Australia’s path to Asian Cup glory is clearer after Jordan loss

The Socceroos go into tonight’s game against Palestine better placed to go deep in their Asian Cup defence, despite key injuries.

The Socceroos go into tonight’s clash with Palestine with arguably an easier run in the tournament ahead of them after the loss to Jordan on Sunday night.

The stunning 1-0 defeat hurt the Australians, and after a draw between Palestine and Syria, saw the Socceroos sit at the bottom of group B.

But the loss may have a huge silver lining if Australia can finish second in the group.

The semi finals will have major hurdles in the way for the team finish on top with a quarterfinal date with Japan before the top-seeded Iran waiting.

Jordan also did their part, defeating Syria 2-0 to all but wrap up top spot in the group with Australia now unable to finish any higher than second.

Even better for Australia, the Syrian campaign appears to be in disarray with the side reportedly firing coach Bernd Stange immediately after the game.

If the Socceroos can overcome Palestine and Syria, a round of 16 clash with Uzbekistan looks the most likely option.

From there Australia’s quarter-final opponents would be the winner of a clash between the winners of Group A and the third-place team from Groups C, D or E, which could be host UAE.

Regardless of the outcome, the most likely path has Australia not facing one of the traditional powerhouses of Asian football until the semi-finals when South Korea, inspired by Tottenham star Son Heung-min, will probably lie in wait.

The Jordan loss was a nightmare start for the Socceroos looking to go back-to-back in the Asian Cup after winning for the first time in Australia in 2015.

Daniel Arzani left a big hole in the Socceroos preparations.

Injuries to Aaron Mooy, Daniel Arzani and Martin Boyle hurt the Aussie preparation with a string of injuries since, including Tommy Rogic’s broken hand and groin injuries for Andrew Nabbout and Josh Risdon have hurt.

Graham Arnold said Arzani and Boyle were the biggest blows.

“I don’t want to reflect too much on it, but Martin was one of the keys to this tournament - him and young Daniel Arzani, because of their individual quality that they have in a one-v-one situation against teams that play with a packed defence,” Arnold said.

“Martin had the operation last night, Martin is recovering, we’ve been in touch with him, he’s in good spirits and we expect him to have a great recovery at Hibs and we’ll see him back with the Socceroos soon.”

Boyle took to Instagram to share his disappointment that his season was over.

Rogic has also been given the green light to play while Andrew Nabbout will return to the bench while Risdon will sit out.

But Australia will first have to bounce back from their loss to Jordan with a win over Palestine.

Captain Mark Milligan said the first up loss would hurt but was talking confidently on the eve of the game, promising he and his players were ready to make amends.

“Everybody is very aware of the situation and very keen to get back onto the field and turn it around,” Milligan said.

“The great thing about football is when we go out tomorrow night and put in a good performance, the first game will be a distant memory and we’ll move forward.”

While Milligan said the Socceroos would have preferred to win the first game, the side is still high in spirits going into the Palestine game.

“The morale in the squad has been very good,” he added.

“When we’ve been on the field, everything has been very intense.

“We’re still very confident in what we’re doing and the way we do it.”

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