Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Dubai: With nine scoreless matches in the green and gold behind him, Jamie Maclaren shared his relief at scoring his first international goal; one which the striker credits with setting the tone for Australia's 3-0 win over Palestine at Rashid Stadium on Friday.
The 25-year-old came into the crucial tie under pressure following Australia's 1-0 defeat to Jordan and a series of quiet displays for the national team, but he silenced his critics with a superb 18th-minute header which was followed by further goals to Awer Mabil and Apostolos Giannou in their AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Group B tie.
Maclaren told the-AFC.com the early goal made for a vastly different experience than the one endured against the Jordanians.
www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_asian_cup/video/group_b_-_matchday_two_palestine_vs_australia .html
www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/awer_mabil-australia.html
www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/apostolos_giannou-australia.html
www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/australia-win-palestine.html
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Dubai: Australia head coach Graham Arnold gave his charges a resounding tick of approval, but insists there is still plenty of room for improvement after they revived their AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 knockout stage hopes with a consummate 3-0 win over Palestine.
Early goals from Jamie Maclaren and Awer Mabil got the ball rolling for the defending champions, before Apostolos Giannou came off the bench to add a layer of gloss to the scoreline in the final moments.
Australia's showing was a vast improvement from their 1-0 Matchday One defeat to Jordan, with the the inclusion of Chris Ikonomidis and Jackson Irvine paying instant dividends for Arnold's men.
Speaking after the match, Arnold paid tribute to his side, but warned that he expects their performances to become even stronger as the tournament goes on.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Dubai: Australia got their AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 title defence up and running, earning three crucial points with a 3-0 win over Palestine in their Group B clash at Rashid Stadium on Friday.
Sunday's defeat to Jordan seemed a distant memory when goals to Jamie Maclaren and Awer Mabil had the Socceroos 2-0 up within 20 minutes, before substitute Apostolos Giannou added a late third.
The result sees Australia leapfrog Palestine and Syria into second place in the group, with Noureddine Ould Ali's side dropping to fourth with one Matchday remaining.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Al Ain: After just two games into the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, Jordan’s Mousa Suleiman Al Tamari is emerging as one of the stars of the tournament, with his game-changing performances helping Vital Borkelmans’ side secure their place in the Round of 16.
The Jordanians have impressed in their opening two matches, notching up wins over defending champions Australia and a Syria side that narrowly missed out on booking a berth at last year’s FIFA World Cup Finals.
Al Tamari has been instrumental in his team’s showing, scoring with an instinctive finish to give Jordan the lead on Thursday against Syria while also playing a key role in his side’s other two goals over the first two match days.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Al Ain: Jordan coach Vital Borkelmans could barely suppress his delight as he celebrated his team’s progress to the knockout rounds of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 on Thursday, with the Belgian claiming happiness has been key to his squad’s impressive performances so far.
Borkelmans’ team secured a 2-0 win over Syria in Al Ain that guaranteed the Jordanians a top two finish in Group B, having already opened their 2019 campaign with an impressive 1-0 win over defending champions Australia.
Those results mean Jordan will finish no lower than second in the group no matter what happens in the remaining matches and the country will advance to the knockout rounds of the AFC Asian Cup for the third time since making their debut at the competition in 2004.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Al Ain: Jordan became the first team to advance to the knockout rounds of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 on Thursday as Vital Borkelmans’ side handed Syria a 2-0 defeat in Al Ain to seal their spot in the Round of 16.
The result saw the Syria Football Association announcing the sacking of coach Bernd Stange a few hours later, with Fajr Ibrahim appointed as his replacement.
For Jordan, the win - courtesy of goals from Mousa Suleiman Al Tamari and Tareq Khattab - means Borkelmans and his team can finish no lower than second in Group B no matter the outcome of the remaining games in the group.
Australia face Palestine in Abu Dhabi on Friday before Jordan take on the Palestinians in their final group game on January 15, when the Socceroos go head-to-head with the Syrians in Al Ain.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Al Ain: Bernd Stange became the latest managerial casualty of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 on Thursday evening when the German was removed from his position at the helm of Syria following his side’s 2-0 loss at the hands of Jordan.
The Syrian Football Association issued a statement hours after the loss to their neighbours, stating Stange has been replaced by former coach Ayman Hakeem for the remainder of the tournament. However, in a later update, former head coach Fajr Ibrahim was announced as the replacement.
Syria are due to face Australia on January 15 in their final game in Group B and must win against the defending champions to have any hope of advancing to the knockout phase of the competition for the first time in the country’s history.