A 10-man Australian outfit beat Thailand 3-1 in Group B to keep their hopes alive for a quarterfinal berth in the AFC Youth Championship.
Forward Bruce Djite was shown the red card in the 21st minute by Iranian referee Mohsin Torky when he kicked Thai medio Pimprac on his shin.
But Australia went ahead just four minutes later when striker Nathan Burns beat Thai custodian Bootprom in a ono-to-one situation after a solo run from the midfield and coolly tucked the ball into the open goal.
The team from Down Under consolidated the lead with a 31st minute strike, when they were awarded a penalty after Thai defender Wangkahad handled the ball inside the penalty box. Striker Dario Vidosic converted the spot kick.
The referee awarded a penalty to Thailand when their captain Phukom was brought down by Australian defender Eleftherakis. Phukom scored from the penalty to reduce the margin.
But Australia, concentrating on defending their lead in the second half, scored from a sudden counterattack to take the match beyond Thailand's reach.
Burns struck in the 90th minute from a pass by substitute midfielder Hearfield.
Australia and Thailand have three points each from two matches with one win and a loss.
SAUDI WIN
Saudi Arabia scored a goal in each half to beat Malaysia 2-0 in a Group D encounter of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Youth Championship in Bangalore on Wednesday.
Mohammed Al Sahlawi put the team ahead in the 13th minute at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium as Saudi Arabia dominated the first half without giving much room to the Malaysians who appeared to struggle.
Malaysia desparately tried to raise their game and in fact, held the upper hand for a long time in the second half, but they lacked the finishing to make it count.
In the 60th minute, Ali Ataif made it 2-0 for Saudi Arabia when he converted a penalty kick. It was the first victory in this championship for Saudi Arabia, who were held to a 2-2 draw by Iraq in their first match.
Malaysia crashed to their second defeat. They were beaten 1-2 by Vietnam in the first fixture.
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