Reno Piscopo scored a stunning free kick but a late Iraq equaliser ensured Australia U-23's national team opened their AFC U-23 Championship campaign with a 1-1 draw.
Graham Arnold's side were on course to open their Group A account with three points after Wellington Phoenix starlet Piscopo opened the scoring with a remarkable long-range effort just over the hour mark.
However, Iraq replied via substitute Mohammad Qasem's strike as the two sides were forced to settle for a share of the spoils at the Thammasat Stadium, Pathum Thani, Thailand.
READ: Australia’s U-23 men’s football team pledge support to Australia’s Bushfire Appeal
WATCH: Australia’s Group A games shown on My Football YouTube Channel & Kayo Sports
Australia dominated the possession early and Piscopo dragged a sighting wide after Trent Buhagiar found the Phoenix attacker coming in alone at the back post, while Al Hassan Toure had the ball in the net only for the goal to be ruled out because of an infringement Buhagiar had made on Iraq midfielder Abdulabbas Ayad Khalaf Albu-Darray in the lead up.
Piscopo continued to threaten the Iraq defence and rolled in another effort which narrowly missed after being set up by Gabriel Cleur, while an ambitious try from Aidan O'Neill flew over the crossbar.
Sadeq Zamil had headed an early corner opportunity off target and Hussain Jabar's free kick sailed wide of Thomas Glover's post but the Australia U-23 'keeper was otherwise relatively untroubled in the Australia goal as the two teams broke for the interval.
Arnold's side continued to pressure the Iraq goal after the break and would find the breakthrough through Piscopo's moment of magic.
Having been tripped outside the box by Mohammed Ridha Jalil, Piscopo thrashed the resulting set-piece into the top right hand corner, leaving Iraq shotstopper Ali Kadhim Hadi with no chance.
Australia looked to double their advantage but were left to rue a turnover which allowed Qasem to pounce and curled the ball past Glover to equaliser on 79 minutes.
Arnold's men mustered a late pash with Dylan Ryan's header coming off the foot of the post as the two sides settled for an opening point.
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW: Ultimate guide to the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship
The AFC U-23 Championship sees Australia competing for a place at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games alongside 15 other Asian nations.
Australia’s Group A games will be streamed on the My Football YouTube Channel and shown on Kayo Sports.
Arnold’s charges will play Thailand in their second match of the tournament on Saturday, 11 January 2020 (local time) at what is expected to be a well-attended fixture at the iconic Rajamangala Stadium, before rounding out their Group A campaign with a game against Bahrain on Tuesday, 14 January 2020 at Thammasat Stadium.
The top three nations at the AFC U-23 Championship Thailand 2020 (excluding Japan) will secure a place as one of Asia’s representatives in the men’s football competition at the forthcoming Tokyo Games.
Australia U-23 Men’s National Team Squad | AFC U-23 Championship Thailand 2020
Name |
Club, Country |
Keanu BACCUS |
Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Australia |
Daniel BOUMAN |
SC Cambuur, Netherlands |
Trent BUHAGIAR |
Sydney FC, Australia |
Gabriel CLEUR |
U.S. Alessandria, Italy |
Nicholas D’AGOSTINO |
Perth Glory FC, Australia |
Thomas DENG |
Melbourne Victory, Australia |
Zach DUNCAN |
AGF Aarhus, Denmark |
Ben FOLAMI |
Ipswich Town FC, England |
Denis GENREAU |
Melbourne City FC, Australia |
Alex GERSBACH |
AGF Aarhus, Denmark |
Thomas GLOVER (Gk) |
Melbourne City FC, Australia |
Jordan HOLMES (Gk) |
Ebbsfleet United FC, England |
Jacob ITALIANO |
Borussia Monchengladbach, Germany |
Joshua LAWS |
Fortuna Dusseldorf II, Germany |
Daniel MARGUSH (Gk) |
Adelaide United, Australia |
Connor METCALFE |
Melbourne City FC, Australia |
Tass MOURDOUKOUTAS |
Western Sydney Wanderers FC, Australia |
Ramy NAJJARINE |
Melbourne City FC, Australia |
Aiden O’NEILL |
Brisbane Roar FC, Australia |
Connor O’TOOLE |
Brisbane Roar FC, Australia |
Reno PISCOPO |
Wellington Phoenix FC, Australia |
Dylan RYAN |
Willem II Tilburg, Netherlands |
Al Hassan TOURE |
Adelaide United, Australia |
Australia U-23 v Thailand U-23 – AFC U-23 Championship Thailand 2020
Date: Saturday, 11 January 2020
Venue: Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand
Kick-off: 8.15pm (local); 12.15am + 1 (Sunday, 12 January AEDT)
Click here for tickets
Broadcast: MyFootball YouTube Channel, Kayo Sports
Australia U-23 v Bahrain U-23 – AFC U-23 Championship Thailand 2020
Date: Tuesday, 14 January 2020
Venue: Thammasat Stadium, Pathum Thani, Thailand
Kick-off: 8.15pm (local); 12.15am +1 (Wednesday, 15 January AEDT)
Click here for tickets
Broadcast: MyFootball YouTube Channel, Kayo Sports
MORE: ‘Five kids will be Caltex Socceroos by end of 2020’: Opportunity knocking for Arnold’s U-23 squad
Q&A: Al Hassan Toure: ‘I want to let younger generations know that anything is possible’