Watch all the highlights of the Socceroos’ 2-0 win over Bahrain in Australia’s final competitive clash before the Asia Cup.
The Socceroos completed their preparations for the AFC Asian Cup with a 2-0 friendly win over Bahrain in Abu Dhabi on Sunday morning (AEDT).
Amin Benadi’s first-half own goal gave Australia the upper hand at Baniyas Stadium, before Mitchell Duke’s header sealed the match in the 61st minute. Graham Arnold’s side kept a clean sheet in their last match before the start of the Asian Cup in January. On the 13th, the first match of the group stage will be against India.
Debutant Gethin Jones started for Australia and was number 639 for the Socceroos in his first international camp, while former Central Coast Mariners star Samuel Silvera made his first start for the Socceroos in the 2-0 win. .
Australia had 59% possession but only had seven shots on goal compared to Bahrain’s six in a tense game. Craig Goodwin contributed to many of the Socceroos’ best attacking plays, including creating the opening goal with a great pass from the left and assisting Duke’s winning goal at the one-hour mark.
The Socceroos will now look ahead to the start of the Asian Cup group stage, where they will face India (January 13th), Syria (January 18th) and Uzbekistan (January 23rd) in Group B.
Watch highlights from the Socceroos’ 2-0 win over Bahrain below.