Australia cruise past India in Asian Cup football Group B opener

India's midfielder #07 Anirudh Thapa and defender #02 Rahul Bheke fight for the ball with Australia's forward #09 Bruno Fornaroli during the Qatar 2023 AFC Asian Cup Group B football match between Australia and India at the Ahmad Ali Stadium in Al-Rayyan,Doha on Saturday (Jan 13, 2024). - AFP

AL RAYYAN, Qatar (Reuters): Australia beat India 2-0 in their Asian Cup Group B opener on Saturday, with second-half goals from Jackson Irvine and substitute Jordan Bos in front of a crowd largely made up of Indian fans at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.

After a cagey opening half, Australia got on the board in the 50th minute when Indian keeper Gurpreet Singh failed to deal with a cross, with his tame effort to palm it away falling to Irvine in the box who pounced to score.