Socceroos vs. China final score: World Cup qualifier updates, result as Tony Popovic wins on debut

Patrick Brischetto

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Socceroos vs. China final score: World Cup qualifier updates, result as Tony Popovic wins on debut image

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The Socceroos have given new coach Tony Popovic a winning start as coach with a nervy yet crucial 3-1 win over China.

In front of a record 46,291 fans at Adelaide Oval, goals from Lewis Miller, Craig Goodwin and debutant Nishan Velupillay helped Australia come from behind after China took the lead thanks to Wenneng Xie.

After just a point from their opening two matches in the third round of qualifying, the Socceroos knew they needed to win this one, and Popovic made several changes, including a switch to a back three and dropping captain Mat Ryan for Joe Gauci in goal.

But despite having all the ball, they struggled to create anything more than a few half chances, allowing China the chance to take the lead against the run of play.

They did just that as Li Yuanyi headed the ball onto the onrushing Xie, who finished calmly under pressure to shock the Adelaide crowd.

Under new management the same old problems for Australia reared their ugly heads as they struggled to break down a low block and failed to create meaningful opportunities on goal, until the second minute of first half stoppage time as Miller scored his first international goal after heading home a Goodwin free-kick.

Wonderkid Nestory Irankunda went off at half-time after a knee knock, but it was fellow winger Goodwin who brought the South Australian fans to their feet with a truly wonderful strike just after the break, slamming a missile of a shot into the top corner from 25 yards out.

In truth, Australia weren't a whole lot better in the second half, but they looked more controlled and confident after Goodwin's screamer, and it gave the platform for a debutant to have a special moment in stoppage time.

Velupillay had barely been on the pitch when the ball fell to him in the 92nd minute, but the rookie showed no sign of nerves as he side-footed the ball home into the top corner to make the points safe for the Socceroos, who finally are on the board in the third round of World Cup qualifying.

Australia temporarily move to second in Group C, but face a daunting trip to Japan next Tuesday.

The Sporting News was following the Socceroos vs. China match live, providing live updates and commentary.

Latest live updates | Team news and lineups | Where to watch where you are

Socceroos vs. China score

 ScoreGoalscorers
Socceroos3Miller 45+2', Goodwin 53', Velupillay 90+2'
China1Wenneng Xie 20'

Venue: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide

Confirmed lineups:

Socceroos (3-4-2-1, right to left): Joe Gauci (GK) — Harry Souttar, Kye Rowles, Thomas Deng — Lewis Miller, Jackson Irvine, Aiden O'Neill, Aziz Behich — Nestory Irankunda, Craig Goodwin — Mitch Duke

China (4-4-2, right to left): Dalei Wang (GK) — Tyias Browning, Hetao Hu, Shenglong Jiang, Lei Le — Wenneng Xie, Shangyuan Wang, Yuanyi Li, Shihao Wei — Fei Nuando, Yuning Zhang

MORE: Socceroos World Cup qualifying results, standings | Socceroos fixtures

Socceroos vs. China live updates, highlights, and commentary

FULL-TIME: Well it took a while to get going, but the Socceroos eventually did enough to secure a win in Tony Popovic's first game in charge! It was 1-1 at the break after a tepid first half going forward from Australia, but a screamer from Craig Goodwin put them in front and put some life into the game. They weren't troubled too much after that, and a wonderful moment with Nishan Velupillay scoring on debut perhaps added undeserved gloss to the scoreline. The Socceroos will care little, as it's three hugely important points in their road to North America.

90+4 minutes: A late change as Hrustic replaces Goodwin, and the local hero receives a standing ovation!

90+2 minutes: GOAL ON DEBUT FOR VELUPILLAY! China fail to clear the danger, and an errant shot falls into the path of the substitute, and he side foots it into the top corner and makes the points safe for the Socceroos! A brilliant moment to end the night, and finally Australia can breathe!

90th minute: The Socceroos have to hold on for five minutes of added time...

88th minute: Bos' mishit shot falls to McGree, but his shot is blocked off the line by a China defender. Moments later, Australia win the ball back and Miller has a shot from the edge of the area, but he is unable to get his second as the effort flies over the bar.

83rd minute: It's a Socceroos debut for Nishan Velupillay! He replaces Mitch Duke, who hurt his shoulder slightly in the minutes prior.

76th minute: 46,291 fans are attending tonight's game, which is a Socceroos record for Adelaide Oval! Meanwhile, injury forced Lei Li off the field, and Yang Liu replaces him.

74th minute: Another change for the Socceroos, Jordy Bos marks his return from injury and will replace Aziz Behich.

72nd minute: Abduweli sends in a dangerous cross, and Geria has to be alert to head it beyond the onrushing attackers.

