“It’s the perfect fixture to have before the Asian Cup”: Arnold’s Men Secure Victory in Our Final Game Before the Asian Cup

Graham Arnold’s Socceroos leave Abu Dhabi with a morale-boosting 2-0 victory over Bahrain in our final fixture before the 2023 Asian Cup kicks off in Qatar.

A composed 2-0 victory over Bahrain saw our Socceroos wrap up their 2023 Asian Cup preparations with a clean sheet and a better understanding of what to expect when we kick off our campaign in Qatar.

Goals on either side of half-time solidified a measured display, with Craig Goodwin forcing an own-goal through a sharp low cross into the box before nodding the ball on a platter for Mitch Duke to thump home on the hour mark. 

Ranked 12th in the Asian Confederation, Bahrain provided a relevant challenge to our Socceroos, defending deep and smothering our chance creation in the final third. Against a strong, tall, and physical opponent, Arnold's men were patient and precise as they broke down a compact and low defensive line.

Arnold's men were controlled in possession, limiting Bahrain from penetrating our defence. While our forwards were prolific in their chance creation, Joe Gauci was left with little work to do on the other end of the pitch, making one diving save when the moment arose but otherwise benefiting behind a study backline that has now recorded 4 consecutive clean sheets in all competitions.

Arnold Reflects on Our Final Game Before the Asian Cup

Graham Arnold reflected on his side's performance, labelling it the perfect fixture to round off the Socceroos Asian Cup preparations.

“For us, I think, for us, it's the perfect fixture to have before the Asian Cup,” Arnold said. “You know, when we play against these types of nations, they sit back. Most nations we played against in the last twelve months haven't really done that.

“I think, you know, they're a strong nation that's getting stronger, and like a lot of the Middle Eastern nations, physically, they were quite bigger than what we expected.”

Despite the strong defensive resistance that Bahrain displayed at Baniyas Stadium, Arnold was satisfied with the way his side managed the game.

“You know, it's very, very hard to train players against that type of opposition in that until you do it real.

“You saw that we were getting better and better as the game went on, breaking them down, but also making sure that we weren't hit on the counter-attack, which they liked to do.

“You know, at the end of the day, I thought they had one shot in ninety minutes. To get away with a clean sheet and come away with that was good.

“Probably a good seven or eight of those players, the players that I had out there, you know, it's probably only the second time they've played outside of Qatar, and in the Middle East and the fields are completely different, and everything's different.

“It's a great learning thing for us before we go across to Doha.

“So, as I said, it was probably the perfect fixture to have before we go into this Asian Cup. No doubt, we’ll get quite a number of teams playing like [Bahrain] as well.”

Squad Depth Heading into the Asian Cup

With one week until our 2023 Asian Cup campaign kicks off in Rawdat Al Jahhaniya, Arnold addressed our squad depth leading into the tournament.

“Well, this is, you know, the purpose of what I've tried to do the last four years is win games, but at the same time, create depth.

“If you look at the six players I bought on, you know, four years ago, I probably wouldn't have had anywhere near that depth.

“You know, I've got headaches. I'm gonna have headaches over the next few weeks around the starting lineups. It’s great to have that depth, but as I said, I’ll have a few headaches over the next few weeks.”

Joe Gauci kept his first clean sheet in his second-ever appearance for the Socceroos, stepping in effectively for captain Mathew Ryan, who is recovering from a broken cheekbone.

“It was good to get Joe Gauchi on the pitch and give him that opportunity,” Arnold said.

“You know, obviously, in the goalkeeping department, we've got to build depth as well. I thought he did very well.

Graham Arnold took full advantage of his squad depth, making six substitutions as his side left the field with a 2-0 win.

“Boys who didn't play did a lot of running at the end of the game, and the ones who come off, none of them were taken off because of injuries; they were taken off just to make those substitutions and changes for match minutes.”

Our Standout Players Against Bahrain

Bolton Wanderers right-back Gethin Jones became cap #639, putting in a solid shift on his Socceroos debut. Jones won 100% of his tackles and aerial duels while making 4 clearances, 3 interceptions, and 3 recoveries while maintaining an 89% pass accuracy in his 80-minute cameo.

Stand-in Skipper Jackson Irvine put in a MOTM performance with a strong performance in the heart of the action. With an 82% passing rate, 9 key passes into the final third, 1 interception and 3 successful tackles, Irvine was an engine in midfield.

Mitchell Duke scored his 12th Socceroos goal to secure last night’s result, launching into the box to head home our second, while Craig Goodwin continued to look deadly down the left, forcing the opening own-goal before providing the decisive assist for Duke.

Our defensive line was once again unbreakable, with Harry Souttar and Cameron Burgess locking up the centre of the park. Souttar completed over 100 accurate passes across the ninety minutes, while Burgess played key passes and long balls into the final third.

“Monday, we fly over to Doha, and then off we go and get ourselves ready [for the Asian Cup],” Arnold said.

Our Socceroos kick off their 2023 Asian Cup campaign against India next Saturday evening at the new Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, located in the district of Rawdat Al Jahhaniya, Qatar.

Match Details

Bahrain 0 
Subway Socceroos 2 (Benaddi OG 35', Duke 61')
Saturday, 6 January 2024
Baniyas Stadium, Abu Dhabi
 

SUBWAY SOCCEROOS AFC ASIAN CUP QATAR 2023TM FIXTURES (GROUP B)

Australia v India
Saturday, 13 January 2024
Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
Kick-off: 2:30pm local (10:30pm AEDT)
Broadcast: Network 10 and Paramount+

Syria v Australia
Thursday, 18 January 2024
Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha
Kick-off: 2:30pm local (10:30pm AEDT)
Broadcast: Network 10 and Paramount+

Australia v Uzbekistan
Tuesday, 23 January 2024
Al Janoub Stadium, Doha
Kick-off: 2:30pm local (10:30pm AEDT)
Broadcast: Network 10 and Paramount+

Every AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 match will be live on Paramount+