Australia and China ready to kick-start long rivalry

China’s goalkeeper Wang Dalei prepares to train ahead of the Asian Cup quarter-finals match against Australia in Brisbane on Wednesday (Reuters photo by Edgar Su)

BRISBANE — Australia versus China: it should be one of the great rivalries in Asian football.

That it is not, at least right now, is a reflection on how long the two regional powerhouses have taken to embrace the world’s most popular game.

But the times are changing quickly and on Thursday, the two nations will lock horns in the quarter-finals at the Asian Cup.

The stakes are high and in years to come, this match could be remembered as the start of a long battle for Asian supremacy.

The countries have played each other 10 times before, with Australia winning five times, China four times and the other match drawn, but this will be the first time in a major competition.

There are more than just bragging rights on the line. Neither country has won the Asian Cup before and both have even grander ambitions, investing millions of dollars to develop the talent they need to become a contender at the World Cup.

Although Australia is a newcomer to the Asian Cup, entering the competition for the first time in 2007 after ditching Oceania in search of tougher competition, the pressure is on.

The popularity of the sport in Australia has been rising steadily since the Socceroos ended a 32-year drought by qualifying for the 2006 World Cup and winning the Asian Cup on home soil would be a major shot in the arm for the code.

But an early exit for a team that made the final four years ago and was vying with Japan as favourites would be a major setback.

“The knowledge that we’re in knockout mode now, the pressure increases on everyone,” Australia coach Ange Postecoglou told reporters on Wednesday.

“You don’t get an extra chance just because you won your three group games. Previous records are extinguished and we’re all starting from the same place and it comes down to a game of football.”

Australia will start as slight favourites despite suffering a surprise 1-0 loss to South Korea in its final pool match, a result that saw it finish as group runners-up and pitting it against China, who topped its group after winning its three pool matches.

The Australians piled on eight goals in their first two matches but squandered a stack of chances against the Koreans when Postecoglou rested some of his key attackers and Socceroos captain Mile Jedinak sat the game out because of an injury.

Jedinak has been cleared to make his return on Thursday and Postecoglou said all his players had recovered from the group phase.

“We’re expecting a difficult game but we’re well prepared and ready for anything,” Postecoglou said. “If we improve in our performance we’ll be hard to beat.”

China only just scraped into the tournament after a poor qualifying campaign but has been a revelation under French coach Alain Perrin.

“We’ve improved a lot because we have been choosing players who are real fighters and in good condition,” said Perrin, speaking through a translator.

“It’s winter in Beijing now and very cold so we want to win the match so we can stay here.

“We know Australia is a very strong team but we are moving forward as well.”