After a blunt opening 90 minutes, Al Hassan Toure proved the hero for Head Coach Graham Arnold’s side when he burst behind the Syrian lines in the first half of extra-time to get on the end of a pass from fellow substitute Aiden O'Neill and slide the ball home.

Australia, with a crucial extra day of rest, will now prepare themselves for a date with destiny in the tournament’s semi-final early on Thursday morning.

Whereas previous fixtures had been highlighted by a dearth of early shots, Australia signalled their intentions early against the junior Qasioun Eagles when Ramy Najjarine fired an effort across the face of goal in just the third minute of play.

Three minutes later another chance arrived when towering defender Tass Mourdoukoutas was picked out on a corner from Reno Piscopo, with the Wanderers man subsequently forcing a save from Mohammed Ourabi with his head.

But the Syrians quickly answered back with the best chance of the first half when Mohammad Al Bari, chasing a ball looped over the top, muscled Mourdoukoutas off the ball and advanced one-on-one with goalkeeper Tom Glover – with only the trailing leg of the City keeper denying the Syrian youngster the opening goal.

After setting up Mourdoukoutas earlier in the contest, Piscopo then looked to do it himself in the 21st minute when, after linking up on some combination play with striker Nick D’Agostino, he launched a long-range effort over the bar from range.

A scramble around the Australian penalty area on the hour mark, where Glover was seemingly fouled by Abd Al Rahman Barakat only for play to continue, led to multiple shots from the side in red that were blocked away before Australia had shouts for a clear penalty denied five minutes later after Kamel Hameesheh cleaned up Najjarine.

Neither side was able to create much in the way of clear chances as the second half progressed, as the proved Syrians unable to take the slight edge that they held over the control of the contest and convert it to goals, and extra time was needed.

Just seconds into the additional football the goal that the Olyroos had been desperately searching for should have been delivered when substitute Trent Buhagiar was played through by Piscopo, only for the Sydney FC attacker to send his shot straight at Ourabi.

Nonetheless, as extra-time continued, it quickly became clear that the Syrians were nearing then end of their tether.

However, they were still able to threaten – albeit perhaps inadvertently – when left-back Khaled Kerdagli let loose a long-range volley as he fell backward that flashed past the near post in the 100th minute.

Yet, the Syrian dam did eventually burst in the 103rd minute when, played through by a scything pass scythed from O'Neill, Toure guided a shot beyond Ourabi with the outside of his boot to give Australia the lead.

Chances to Buhagiar and Folami followed and Anas Alaji barley missed a late free-kick for the Syrians up the other end but the lead, ultimately, held.

Double Chance Secured

The 1-0 win sends Arnold’s side into the semi-finals of the AFC U23 Championship for the first time in the Olyroos history but, more importantly, means that Australia will now have two chances to secure a place at Tokyo 2020.

A meeting with either South Korea or Jordan in a semi-final  has now been booked, with a win in that game ensuring that Australia will be one of three AFC representatives joining host nation Japan in July.

Should the Olyroos suffer defeat, though, they will still have a chance to secure their advancement should they triumph in a third-place playoff late on Saturday evening against either Saudi Arabia – who booked their place in the semi-finals after a controversial 1-0 win over Thailand earlier in the night – the UAE or defending champions Uzbekistan.

The job is not done, but Australia are well-placed to break a 12-year Olympic drought.

Positives and Negatives

Though Australia did look somewhat more positive in their moves forward against Syria compared to the group stages, the final end-product remained frustratingly the same throughout the opening 90 minutes.

Despite a newfound willingness to try to work through, rather than around, their opponents lines, the side in green and gold continued, despite some positive signs from Alex Gersbach, to battle to create clear chances on goal throughout the contest – going into the dressing rooms after 45 minutes having only had a single shot on target.

By the end of the 90 minutes, that number hadn’t increased.

Attempts to get the ball in behind the Syrian defence were either stymied by poor passes or stiff resistance from the defence, who was ably led in the middle by captain Mohamed Fares Arnaout and Yosief Mohammad.

Eventually, it was tiring legs, combined with the freshness of the two substitutes that combined for the goal, that led to the unravelling of the junior Qasioun Eagles.

With two bites at the cherry of Olympic qualifying to come, it’s perhaps going to be something that Arnold’s side gets away with in Thailand, but it’s an area that nonetheless requires improvement going forward – either by an improvement in the side’s connectivity and incisiveness or by throwing away any pretences and embracing an ability to out-run and out-hustle opposition.

Defensively, as has also been a running theme amongst the Olyroos opponents throughout the championships, Syria’s best chances came when they were looking to get out in transition and run straight at the Olyroos back four.

But perhaps reflective of Arnold’s claims that his squad’s cohesion and abilities will improve as the tournament goes on, Sunday morning’s contest was the first occasion that the Olyroos kept a clean sheet at the 2020 AFC U23 Championships.

A sign of things to come

Arnold told media ahead of Sunday morning’s fixture that the 11 young men that took the field at the Rajamangala Stadium were the best at his – and by extension the nation’s – disposal.

It means that should Australia head to the Olympics, goalkeeper Glover, defenders Thomas Deng, Mourdoukoutas, Dylan Ryan and Gersbach, midfielders Keanu Baccus, Zach Duncan, Najjarine and Piscopo and attackers Daniel Bouman and Nick D’Agostino will form the core of any Australian assault on gold.

That’s not to say, however, that there aren’t a number of key contributors waiting in the wings.

Though he was nominally available off the bench on Sunday morning, shoulder and ankle injuries have robbed Melbourne City’s Denis Genreau of the chance to serve as a larger contributor so far this tournament.

Providing a much-needed boost to the Olyroos in their critical group stage win over Thailand after coming on as a second-half substitute, the impact the 20-year-old Parisian-born midfielder is the type Australia will need to be firing in the future.

While his battles with his body are well documented, one would think a healthy Daniel Arzani would also serve as a walk-up starter in any Australian U23 side that he is eligible for.

And, even if he’s still working his way back to full fitness and verve, the prestige that the Olympics hold in the men’s game makes the pursuit of results within them a secondary consideration to their use as a conduit for preparing players such as the 21-year-old for the rigours senior international football.  

Cameron Devlin, the 21 year old December A-League player of the month, is another that should come into serious consideration not just for a place in the squad should Australia progress to the Games of the XXXII Olympiad.

Had his surge in form for Wellington Phoenix arrived just a week or two prior it is highly likely that the youngster would have been a fixture at the base of the Olyroos in Thailand.

And of course, shamed Olyroo Riley McGree will have served his suspension and be eligible for a recall in time for Tokyo.

Yes, there remains another step to be taken before Australia can book their place in Japan – but it’s never to early to start plotting.