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AAP
AAP
Anna Harrington

Socceroos confident of relieving goal scoring troubles

Attacker Riley McGree believes the Socceroos are starting to create the type of chances required to break down defences at the Asian Cup.

But the Middlesbrough dynamo has put himself, and his fellow attackers, on notice for wasteful work around goal in Doha.

Australia have struggled with deep-lying defences, scoring four goals across three group games but finishing top of group B with a 1-1 draw against Uzbekistan at Al Janoub Stadium

Once again, scoring proved a problem for coach Graham Arnold's charges, whose only goal was a fortuitous penalty scored by Martin Boyle.

McGree, 25, impressed in flashes, albeit while lacking some end product with his shooting and set pieces, in his first start since returning from a foot injury.

"I feel really good. I've been working really hard to come back and be in the best condition I can, and this is only helping me move on and move forward to the next game, taking it game by game," he told Network Ten.

"Naturally I try to be creative anyway .... I'd want to score more and assist more.

"It's all well and good getting into positions but I need to be a little bit more clinical. Potentially all of us out there tonight could have been more clinical, but we take the positives and move forward."

Boyle added: "The link play's good and we're getting in the right areas. We just need to put the ball away."

McGree should have scored in the 42nd minute when Yengi went on a wonderful weaving run through Uzbekistan's defence and cut the ball back for his fellow South Australian, who inexplicably shot wide.

Fortunately for McGree, Australia received a fortuitous penalty for a handball in the build-up.

"I'm very happy it ended up being a penalty," he joked.

"On another day I think that goes in for me."

Arnold reiterated the need for his charges to be more clinical, after eight shots and one on target against Uzbekistan.

"At the end of the day, it's what we build on," he said. 

"We played some good combination football, we played some good attacking football, but it's the last pass and it's the last maybe cut-back or finish. 

"That's down to the individual. The individual has to be able to put them in the back of the net. I can't do that."

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