Socceroos v All Whites: Graham Arnold's men win 'Soccer Ashes' and Trans-Tasman bragging rights after comfortable 2-0 win at Brentford
- Harry Souttar and Jackson Irvine found the back of the net
- Socceroos looked comfortable from the outset in Brentford
- Attention now turns to World Cup qualifier against Bangladesh
- Will be staged in Melbourne on November 16 at AAMI Park
Goals from towering defender Harry Souttar and substitute Jackson Irvine sealed a 2-0 win for the Socceroos against the All Whites in Brentford.
Backing up from the 1-0 defeat against England, Socceroos boss Graham Arnold made five changes for the Trans-Tasman clash which kicked-off at 5.45am AEST.
Arnold handed a start to 20-year-old defender Alessandro Circati and Lewis Miller, who made his debut off the bench in the loss at Wembley versus the Three Lions, was also in the run on side.
Left-sided players Jordan Bos and Aziz Behich returned while Massimo Luongo - the breakout star of the Asian Cup in 2015 - made his first appearance in four years, a reward for his sparkling form with Ipswich Town in the Championship.
Both nations were playing for the 'Soccer Ashes', with the trophy found earlier this year in a suburban Sydney garage.
![Goals from towering defender Harry Souttar (pictured, middle) and substitute Jackson Irvine sealed a 2-0 win for the Socceroos against the All Whites in Brentford](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/17/21/76677453-12641877-image-m-17_1697574630790.jpg)
Goals from towering defender Harry Souttar (pictured, middle) and substitute Jackson Irvine sealed a 2-0 win for the Socceroos against the All Whites in Brentford
![Australia's Mitchell Duke (left) celebrates his team's first goal with Harry Souttar](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/17/21/76677451-12641877-image-a-18_1697574649242.jpg)
Australia's Mitchell Duke (left) celebrates his team's first goal with Harry Souttar
![Socceroos boss Graham Arnold rotated his squad, making five changes for the Trans-Tasman clash](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/17/21/76679249-12641877-image-m-22_1697575587684.jpg)
Socceroos boss Graham Arnold rotated his squad, making five changes for the Trans-Tasman clash
![Winger Martin Boyle (right) finished with an assist to his name after his lofted corner was headed home by Jackson Irvine](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/17/22/76679227-12641877-image-a-23_1697576734965.jpg)
Winger Martin Boyle (right) finished with an assist to his name after his lofted corner was headed home by Jackson Irvine
Previously missing for 69 years, the trophy contains the ashes of cigars smoked by Alex Gibb and George Campbell, the first football captains of Australia and New Zealand, respectively.
Arnold - who is often hard to please - was satisfied at the final whistle.
'The most important thing is creating chances and we created plenty but didn’t put many in the back of the net,' he said.
'I am happy with how we played and improvement is the key.”
Attention now turns to World Cup qualifying, with Bangladesh to be Australia's first opponents ahead of the 2026 tournament to be staged in the US, Mexico and Canada.
The Bengal Tigers beat the Maldives 2-1 in Dhaka to claim the final spot in a group that also includes Palestine and Lebanon.
The Socceroos will launch their campaign at AAMI Park in Melbourne against the FIFA-ranked 189th team in the world on November 16.