday night.
The victory was capped off by a man-of-the-match performance from South Australia’s Craig Goodwin.
“Some of the players don’t quite have the level yet to play the level we require to play twice in four days,’’ Popovic said after a winning debut on the bench at Adelaide Oval.
“Once we get that right, I think you’ll see the players and how they performed (on Friday night), they can back that up.
“So, if they find this environment difficult, that’s how it should be.
“It shouldn’t be as easy as club level, that’s the environment we’re trying to create.
“Coming here, it will be hard and if you want to come back you need to be at an elite level away from here.”
The former Socceroo said he had ridden waves of emotions since he was named as former coach Graham Arnold’s replacement, 17 days before facing China when Australia’s 2026 FIFA World Cup hopes were dimming fast after earning just a point in the open two matches of the final phase of qualifying.
“So much has happened in two weeks, it’s been a bit of a blur,” Popovic said.
“Once I came (into the job) there was so much to do in two weeks.
“In particular when you want to change an entire way of playing with a different system, so we’ve put in a lot of work, the focus has been on that.
“Before the game when the players were warming up, I had a chat with my wife and the kids and you think “this is something quite special, so (there was) a lot of pride and the family is extremely proud of me as you’d expect.”
“When the game started everything felt right, and I felt at ease with the group, with the staff.
“Even at 1-0 down I thought we were in total control of the game, we weren’t doing enough in the front third, they had one shot and scored.”
Goodwin was credited with an assist for Lewis Miller’s headed equaliser before scoring a world-class goal eight minutes after the break.
The 2023 Johnny Warren medal winner handed the Socceroos a deserved lead at arguably his favourite Oval where he has been at his absolute best and scored crucial goals for club and country.
“Special memories at this venue and I’m really happy to add to that,’’ Goodwin said.
“This is something, I have to enjoy now and tomorrow and then we have to move on to the next as is everything in football.
It happens so quickly, and we have to focus on Japan.
“If we go to Japan and don’t put in a good performance this is all for nothing.”
GOODWIN FIRES SOCCEROOS HOME TO KICK OFF POPOVIC ERA
- Val Migliaccio
New Socceroos coach Tony Popovic’s debut was sweet after enduring first-half torture at Adelaide Oval last night.
Popovic, 51, steered the national team back on course for a sixth consecutive FIFA World Cup appearance in a come-from-behind 3-1 win over China after former boss Graham Arnold’s voluntary exit last month signalled the end of an era.
A go-ahead goal from local hero Craig Goodwin eight minutes after the break saw the Socceroos claim their first win of the final phase of qualifying, before facing table-topping Japan away on Tuesday night.
Goodwin claimed the man of the match award with a goal and an assist which helped Popovic get off to a perfect start before substitute Nishan Velupillay scored in stoppage time on debut.
China took a shock lead before Lewis Miller’s bullet-like header levelled the score just before the break after Popovic’s side looked rejuvenated.
The Socceroos pressed China into submission and could have been awarded a penalty when Aiden O’Neill’s shot on target appeared to smack into a Chinese defender’s arm in an unnatural position, but VAR didn’t summon referee Muhammad Nasaruddin in the sixth minute.
The signs continued to look good for the home side, the intensity, sharp movement, the quick ball movement between the lines stunned the Chinese who had the odd foray inside the Socceroos box, but a concentration lapse proved costly in the 20th minute.
China scored the opening goal when a route one free kick from keeper and captain Wang Dalei saw Xie Wenneng turned ugly.
A Zhang Yuning flick-on header on the edge of the box allowed Wenneng to beat keeper Joe Gauci.
Wenneng’s stunner allowed China to put up a deep defensive block which frustrated the shell-shocked Australians as the visitors looked to spring counterattacks.
Miller got Australia out of trouble, scoring his maiden international goal, nodding the ball home from a pinpoint Goodwin set-piece, but fans were forced to wait for VAR clearance before celebrating the equaliser.
Popovic replacing South Australian-bred players Nestory Irankunda and Thomas Deng for SA’s Riley McGree and Jason Geria was the game changer that boss was craving as pockets of space became available for the Socceroos.
Goodwin’s wonder goal steadied the Socceroos’ nerves after China’s defence failed to close the midfielder down before scoring a vitally important goal.
POPA BALL
Popovic put his stamp on the Socceroos long before kick-off.
Critics demanded change after the national team picked up just one point in the opening two games of the final phase of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying.
Popovic responded firmly.
Naming St Pauli of Germany’s Jackson Irvine as skipper for regular captain and AS Roma’s No. 2 gloveman Mat Ryan was a huge call which demanded instant respect.
Ryan was forced to watch Popovic’s coaching debut from the bench while Aston Villa’s No. 2 keeper and former Adelaide United custodian Gauci, earned his third cap.
Bayern Munich and ex Adelaide United winger Irankunda retained his place in the starting 11, but the biggest surprise was the inclusion of Hibernian’s Miller for the first time since Australia’s 2-1 AFC Asian extra-time loss to South Korea in February.
Miller was one of the Socceroos best in a testing first half.
RECORD FOR MEN ONLY
The 46,291 fans that helped Adelaide Oval reach its limited capacity set a new record crowd for the Socceroos in South Australia.
The Asian Football Confederation regulations which state that only individual seats were to be sold eliminated standing areas for the men’s clash ensured the Matildas kept the record crowd – 52,912 – for a national football team in SA which was set this year ironically against China.
2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier Asia
Group C
Australia 3 (Lewis Miller 47m, Craig Goodwin 53m, Nishan Velupillay 92m) China 1 (Xie Wenneng 20m) at Adelaide Oval – Referee: Muhammad Nazmi Nasaruddin (Malaysia)
Crowd: 46,291
See how all the action unfolded in our live blog below.
Originally published as Australia v China: New coach Tony Popovic delivers brutal home truths before Japan clash
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