The hosts lost out on top spot to the Taeguk Warriors of South Korea after they were defeated 1-0 in their final group match against the South Koreans. The Koreans as group winners will face Group B runners-up Uzbekistan whilst Australia will have to face Group B winners, China PR. Oman finished 3rd with Kuwait bringing up the rear with no points at all after losing all 3 group games.

As is normally the case with football tournaments the hosts, Australia, kicked things off. They faced a Kuwaiti side that in spite of their decent pedigree, winners in 1980, had yet to make it past the group stage since the year 2000. Many were apprehensive about Australia’s chances in this tournament with the Socceroos falling outside the Asian Top 10 in the FIFA rankings for the first time just before the tournament began. This was partly due to a lack of competitive fixtures but also thanks to poor results in friendlies leading up to the tournament, losing to Qatar and drawing with the UAE.

The doubters appeared to be proved correct after only 8 minutes when defender Hussian Fadhel headed home from a poorly hit corner which somehow managed to beat 2 Australian defenders before Fadhel lost Tim Cahill to stoop low and head into the net. One surprise before the game started was the inclusion of Massimo Luongo, who English lower league fans might recognise, in the starting line up. His selection would prove to be a superb decision by coach Ange Postecoglou. In the 33rd minute a throw from the right hand side found Luongo at the side of the penalty area. The youngster span beautifully before pulling the ball back to Tim Cahill who finished smartly.

That goal meant Cahill had now scored in 3 different Asian Cups and also meant he was still the only player to score from open-play under Postecoglou’s reign as manager. Just 10 minutes later however someone else got themselves on the scoresheet, Luongo. Ivan Franjić made a long run down the left hand side before cutting back and crossing into the box. Luongo rose to meet it and headed it perfectly over the keeper and into the net to send the home crowd wild. A penalty from Crystal Palace’s Mike Jedinak and a stoppage time finish from James Troisi rounded off a great opening win for the Aussies to send a message to their rivals.

The next day, Korea Republic got off to a winning start as well but their victory, 1-0 against Oman, was much less convincing. Ali Al-Habsi of Wigan Athletic shone for Oman as he made save after save but was finally beaten on the verge of half time. Mainz 05’s Ja-Cheol Koo broke forward before his shot was parried by Al-Habsi into the path of striker Young-Cheol Cho and he slid forward to send the ball home.

For Group A the next round of fixtures were played on the same day as Oman faced Australia and Kuwait faced South Korea. Again it was a 1-0 victory for the Koreans against a resolute Kuwaiti side who were unlucky not to get a point with Ali Al Maqseed hitting the post and sending another effort just over as he shone in the tie. Australia once again outscored their group rivals, this time comfortably beating Oman 4-0 in front of a packed house in Stadium Australia in Sydney.

The opener came from a corner headed goal wards by Trent Sainsbury only for Matt McKay to flick it in to claim the goal himself. Superb play from Luongo and Robbie Kruse in the build up allowed the Bayer Leverkusen man to stride into the box and finish coolly. The 3rd goal was a strange one, Kruse was once again involved as he sent in a cross for Mark Milligan to sidefoot home. However just before it was in the back of the net the referee blew his whistle and no one seemed sure what for until Milligan picked the ball up and placed the ball on the penalty spot. He was not to be denied a goal and sent the keeper the wrong way as he found the bottom left corner. Substitute Tomi Jurić rounded off the game when he scored the fourth.

The results in round 2 meant that both Korea Republic and Australia had qualified for the knockout stages eliminating Oman and Kuwait. All that was left to decide was who would top the group and face a potentially easier path to the final. A goal from Abdul Aziz Al Muqbali was Oman’s first of the tournament as they beat Kuwait 1-0 in a somewhat irrelevant game to decide who would finish 3rd and bottom.

Postecoglou somewhat surprisingly made 4 changes coming into the crucial game including putting Tim Cahill on the bench in favour of Tomi Jurić. 50,000 fans were there in Brisbane to look the game begin in bizarre circumstances as the stadium suffered an invasion of moths forcing the grounds staff to vacuum the benches for the players and staff. The hosts actually had 67.2% possession but were made to pay for multiple missed chances. Troisi fired just wide and Kruse was denied at close range by keeper Jin-Hyeon Kim to name a couple. The goal came from Jung-Hyub Lee after he slid in to nudge home Keun-Ho Lee’s cross. Despite bringing on subs such as Cahill Australia couldn’t find the goal they needed to top the group and were forced into 2nd.

As mentioned earlier Australia will have to face China PR, who whilst not paying imperiously have certainly looked dangerous, and if they overcome that game then a potential semi-final against favourites Japan would await.

Image Credit to afcasiancup.com