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The Socceroos are looking to become the first nation to win 11 consecutive matches in a single campaign when they take on Oman in their home away from home in Qatar.
Follow all the action from Doha’s Khalifa International Stadium in our live blog.
Live updates
By Simon Smale
42′ – Another Omani player down and out!
This is incredible. Now it’s the goalscorer Al Mandhar Al Alawi who has gone down all on his own.
The Omani players are all gesturing that he can’t continue, but he walks off under his own steam, rather than be dealt with by the CSI team and the stretcher.
He will continue at the moment…
By Simon Smale
41′ – Chance Socceroos
Nice run from Adam Taggart, who almost latches onto a long ball forward from Ajdin Hrustic, but can’t quite bring it down in the penalty area and the ball is hammered behind for a corner.
By Simon Smale
By Simon Smale
39′ – Caution to Oman
Al Mandhar was tugging the shirt of his opponent very, very obviously, and gets a yellow card.
By Simon Smale
By Simon Smale
32′ – Zahir Sulaiman Abdullah Al Aghbari is down
Oh this is really bad luck for Oman.
Zahir Sulaiman Abdullah Al Aghbari has been brilliant, the 22-year-old number eight.
He was tackled by Jackson Irvine, legally, but as he fell it looks like he’s popped his shoulder out.
Oh what a blow – he’s been so good in Oman’s midfield and a real threat for the Aussies that they’ve not quite got to grips with.
He’s on a stretcher and this is not what anyone (except perhaps some really staunch Socceroos supporters) want to see.
Such is the world we live in that the medics look like CSI extras, but there was no crime here on behalf of Irvine or the Socceroos, just rotten luck.
He’s been replaced by Arshad Al Alawi.
By Simon Smale
31′ – Yellow card Rhyan Grant
That’s an ugly challenge from Grant, whose been caught out a couple of times with some late challenges so far in this game.
This time he’s been booked.
Grant has been training in Scotland between World Cup Qualifiers, rather than come back to Australia and quarantine. He doesn’t look off the pace as such, but here have been a couple of challenges that have gone amiss.
By Simon Smale
Key Event
28′ – GOAL OMAN!
It’s been seven and a half hours since the Socceroos last conceded a goal, but they’ve conceded one here, and it’s a brilliant goal for Al Mandhar Al Alawi.
They moved the ball forward so well from midfield, that man Al Aghbari again doing the damage with a sublime touch.
The ball found its way through to Al Alawi who showed supreme composure to take a touch away from the defenders and rifle a shot past Mat Ryan into the top corner.
Brilliant finish, and Oman deserve this.
By Simon Smale
By Simon Smale
25′ – Chance Socceroos
Nice build up play from one side of the field too the other, Rhyan Grant playing the ball back towards Mabil in the middle, but Oman defends well and gets the ball away.
By Simon Smale
22′ – Chance Socceroos!
Up the other end and Adam Taggart links up beautifully with Martin Boyle, who races towards the penalty area, there’s confusion as the keeper comes but doesn’t really claim the ball but the defence is on hand to hack the ball away from danger.
There might have been a hand ball there too, against Boyle, so a goal probably wouldn’t have counted…
Nethertheless, a good chance again.
End to end stuff in Qatar!
By Simon Smale
21′ – Chance Oman!
That’s another brilliant save from Mat Ryan!
Zahir Sulaiman Abdullah Al Aghbari pounces on a loose ball on the edge of the penalty area and lets fly with a really good shot that forces Ryan into a brilliant full stretch stop away to his left.
By Simon Smale
17′ – Chance Australia!
Tom Rogic forces a really good save from Faiz Al-Rushaidi in the Oman goal.
It was a lovely switch play from right to left, which allowed Aziz Behich to calmly slide the ball inside to Rogic, who bursts into the penalty area and unleashes a powerful drive that flies over the bar, with Al-Rushaidi’s assistance.
The ball did just get caught under his feet a little, which delayed the shot a little. Good chance, though.
By Simon Smale
By Simon Smale
12′ – Chance Oman
The Omani’s are coming strong after conceding, a little error from Tom Rogic allows the 22-year-old Al Aghbari another chance at goal, but this time the defence is there to effect the block.
By Simon Smale
10′ – Chance Oman
Oh wow, a brilliant chance for Oman and a brilliant save from Mat Ryan.
A slip from Irvine in midfield, allowed the ball to be played out to Zahir Sulaiman Abdullah Al Aghbari on the edge of the penalty area, and from close range he’s forced Ryan into acrobatically tipping the ball over the bar!
By Simon Smale
Key Event
9′ – GOAL SOCCEROOS!
Jackson Irvine curled a really nice ball in from the right, which the Oman defence did not handle at all, and Awer Mabil was there to mop up, slamming a powerful shot into the back of the next past the beleaguered Omani goalkeeper.
First shot of the game, first goal.
Great start for Australia.
By Simon Smale
Saudi Arabia lead Japan, China lead Vietnam
Just a quick skim around the grounds.
Saudi Arabia are leading Japan 1-0 in Jeddah, Firas al-Buraikan getting the 71st minute goal.
Big implications for the group, there.
China lead 2-0 over Vietnam in Sharjah, the UAE.
By Simon Smale
1′ – Kick off
We’re underway, with Oman getting things started with a long ball down to their attacking third of the field, and instantly looking to pin the Aussies back inside their own half.
By Simon Smale
Anthems done, kick off next
We’ve had the anthems, Oman’s “as-Salâm as-Solṭâni” has got to be one of the shortest in the world, was over almost before it had begun, and then “Advance Australia Fair”, which was sung with typical gusto.
A completely empty stadium for this one, but it looks a picture, even though it’s already had one game played on it earlier, Iraq vs Lebanon, which finished 0-0.
Here’s how the teams line up.
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