Australia join South Korea in the quarter-finals

DOHA: Mile Jedinak was the toast of Australia again yesterday as his goal sent the Socceroos into the Asian Cup quarter-finals with a 1-0 victory over a dogged Bahrain.

The strapping Turkish-based midfielder scored the equaliser in their 1-1 draw with South Korea on Friday and got the decisive goal here in the 37th minute.

Australia only needed a point to qualify and despite South Korea beating India 4-1, they finished top of Group C on goal difference to avoid heavyweights Iran in the last eight.

Instead, they play the second-placed team from Group D, which will be either Iraq, North Korea or UAE.

South Korea scored twice within the first nine minutes, Ji Dong-won finding the net in the sixth and Koo Ja-cheol doubling the lead three minutes later.

India pulled one back through Sunil Chhetri’s penalty in the 12th minute, before Dong-won restored South Korea’s two-goal cushion in the 23rd minute.

Son Heung-min scored in the 81st after South Korea had wasted a host of chances in the second half.

Australia, who made the last eight at their maiden tournament four years ago but were knocked out by Japan on penalties, went into the match without the injured Luke Wilkshire, Jason Culina and David Carney.

Jade North, Carl Valeri and Matt McKay replaced them and as the game got underway in teeming rain.

With a small but vocal, drum-banging crowd cheering them on at Al-Sadd Stadium, Bahrain took charge as Australia struggled to assert any authority, using the flanks well and sending in some promising crosses.

Everton’s Tim Cahill, up front with Harry Kewell once again, had Australia’s best chance since the opening minutes when his powerful shot flew past the post on 17 minutes after Jedinak won the ball.

The second-half got underway with Mark Schwarzer immediately called into action, forced into a fine diving save from an Abdulatif shot.

Cahill should have settled the match soon after when Mansoor rushed out to head off Kewell, who rounded him and crossed into the box, where the striker misjudged his header and it skimmed wide.

Credit though was due to Bahrain, who never gave up and the dangerous Abdulatif forced another crucial stop from Schwarzer on 67 minutes when the Fulham keeper used his legs to keep out the striker’s well-hit shot.

Knowing they needed to win to stay alive, the Gulf kingdom threw everything they had at Australia as the clock ticked down, but to no avail.