With the Socceroos set to face China as part of their World Cup Qualification campaign, we took a look at the most recent meetings of the sides to see if we could gain any insight into the match ahead.
In September 2021 the Socceroos crushed China 3-0 in Doha. The match was played behind closed doors during the COVID pandemic but the Socceroos had no issue despite the lack of crowds. Mabil, Boyle and Duke got onto the scoresheet in the comprehensive victory which was part of the Socceroo’s 2022 World Cup campaign. The match was the ninth consecutive victory for the Socceroos who had eased through the earlier round of qualifying.
In November 2022 the two sides met again as part of the World Cup qualification process but this time in the UAE. Duke nabbed the Socceroos a lead in the first half but China equalised with a penalty at the 71st minute to tie the game 1-1. Despite the Socceroos dominating possession they only managed to get 5 shots on target and the wheels started to fall off the campaign which eventually saw the Socceroos miss out on direct qualification and need to eventually defeat Peru qualify for the world cup.
The Socceroos definitely have the historical advantage heading into the next game against China however even recent history has shown that the Chinese are capable of an upset.
As a little bonus piece of knowledge, the Socceroo’s last game in China was actually played against Argentina. Following the Argentine’s World Cup win in 2022 the Socceroos participated in a highly publicised friendly which essentially allowed Chinese fans to celebrate Lionel Messi’s iconic world cup victory. 68,000 people filled the stadium in Beijing to watch Argentina ultimately defeat the Aussies 2-0 with Messi scoring a goal in the 2nd minute.
The Beautiful Game 