Australia secured their passage to the Asian Cup quarterfinals with a 4-0 win over Indonesia.
The scoreline did not reflect the closeness of the game, with Indonesia causing the Socceroos problems for large portions of the 90 minutes — especially in the first half — but two goals in each half helped Graham Arnold's men claim victory.
Australia hit the front early as Jackson Irvine's cross was deflected into his own goal by defender Elkan Baggot. Indonesia had a series of chances through the likes of Justin Hubner and Marselino Ferdinand, but the underdogs were unable to find their cutting edge despite creating more openings and being better in possession than their more esteemed opponents.
Australia vs Indonesia final score
Score | Goal scorers | |
Australia | 4 | Baggot (OG) 12', Boyle 45', Goodwin 89', Souttar 90+1' |
Indonesia | 0 |
Their wastefulness was punished on the brink of halftime as Martin Boyle's brave diving header from a Gethin Jones delivery saw Australia double their lead and leave Indonesia with a mountain to climb.
The quality of the match deteriorated in the second half, with neither side having a shot till the 80th minute, but Australia finished the game strongly whilst Indonesia tired, as substitute Craig Goodwin taped home the rebound from an Irvine header before Harry Souttar added the cherry on top as he headed home a free-kick from close range.
The Socceroos will play either Saudi Arabia or South Korea in their quarterfinal on Saturday morning Australian time.
MORE: Watch every match of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 only on Paramount+
Australia vs Indonesia live updates, highlights, and commentary
FULLTIME
The score doesn't necessarily reflect the nature of the game, but two late goals give Australia a comfortable 4-0 win over a spirited Indonesia side in the first Round of 16 match at the 2023 Asian Cup. It was a match that lacked quality on both attacking ends of the pitch - we had to wait 35 minutes for a shot in the second half - but an Elkan Baggot own goal, as well as strikes from Martin Boyle, Craig Goodwin and Harry Souttar helped Australia progress to the quarterfinals once again, though question marks still remain over whether their performances merit their place in the discussion of favourites to win the tournament.
90+4 minutes: Struick picks up a late yellow for a shove on Atkinson.
90+1 minutes: GOOOOAAALLLL!!!!!!! TWO IN TWO MINUTES FOR AUSTRALIA! It's big Harry Souttar who breaks away from his markers and heads home Goodwin's free-kick from close range. It's a harsh scoreline on a resilient Indonesia side, but a clinical Australia has punished them at the end of this one.
90th minute: There will be four minutes of added time to end this Round of 16 encounter.
89th minute: GOOOAAAALLLL!!!!!! AUSTRALIA SEAL THEIR PLACE IN THE QUARTERFINALS! Finally a moment of quality in this second half as Atkinson's cross is well headed by Irvine; the shot is saved by Sutaryadi but is tapped home by Craig Goodwin, who makes an instant impact off the bench.
86th minute: Final changes for Australia, as Craig Goodwin and Aiden O'Neill enter the fray in place of Jordan Bos and Keanu Baccus.
84th minute: Space opens up for substitute Nathaniel Atkinson, but his shot bounces wide.
81st minute: Finally a shot! Boyle's long ball is missed by Baggot, which allows Duke an open line to goal, but he shanks it horribly and it goes wide. A missed opportunity for the Socceroos
80th minute: Heading into the final 10 minutes, still not a single shot from either side in this second half...
75th minute: Another change for Indonesia, as Sayuri comes off for Ramadhani.
68th minute: Indonesia's Sandy Walsh goes into the book for a foul, whilst Australia's Jones is on the turf injured; Nathaniel Atkinson looks ready to replace him.
64th minute: A silly moment from Jones as he retaliates at Struick after the latter appears to foul the Australia full back. It causes something of a flareup in the centre of the pitch, and Jones is given a yellow card.
61st minute: Australia make a double change, as Connor Metcalfe and the returning Mitch Duke come on for Riley McGree and Bruno Fornaroli.
58th minute: Indonesia make their first change, as captain Asnawi Bahar comes off for Witan Sulaeman.
56th minute: It's been an underwhelming start to the half from both sides, as neither are able to keep the ball or have any real moments of quality.
46th minute: Back underway for the second half, can Australia hold on? Or will Indonesia find their cutting edge and give us a frantic finish?
Half time: It was a brave header from Martin Boyle, who didn't go unscathed, but it could be a crucial one for his country...
