Australia’s preparations for the forthcoming AFC U-23 Championship in Thailand continued in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, with the green and gold drawing 1-1 with Korea Republic in a friendly match played in Malaysia’s capital.
The game at the Bola Sepak Stadium was an even affair, with the teams unable to be split at either half-time (0-0) or full-time (1-1).
Korea Republic took the lead following a counterattack in the 72nd minute of the game, however Australia produced a swift response with Adelaide United attacker Al Hassan Toure restoring parity to the contest just three minutes later.
Toure took his chance well, striking a sweet effort beyond Korea’s custodian from just inside the box.
The green and gold finished the match with the better of the play however ultimately a draw was a fair reflection of the encounter.
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Australia’s U-23 national team head coach, Graham Arnold, was pleased with the hit-out which afforded both nations the opportunity to utilise their full squads ahead of the tournament proper.
“I was pleased with the performance given we played two fifty (50) minute halves on a difficult pitch against one of the best teams in Asia,” Arnold said.
“It was a promising performance and while there is still a lot of improvement to come, the players looked fit and ready to compete in Thailand.
“Both teams changed their entire squads at half time, which provided the opportunity for our all our players to acclimatise prior to heading to Bangkok,” he said.
Australia’s squad will travel to Thailand’s capital on Saturday and play their first match at the AFC U-23 Championship on Wednesday, 8 January 2020 against Iraq.
Additional Group A games against Thailand (11/1) and Bahrain (14/1) will follow.
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Match Details
Australia 1
Korea Republic 1
Stadium Bola Sepak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Friday, 3 January 2020
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 Men’s National Team – Upcoming Fixtures
Iraq U-23 v Australia U-23 – AFC U-23 Championship Thailand 2020
Date: Wednesday, 8 January 2020
Venue: Thammasat Stadium, Pathum Thani, Thailand
Kick-off: 5.15pm (local); 9.15pm (AEDT)
Tickets: http://www.thaiticketmajor.com/afc-u23-2020/
Broadcast: To be confirmed
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 (AEDT)
Tickets: http://www.thaiticketmajor.com/afc-u23-2020/
Broadcast: To be confirmed
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 (AEDT)
Tickets: http://www.thaiticketmajor.com/afc-u23-2020/
Broadcast: To be confirmed