SNAPSHOT OF AUSTRALIA'S ASIAN CUP WIN OVER INDIA

* Result: Australia 2 India 0

* Key moment: Australia broke through when India goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu leapt to meet a Martin Boyle cross. He parried the ball straight to Jackson Irvine, who chested it down and made no mistake with a pressure-relieving left-footed finish in the 50th minute.

* Player of the match: Irvine set the tone when Australia needed, while Keanu Baccus lifted after halftime and Riley McGree was superb when he came on. But India centre-back Sandesh Jinghan epitomised India's gutsy, desperate defending that held the Socceroos at bay for so long.

* Stats that matter: This was the third time Graham Arnold has led the Socceroos at an Asian Cup but just his first opening-match win. Australia drew 1-1 with Oman in 2007 and lost 1-0 to Jordan in 2019.

* Quote of the day: "We've got to improve a lot more than that." - Arnold didn't mince his words after the underwhelming first-up win.

* What's next: The Socceroos return to action in group B against Syria on Thursday night, looking to lock in progression to the round of 16.