Adelaide United sensation Luka Jovanovic was instrumental as the Subway Young Socceroos crushed Kyrgyz Republic 5-1 in their AFC Under-20 Asian Cup opener.
Jovanovic scored twice while Isuzu UTE A-League graduate Musa Toure also bagged a brace in a dominant Group A opener in China on Wednesday.
In a move that highlighted his strength, movement and composure in front of goal, the 19-year-old capped a swift counter-attacking move before former Perth Glory youngster Daniel Bennie – now playing for QPR in the EFL Championship – made it 2-0 in the 15th minute.
Adelaide product Toure, who has since joined brother and Socceroo Mo, Paul Izzo and Oliver Jones at Randers in Denmark, got in on action 10 minutes later.
Toure completed his brace just past the half-hour mark following a fine move and despite changes at half-time, Jovanovic continued where he left off in the 61st minute.
Kyrgyz Republic did manage to get on the scoresheet via a 73rd-minute penalty but it was a mere consolation as the Young Socceroos now look ahead to Saturday’s date with Qatar.
The 42nd edition of the AFC U20 Asian Cup will see 16 of the confederation’s best U20 teams divided into four groups to contest a one-round league format, with the top-two finishers in each group qualifying for the knockout stages.
The tournament – which serves as qualifying for the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile – will see the top-four teams advance to the U20 showpiece event.
