Doha, 14 January 2024 - Igor Stimac's side had to defend deep in the first-half as their Group B opponents kept majority of the ball and tested the Indian backline with plenty of chances. India also got their fair share of chances early, with Sunil Chhetri coming agonisingly close with a header.
In the second-half, the floodgates opened for Australia as they turned it into a training session. Jackson Irvine opened the scoring in the 50th-minute and then Jordan Bos made it 2-0 in the 73rd-minute. Placed in a group consisting of Australia, Uzbekistan and Syria, India are the least favourites to qualify for the knockouts.
It wasn't a straight forward first half for the Aussies, but they made it their game after half-time, with goals from Irvine and Bos.
Placed in a group consisting of Australia, Uzbekistan and Syria, India are the least favourites to qualify for the knockout stage of the tournament.
India take on Uzbekistan on January 18 and Australia meet Syria on the same day for the second round of Group B matches.