MARTIN BOYLE HAS SCORED A BRAVE HEADER FOR AUSTRALIA!
— 10 Football (@10FootballAU) January 28, 2024
Going parallel with the ground, Boyle had a close encounter with the goal post.
Watch the @Socceroos lead Indonesia 2-Nil in Doha, live & free on @Channel10AU.
💻📺📱 : https://t.co/M14OJmndRV #AUSvIDN #Socceroos #AsianCup2023 pic.twitter.com/ifAPQj1d1u
HALF TIME
It's perhaps an unfair scoreline on Indonesia, who have shown great promise and created more chances than their opponents, but Australia head into the changerooms with a 2-0 lead thanks to an Elkan Baggot own goal and a Martin Boyle diving header. Australia's same old problems in attack have been apparent, as they failed to get a shot on goal until Boyle's header, but Indonesia haven't been able to have the calmness and composure to punish Australia's mistakes in possession. Indonesia now have a mountain to climb if they are to pull off a major upset.
45th minute: GOOOOAAAALLLL!!!!! AUSTRALIA HAVE A SECOND WITH THEIR FIRST SHOT ALL GAME! They've had a period in possession and have been rewarded as Martin Boyle scores in his second game in a row. Gethin Jones swings in a great cross that allows Boyle to execute a brilliant diving header at the far post. Another harsh moment on Indonesia, but Australia have been clinical here.
41st minute: Another well worked move by Indonesia gives Ferdinan a chance on the edge of the area, but it's got too much power on it, and is over the bar.
39th minute: Irvine loses possession, and Ferdinan swings in a ball to Sayuri, but his effort is wild and over the bar.
31st minute: The game is in a bit of a lull, as both teams are aiming for the defence splitting pass but aren't able to get their execution right.
23rd minute: Some nice build up play from Indonesia gives Hubner a chance from the edge of the area, but the curling effort is too close to Ryan and he is able to hold it easily.
15th minute: Fornaroli attempts a spectacular bicycle kick, but accidentally connects with defender Sandy Walsh, and receives a yellow card as a result.
12th minute: GOOOAAAALLLL!!!!!! THE SOCCEROOS LEAD! There was a big slice of luck as Jackson Irvine's cross takes a deflection off Elkan Baggot and wrongfoots Ernando Sutaryadi and goes into the back of the net. Slightly harsh on Indonesia who have started well, but Graham Arnold will hope that goal is something of a settler for his side.
JACKSON IRVINE HAS DONE IT AGAIN!!
— 10 Football (@10FootballAU) January 28, 2024
A deflection and Australia are in!!
The @Socceroos are 1-Nil up over Indonesia!
Watch Australia vs Indonesia in the @afcasiancup, live and free on @Channel10AU now!
📱📺💻: https://t.co/M14OJmndRV #socceroos #AUSvIDN #asiancup2023 pic.twitter.com/22tZfNlol0
6th minute: Big chance for Indonesia, Hubner finds some space on the left to whip ina. low cross, and Struick evades the Australian defenders and his shot is only just over the bar. An early warning side for the Socceroos to be on their toes in this one.
3rd minute: Early half chance for Australia as Bruno Fornaroli and Jackson Irvine link up down the left, but the latter's cross has too much elevation for Martin Boyle. Moments later, Bos gets past Baggot and his cross has to be cleared for a throw.
KICK OFF
Knockout football begins at the Asian Cup, no second chances for any of the 16 teams left. Can Indonesia cause one of the biggest upsets in tournament history against Australia? Or will the Socceroos finally perform to expectations at the tournament?
4 mins to kickoff: The anthems are done, not far away from kickoff here in Qatar...
7 mins to kickoff: The teams enter the field, a huge roar greeting them!
10 mins to kickoff: The numbers say Australia are huge favourites, with Opta predicting Australia have a 73.7% chance of victory. The only number that matters though are the ones on the scoreboard, though...
73.7% - The Opta Predictor gives the @Socceroos a 73.7% chance of winning in 90 minutes against Indonesia - the highest of any of the remaining 16 teams in the #AsianCup2023. Calculate. #AUSvIDN pic.twitter.com/dgvsBzWTQD
— OptaJason (@OptaJason) January 28, 2024
30 mins to kickoff: The teams are out and warming up at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in what looks like a fine day for football!
