AFC Asian Qualifiers
The victory meant a perfect campaign of six wins, with 22 goals scored and none conceded but Arnold was quick to remind his squad of the similar situation they had been in for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, with Australia ultimately booking their place in the Finals through playoffs.
"When we went through the last campaign, we won the first 11 (matches)," Arnold said to local media.
"It's another goal that I've set the boys to achieve something special - winning more than 11 games straight. The most important thing is that we keep growing as a team.”
In the 2022 AFC Asian Qualifiers, a third-placed finish in their group meant Australia had to play the United Arab Emirates in a playoff, with the Socceroos carving out a 2-1 win to advance to the Inter-Continental playoff against Peru.
Peru proved to be tough opponents, with Australia eventually winning the penalty shootout thanks to goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne.
"I have high expectations all the time and I drive those high expectations to the boys and I don't want to go through another Peru game. That's the last thing that I want,” said Arnold, with Australia to discover their Round Three opponents on June 27.
For Palestine, Tuesday’s match came following their historic qualification to the third round of the Asian Qualifiers for the first time with head coach Makram Daboub admitting that Australia were a far superior side.
"We played against a strong team, who are considered one of the best teams in Asia. The first goal affected us a lot. We had some chances but were nervous."
"This match was preparation for the next stage, as we now have a clear picture. "We have a good team and if the squad is complete and in the best condition, we can be a match for the strong teams in the next stage of the qualifiers.”
