Australia Triumphs 2-0 Over India in Asian Cup Opener Amid Historic Officiating Moment

Australia secured a 2-0 victory against India in their Asian Cup Group B opener at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on Saturday. The first half was cautious, but Australia broke the deadlock in the 50th minute when Indian keeper Gurpreet Singh’s attempt to deal with a cross fell to Jackson Irvine, who capitalized and scored.

This setback deflated India, and Australia extended their lead in the 73rd minute. Riley McGree dribbled into the box and set up substitute Jordan Bos to score shortly after coming on.

Notably, the match featured a historic moment with Yoshimi Yamashita becoming the first woman referee to officiate a men’s Asian Cup encounter, accompanied by assistant referees Makoto Bozono and Naomi Teshirogi, forming an all-female officiating trio.