Day four in brief
- Tim Cahill to skipper Socceroos against Oman in absence of Mile Jedinak
- No fairy tale opening for Palestine as they are thumped 4-0 by Japan
- Iraq get off to winning start against Jordan in Group D
Star of the day
Despite hopes in some quarters that it would be Palestine striker Ashraf Nu’man celebrating a headline performance this morning, the game in Newcastle played out entirely as scripted (not the fairy tale version, the other, less interesting one) and the man who is widely credited as being responsible for Palestine’s appearance at the tournament cut a lonely figure up front for much of the match. Instead, it was Japan’s Shinji Kagawa who shone brightest in the Hunter, the Borussia Dortmund playmaker pulling the strings for his side in the one-sided victory.
2 - Shinji #Kagawa is the first player at the @afcasiancup to provide to 2 assists in one game. Creator. #JAPvPAL
— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) January 12, 2015
Something to cheer
Palestine’s mere appearance on the pitch in Newcastle was a real triumph over adversity. The result was never really in doubt, nor was it ever going to truly matter to Palestinian fans with a victory of sorts already registered.
Quote of the day
I got to swap jerseys with Honda. He was a gentleman and I will be keeping it.
Palestine forward Mahmoud Dhadha on a spot of business with Japan’s AC Milan star Keisuke Honda.
What we learned
It seems that the influence of Swindon Town is not restricted to England’s third tier – after the Wiltshire side went top of League One with a 3-0 victory over Coventry on Monday night, the club’s impact was also felt over 10,000 miles away from home. Two of their players have now found the back of the net during the first round of Asian Cup matches; first it was Massimo Luongo in Australia’s opening win over Kuwait, and last night it was Yaser Kasim’s turn to put Swindon on the global football map for the first time since John Moncur’s chest got in the way of Eric Cantona’s studs in the early 1990s.
Photo of the day
Stat of the day
3 - Japan have scored with all three of their shots on target in the first half of their #AC2015 game against Palestine. Ruthless. #JPNvPLE
— OptaJason (@OptaJason) January 12, 2015
What’s on today
The Socceroos’ campaign continues, with their second match to be played in Sydney this evening, against potential banana skin opponents Oman. Canberra hosts the day’s other Group A match Kuwait v South Korea in the early kick-off, and if both results go their way, Australia and Korea could have booked their places in the quarter-finals by 10pm tonight.
What’s happening in the Socceroos’ camp
Tim Cahill has, as expected, been handed the skipper’s armband with Mile Jedinak out injured. Meanwhile coach Ange Postecoglou has promised, nay, guaranteed, excitement at Stadium Australia tonight.
I know it’s not going to please the purists, but I’m happy to win 7-3, 8-3, if it means we’re winning games of football and we’re attacking. That won’t change, absolutely not while I’m in charge.
Number crunching
With the first round of group matches now complete, it seems like as good a time as any to reflect on the popularity of the tournament so far. A total of 107,980 punters have filed through the turnstiles in the five host cities at an average of 13,498 per game. The highest attendance so far was for the Socceroos’ opener against Kuwait (25,231 in Melbourne), the lowest 5,513 to watch UAE play Qatar in Canberra. All in all, not bad figures, especially given the concern in the run-up over slow ticket sales. (Statistics compiled from SBS.)
Today’s games
Group A: Kuwait v South Korea, Canberra 6pm
Group A: Oman v Australia, Sydney 8pm
(All times local)