Warm-ups at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium pic.twitter.com/sGgSjwfdLL
— Anna Harrington (@AnnaHarrington) January 28, 2024
1hr to kickoff: Indonesia's lineup is also in, and they have made three changes to the side that was defeated by Japan. Elkan Baggot returns to defence as Sandy Walsh shifts to centre back in place of Rizky Ramadhani. Aswani Bahar, and Shayne Pattynama also enter the side as wing backs in a 3-4-3 formation.
- Indonesia confirmed starting lineup: Sutaryadi (GK) — Walsh, Amat, Baggot — Bahar, Jenner, Hubner, Pattynama — Sayuri, Struick, Ferdinan
1hr 10 mins to kickoff: It appears the Socceroos starting lineup has been announced, with two changes made to the side that drew with Uzbekistan. Bruno Fornaroli starts over Kusini Yengi, whilst Gethin Jones returns to the starting side in the place of Nathaniel Atkinson.
- Australia confirmed starting lineup: Ryan (GK) — Jones, Souttar, Rowles, Behich — McGree, Baccus, Irvine — Boyle, Fornaroli, Bos
Two changes to the #Socceroos against Indonesia.
— Joseph Lynch (@joeylynchy) January 28, 2024
Bruno Fornaroli comes in for Kusini Yengi and Gethin Jones replaces Nathaniel Atkinson.
Craig Goodwin and Mitch Duke are on the bench. Tommy Deng, Lewis Miller, and Patrick Yazbek are inactive.#AsianCup2023 @ESPNAusNZ @ESPNFC
📋 Two changes to the starting line up for our Round of 16 match.
— Subway Socceroos (@Socceroos) January 28, 2024
🇦🇺 v 🇮🇩 - 28.1.24, 10:30pm AEDT
📱💻📺 Live on Channel 10, Paramount+, 10 Play#AUSvIDN #Socceroos #AsianCup2023 #DifferentBreed pic.twitter.com/9qbgS37b8C
1hr 30 mins to kickoff: Socceroos fans can take solace in Australia's record in their country's record in the first knockout round of the Asian Cup, having won three of their four previous meetings at this stage, with a quarterfinal loss to Japan in 2007 being their only blemish. In 2019, they did have to go all the way to penalties, but two saves from Maty Ryan saw them progress over Uzbekistan.
2 hours prior to kickoff: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of the first Round of 16 match at the 2023 Asian Cup between Australia and Indonesia. Australia flattered to deceive in the group stages despite topping Group B, with their attack largely failing to fire, but they will still be favourites against an Indonesia side playing in their first ever knockout round game at the tournament in their history. They lost two matches in the group stages, but their 1-0 win over Vietnam was enough to see them progress as one of the top third placed teams. Socceroos coach Graham Arnold has bristled and fan and press criticism against his side this week, but will need a strong performance and result to quieten the critics.
Single elimination football. A place in the quarter finals on the line. 👊
— Subway Socceroos (@Socceroos) January 28, 2024
🏟️ Jassim bin Hamad Stadium
🇦🇺 v 🇮🇩 - 28.1.24, 10:30pm AEDT
📱💻📺 Live on Channel 10, Paramount+, 10 Play#AUSvIDN #Socceroos #AsianCup2023 #DifferentBreed pic.twitter.com/kVEDOEeY0Q
Australia vs Indonesia lineups, team news
Australia will still be without striker Mitch Duke, who is still recovering from a hamstring injury; Kusini Yengi was picked to start in his place in the final group match, and he helped win a controversial penalty in the first half.
To fix Australia’s attacking woes, Graham Arnold could move Jordan Bos back to his preferred position of left back and return Craig Goodwin to the starting side at left wing - the experienced winger hasn’t been sighted since being substituted against India.
Indonesia have opted for a cautious 5-4-1 setup during the group stage, something they will likely adopt again especially given Australia’s struggles in breaking down the low block.
Goalkeeper Ernando Sutaryadi was impressive in the win over Vietnam and the defeat to Japan despite conceding three goals, as has Marselino Ferdinan, who scored in the defeat to Iraq and has played on both the wing and in central midfield so far this tournament.
Australia vs. Indonesia: How to watch, live stream Asian Cup game
All of the Socceroos' Asian Cup games – including their match against Indonesia – will be shown live on free-to-air TV via Channel 10.
Fans looking to stream the match can do so via 10Play or Paramount+.
The game is taking place at the xxx on January 28, with kick-off slated for 2:30 p.m. local time (10:30 p.m. AEDT).