There were some strong performances from our Aussies abroad ahead of the international break which will see the Caltex Socceroos face Saudi Arabia and Japan in important World Cup qualifiers. Here's the wrap of the weekend results.
UK
Jackson Irvine can’t stop scoring at the moment, with his latest contribution helping Burton Albion to a 2-0 win over Cardiff City in the Championship.
The midfielder took full advantage when the Welsh side failed to properly clear a set piece, firing through a crowded box from the edge of the area to open the scoring in the 12th minute.
The strike was Irvine’s fifth goal in ten league matches following his move in the summer in what was the first ever league meeting between the two sides.
Aaron Mooy set up what proved to be the winner as Huddersfield Town edged Ipswich Town 1-0 on their travels to extend their lead at the top of the table.
The former A-League star’s delivery from a corner was headed home by teammate Christopher Schindler midway through the second half to seal all three points.
Massimo Luongo’s QPR also picked up three points as the midfielder played the duration of their 2-1 London derby win against Fulham.
Bailey Wright earned bragging rights over Socceroos skipper Mile Jedinak as Preston North End beat Aston Villa 2-0 at Deepdale.
The result saw the sides switch places on the ladder with Preston up to 17th, while Villa dropped two places to 19th, just two clear of the relegation zone.
In League One James Meredith got the better of compatriot Liam Graham as Bradford City earned a 1-0 win against Chesterfield.
Goalkeeper Alex Cisak kept a cleansheet in League Two but Leyton Orient and Barnet FC had to settle for a point each following their stalemate.
Tom Rogic played just over an hour of Celtic’s 1-0 win against Dundee FC in the Scottish Premiership, with the three points seeing them move four points clear at the top with a game in hand.
Rogic stars against Man City in UEFA Champions League
Europe
Panos Armenakas had a dream outing for Udinese’s youth side, with the 18-year-old finding the back of the net and setting up a second a goal in their 2-0 win over Pro Vercelli Youth in Italy’s Campionato Primavera.
The attacking midfielder is pushing to become the youngest Aussie to make his Serie A debut and has reportedly attracted the interest of a number of big European clubs in recent weeks.
Mathew Leckie was withdrawn on the hour mark as Ingolstadt were beaten 2-1 at home by Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga.
Daniel De Silva was a late substitute for Roda JC in the Eredivisie but couldn’t help his side overturn a 1-0 deficit against NEC Nijmegen, who left Stefan Mauk on the bench.
Elsewhere in the Netherlands, Jason Davidson was withdrawn at half-time in FC Groningen’s 2-1 defeat at the hands of Vitesse Arnhem.
Aziz Behich played a full match in Turkey as Bursaspor went down 3-2 to Gaziantepspor in the SuperLig.
Mustafa Amini grabbed a goal off the bench, while Chris Ikonomidis was substituted midway through the second half as Aarhus GF were beaten 2-1 by Odense BK in Denmark.
Brent McGrath and Awer Mabil also suffered a defeat in the Superligaen as Esbjerg fB went down 1-0 loss to AC Horsens.
Asia
In the J-League, Nathan Burns was a second half substitute for FC Tokyo in their away clash against Sanfrecce Hiroshima which the Socceroo's team won 1-0.