68th minute: Two more changes for China as Shihao Wei is replaced by Jin Cheng, and Liangmin Lin is introduced in place of Yuning Zhang.

66th minute: Irvine is caught by Wang Shangyuan, and the Chinese midfielder is given a yellow card.

59th minute: Geria almost gets on the scoresheet as he meets Goodwin's header, but it veers just wide of the goal. Australia look to have a bit of confidence after the goal.

58th minute: We weren't lying when we said it was a screamer, have a look at Goodwin's goal below...

53rd minute: GOAL! AND IT'S A CRAIG GOODWIN HOWITZER! Goodwin runs at a retreating China defence and let's fly from 25 yards. It's a superb strike as it swerves into the top corner, giving Wang no chance. It's the local hero who brings Adelaide to their feet, and potentially revives the Socceroos' qualifying campaign!

46th minute: China have also made a change, with Bakram Abduweli coming on for goalscorer Wenneng Xie.

46th minute: Back underway in Adelaide, and a much better showing needed from the Socceroos to get an all important win. There's two changes at the break, as Riley McGree is on as expected for Nestory Irankunda, and Jason Geria is also on for Thomas Deng. Irankunda did pick up a knock at the end of the half, and the Socceroos will be hoping it isn't a serious injury.

HALF-TIME: Miller's goal was the only shot on target for Australia, despite having 82% of the ball and making 342 passes compared to China's 52. Major improvement needed from the Socceroos.

Watch Miller's goal here:

HALF-TIME: A marathon first half comes to an end, and despite a poor attacking performance, the Socceroos head into the break level thanks to Lewis Miller's stoppage time header. China took a shock lead on the breakthrough Xie Wenning, and it seemed to take the wind out of Australia who became quickly bogged down. Expect the likes of Riley McGree and Ajdin Hrustic to be introduced in the second half as the Socceroos look to unlock China's defence fully

45+4 minutes: China go straight down the other end and almost get a chance through Fei Nanduo, but Souttar puts in a perfect slide tackle to deny him.

45+2 minutes: AUSTRALIA DO HAVE THEIR GOAL! IT'S LEWIS MILLER WITH HIS FIRST INTERNATIONAL GOAL! China giving away constant fouls finally bites them, as Goodwin's delivery is met by the fullback, and his powerful header is too much to handle for Wang. Such an important goal for the Socceroos!

45th minute: Four minutes of added time, Australia will be desperate to go into the break level after a poor first half.

36th minute: Lei Li puts in a strong challenge on Miller, and receives the first booking as a result.

27th minute: A horrible sense of deja vu will hang over Aussie fans right now. China now have something tangible to hold onto, and the Socceroos' struggles at breaking down a low block could be exposed, unless Australia decide to really go at the throat of this Chinese defence.

23rd minute: Irankunda tries to spark the Socceroos into life with an effort from distance, but it fizzes wide of the goal.

20th minute: CHINA SCORE! Against the run of play they have their first good bit of play as Yuning Zhang uses his strength to hold off Deng, and the ball find Wenneng Xie. He takes his opportunity to full effect and slots it past a despairing Joe Gauci. It;s the worst possible start for Tony Popovic!

15th minute: 83% of the ball but just two shots so far, that will need to change.

11th minute: Some decent work down the left gives Behich a chance to swing a delivery in, but it's dealt with by Wang in goal. Not the worst start for the Socceroos, but they need to be clinical and take their chances soon to avoid a repeat of last month's performances.

5th minute: Aiden O'Neill picks up on a loose ball and fires an effort at goal, but it's blocked for a third corner of the game for Australia.

4th minute: A foul on the right wing gives Craig Goodwin a chance to swing a delivery into the box, but Wang Dalei deals with it in goal for China.

KICKOFF: The Tony Popovic era is officially underway! Will it begin with a bang?

Three minutes before kickoff: Anthems done, kickoff is just around the corner!

10 minutes before kickoff: Adelaide Oval is almost full, and the teams will soon be entering the field of play; it's the first time the Socceroos have played in the city in seven years!

20 minutes before kickoff: More stats, the boffins think the Socceroos should get up, fans and pundits will be desperate for this to happen (me included!)

30 minutes before kickoff: Some quick stats for your pre-match reading... Australia was won seven of their 13 full international encounters against China, with two draws in between including the last meeting in 2022 World Cup qualifiers. The last time China beat Australia was in 2013 at the East Asian Cup.

40 minutes before kickoff: When the Socceroos squad was announced last week, the biggest news was the return of Massimo Luongo after his supposed international retirement. However he was a late withdrawal from the squad, read our explanation of the situation here.

