Jackson Irvine stars again as Australia clinch key World Cup win over China

• Nishan Velupillay adds to opener to secure 2-0 win in Hangzhou
• Victory sets up showdown in Saudi in June

Jackson Irvine further established himself as the face of the Socceroos, Nishan Velupillay netted his third goal in just his fourth senior international, and Australia weathered a second-half storm to take another step towards securing automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup with a 2-0 win over China.
Given that the worst part of it may have come 1,900km away in Saitama, where Saudi Arabia held Japan to a 0-0 draw to stay within touching distance in their qualification group, it was a decent evening for still undefeated national team boss Tony Popovic and his side at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium.
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