Socceroos skipper Mat Ryan says his team must lift its ‘standards’ against China

It’s hard not to be happy after a 5-1 victory, but the Socceroos know they need a better performance to win in China on Tuesday night.

National captain Mat Ryan says the Socceroos can ill-afford another slow start against China on Tuesday night if they are to maintain their FIFA World Cup qualifying momentum following a 5-1 thrashing of Indonesia.

While pleased with Thursday night’s win at Allianz Stadium, Ryan knows the scoreline “flattered” the Socceroos.

Indonesia dominated early and could have led 2-0 inside 10 minutes if not for a fine save from Ryan to prevent a Jay Idzes finding the back of the net, and a missed penalty from Kevin Diks, whose spot kick hit the post.

The Socceroos then gained the scoreboard ascendancy to take a 3-0 lead by half-time thanks to goals from Martin Boyle, Nishan Velupillay and Jackson Irvine.

The hosts went on with the job in the second-half, with headers from Lewis Miller and Irvine further increasing Australia’s goal tally.

Indonesia’s only goal came from Ole Romeny in the 78th minute, but there is little doubt the visitors were better than the scoreline suggested, having dominated possession for large periods of the contest.

The safe hands of Socceroos skipper and goalkeeper Mat Ryan were evident in Australia’s 5-1 win over Indonesia. Picture: Saeed KHAN / AFP

“The scoreline flattered us a little bit,” Ryan said.

“We can be much better. Our standard, I think we fell short of that, even though we got the result that we did.

“We need to improve on the start because on another day, they could have taken a chance and it could have been a different game.

“We can be a little bit more convincing in not giving (teams) the opportunity to hurt us.

“In saying that, it takes good mental strength to weather that storm and to then respond in a strong way. We managed to do that.”

The Socceroos took a crucial step on the road to next year’s World Cup with a win that kept them in second spot in its AFC third-round qualifying group, from which the top two nations – one that will definitely be Japan – will guarantee themselves qualification.

However, in Hangzhou on Tuesday night, they will face a desperate China side now four points adrift of second place after a 1-0 away loss to Saudi Arabia,.

“The winning momentum we started (against China) can hopefully continue on into China,” Ryan said.

“Whichever opposition we’re coming up against, we need to tap into our skill sets to find ways to get the job done.”

The Socceroos were scheduled to depart Sydney for China on Friday night on a chartered flight.

“It makes it comfortable for us to get across there. All those little details can definitely help,” Ryan said.