Irvine Strikes Once More as Australia Triumphs Over China in Key World Cup Qualifier

Australia moved a step closer to securing automatic qualification for the World Cup after a solid 2-0 triumph over China in Changzhou on Tuesday.

This latest away victory follows their impressive 5-1 rout of Indonesia last week, placing the Socceroos second in Group C with 13 points, three points clear of Saudi Arabia and holding a significantly better goal difference.

The top two teams from the group will qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup to be held in North America.

However, Australia’s path to qualification will not be straightforward as they face already-qualified group leaders Japan at home and travel to Saudi Arabia for their final qualifier in June, making the race potentially thrilling until the end.

At the bottom of the group, China remain on six points but still have a glimmer of hope to finish third or fourth, which would enable them to progress to a subsequent qualifying round.

They have two critical matches remaining, facing Indonesia away and Bahrain at home.

Australia controlled the match from the outset in Hangzhou, preserving Tony Popovic’s unbeaten streak since taking on the head coach role back in September.

Jackson Irvine opened the scoring for Australia in the 16th minute with a well-placed shot that capitalised on a lapse in Chinese defence.

The 32-year-old FC St Pauli midfielder pounced on a loose ball in the penalty area after his previous attempt was blocked, navigating through two hesitant challenges before firing in with his left foot.

A significant mistake from goalkeeper Wang Dalei handed Australia their second goal in the 29th minute.

Nishan Velupillay’s mishit shot should have been an easy catch for the Chinese captain, but instead, it slipped through his fingers, rebounding off him and rolling over the line, marking the Australian’s third goal in just five international appearances.

Brazilian-born Serginho (known as Sai Erjiniao in Chinese), who recently gained Chinese nationality, made his international debut in the second half.

He nearly made an immediate impact, but Australian goalkeeper Mathew Ryan managed to tip his fierce strike from the edge of the box over the bar.

China, supported by over 70,000 passionate fans, sought to intensify their efforts in the closing stages but struggled to create meaningful chances against a team ranked 64 places higher in FIFA’s standings.