That was a very tense game, especially that second half, but the Socceroos have managed a 1-0 win to qualify for the Round of 16 with a game to spare.

Jackson Irvine was the hero tonight, capitalising on a lucky deflection but showing his quality by spinning in a tight space and poking the ball beneath an onrushing goalkeeper.

Once again, Australia's substitutes added spark and life to a pretty tired side. Riley McGree and Bruno Fornaroli added some extra dimension to the Socceroos' attack, while Sam Silvera and Kusini Yengi added width and speed when it was desperately needed.

It was certainly a better performance than that against India in the opening game, but questions around Australia's ability to break down deep defences, capitalise on set pieces, and improvise when Plans A, B and C aren't working will still be asked.

Anyway, a win is a win, and teams can take time to warm into major tournaments like this. They can use their final group game against Uzbekistan on Tuesday night (kick-off at 10:30pm AEDT) to work a couple of things out, hopefully giving some of these impactful substitutes more of a run before the knock-outs begin.

And you bet your butts I'll be there to take you through it all once again.

Until then, thanks very much for joining me! Go Socceroos!