Australia have made the worst possible start to "the defense of their Asian Cup crown" as Graham Arnold's Socceroos were handed a 1-nil defeat by Jordan.
Anas Bani Yaseen scored Jordan’s winner in the 26th minute in al-Ain. The Australians dominated for long spells but were unable to find a way to equalize the group B match. Australia next face Palestine on the 11th of January while Jordan will take on Syria.
Elsewhere in group B, 10 men Palestine salvaged a goalless draw against Syria. The Syrians dominated the match, but simply couldn't put the ball into the back of the net.
Palestine were down to 10 men in the 69th minute when Mohammed Saleh received another yellow card. Syria didn't capitalize on their advantage and the match ended goalless.