SYDNEY (25 Jan 2020) – A solitary strike from Nicholas D’Agostino two minutes into the second half sent Australia to the Tokyo Olympic Games as Graham Arnold’s side earned a 1-0 win over 10-man Uzbekistan in the third place play-off at the AFC U23 Championship.
D’Agostino’s strike at the end of a slaloming run gave the Olyroos the lead after a tepid first half showing and Australia’s first appearance at the Olympics since 2008 was effectively confirmed when Uzbekistan’s Oybek Bozorov was sent off with little over half an hour remaining.
The win means Australia qualify alongside Saudi Arabia and Korea Republic for the Tokyo Olympics, which will be played in July and August and where they will join hosts Japan in representing Asia at the 16-nation tournament.