1 hour before kickoff: Tony Popovic's first ever starting lineup contains a few changes! Captain Maty Ryan has been dropped for South Australian Joe Gauci, whilst Thomas Deng has also been drafted into the starting lineup, as Popovic looks to employ a back five. Nestory Irankunda starts as well in his home city where he made his name, and Aiden O'Neill is also in the starting team ahead of Keanu Baccus.

  • Socceroos (3-4-2-1, right to left): Joe Gauci (GK) — Harry Souttar, Kye Rowles, Thomas Deng — Lewis Miller, Jackson Irvine, Aiden O'Neill, Aziz Behich — Nestory Irankunda, Craig Goodwin — Mitch Duke

China's lineup is also in, and there has also been a shuffling of the pack by Branko Ivankovic. 

Wei Zhu, Gao Zhunyi, Baihelamu Abduwaili, and Haijian Wang all drop out of the side, and are replaced by Shangyuan Wang, Yuanyi Li, Zhang Yuning, Hei Hetao and Shenglong Jiang.

  • China (numerical order): Jiang Guangtai, Li Lei, Shangyuan Wang, Li Yuanyi, Zhang Yuning, Wei Shihao, Hu Hetao, Wang Dalei, Jiang Shenglong, Fei Nanduo, Zie Wenneng

2 hours before kickoff: Hello and welcome to Sporting News' live coverage of the Socceroos vs. China World Cup qualifier! The Tony Popovic era for Australia begins in Adelaide, and there will be no time for settling in for the new coach, as he simply must lead the Socceroos to victory in his first game in charge less than a month after replacing Graham Arnold. He is bolstered by the return of some key players and will hope for new manager bounce, and is also up against a China side in worse shape than the Socceroos coming into this one. The last international window taught Australia nothing is guaranteed, and that underestimating opponents can lead to dire consequences. That certainly could be the case if Australia fails to win in the city of churches tonight, as their qualification hopes would be hanging on by a prayer.

Socceroos vs. China kick off time

The Socceroos vs. China match kicks off in Adelaide at 7:40 p.m. local time.

Here's how that time translates across the rest of Australia

 RegionKickoff time
Sydney8:10 p.m. AEDT
Melbourne8:10 p.m. AEDT
Brisbane7:10 p.m. AEST
Adelaide7:40 p.m. ACDT
Perth5:10 p.m. AWST

Socceroos vs. China lineups, team news

Tony Popovic's hand has been strengthened by the return of some key players, with Jordy Bos at fullback at Riley McGree and Ajdin Hrustic in the midfield.

In a must-win game, none have been put into the starting lineup, though changes still have been made; the biggest is captain Maty Ryan being dropped for Joe Gauci in goal, whilst Thomas Deng also comes into centre back alongside Harry Souttar and Kye Rowles.

Socceroos (3-4-2-1, right to left): Joe Gauci (GK) — Harry Souttar, Kye Rowles, Thomas Deng — Lewis Miller, Jackson Irvine, Aiden O'Neill, Aziz Behich — Nestory Irankunda, Craig Goodwin — Mitch Duke

Socceroos subs: Maty Ryan, Jordy Bos, Patrick Yazbek, Nishan Velupillay, Jason Geria, Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, Ajdin Hrustic, Paul Izzo, Riley McGree, Keanu Baccus, Luke Brattan, Cameron Burgess

China head coach Branko Ivanovic is under pressure to get results, which could lead him to make key changes for the match against Australia.

His task is complicated by injuries to key strikers Yang Zexiang and Wu Lei, with Cheng Jin and Hu Hetao set to deputise in their place for the October internationals.

China (4-4-2, right to left): Dalei Wang (GK) — Tyias Browning, Hetao Hu, Shenglong Jiang, Lei Le — Wenneng Xie, Shangyuan Wang, Yuanyi Li, Shihao Wei — Fei Nuando, Yuning Zhang

China subs: Yan Junling, Wei Zhen, Xu Haoyang, Lin Liangming, Liu Dianzuo, Cheng Jin, Han Pengfei, Liu Yang, Wang Haijian, Hijang Zhengyu, Baihelamu Abduwaili

Socceroos vs. China live stream, TV channel

The match will be broadcast on free-to-air TV via Channel 10, who will also be making the game available on their streaming service 10PLAY.

The game will also be available on the streaming platform Paramount+, which is something of a one stop shop for Australian football in recent times.

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Patrick Brischetto

Patrick Brischetto Photo

Patrick is a journalist currently based in Sydney who covered the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 Women's World Cup for The Sporting News. He also holds a position at the Western Sydney Wanderers FC, and is slowly attempting to convince the world that the A-League is the greatest sporting competition.