ADELAIDE, Australia, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- The head coach of Australia's Socceroos has praised his players for remaining calm after conceding the first goal in Thursday night's win against China in the World Cup qualifier in Adelaide.
The Socceroos came from behind to beat China 3-1 in head coach Tony Popovic's first game in charge of the Australian national team.
Speaking after the match, Popovic praised his players for remaining calm and positive after conceding the opening goal in the 20th minute after dominating possession in the early stages of the match.
"The clear indicator was the next five minutes after the goal, we continued to play the same way," Popovic told reporters.
"That can always be a nervy period where you start forcing the action and it ends with an opportunity to concede another goal but they looked really composed and kept playing. That was a good sign for us."
He said that the team was more composed in the second half - after scoring the equalizing goal late in the first half - resulting in the opportunities to score the second and third goals.
The win was the first for the Socceroos in the third stage of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup following a loss against Bahrain and draw with Indonesia in September that prompted the resignation of Popovic's predecessor Graham Arnold.
The Socceroos are aiming to qualify for a sixth consecutive World Cup.
Australia will next face Japan in Saitama on Tuesday. ■
