A shock opening defeat to Jordan has left the holders in a potentially precarious position should they fail to win at Rashid Stadium, and Arnold said it was up to the players here and now to get their campaign back on track.

With Jordan having sealed one Round of 16 spot from the group after defeating Syria 2-0 on Thursday, Friday's match is a tie Australia can't afford to drop points in.

The result saw the Syria Football Association announcing the sacking of coach Bernd Stange a few hours later, with Fajr Ibrahim appointed as his replacement.

For Jordan, the win - courtesy of goals from Mousa Suleiman Al Tamari and Tareq Khattab - means Borkelmans and his team can finish no lower than second in Group B no matter the outcome of the remaining games in the group.

Australia face Palestine in Abu Dhabi on Friday before Jordan take on the Palestinians in their final group game on January 15, when the Socceroos go head-to-head with the Syrians in Al Ain.

Australia struggled in front of goal as they failed to produce an equaliser against Vital Borkelmans’ Jordan at the Al Ain's Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium on Sunday.

Graham Arnold’s side now have little margin for error in their remaining two group matches and defenders Behich and Grant spoke to the-AFC.com on Australia’s chances against the Lions of Canaan.

The 30-year-old defender’s first-half header earned Vital Borkelmans’ side all three points against an Australia team that dominated possession throughout the 90 minutes but was unable to find a way past goalkeeper Amer Shafi.

Graham Arnold’s side spent much of the game camped in the Jordanian half, only for the West Asian nation to take a hard-earned win that will set them up perfectly for their next meeting with neighbours Syria on January 11.

The Palestinians weathered an avalanche of Syrian attacks to walk out of Sharjah Stadium with a valuable point to kick-start their continental campaign.

A string of excellent saves from Hamada and some resolute defending by coach Noureddine Ould Ali’s side saw Palestine deny Syria a win despite the 68th minute dismissal of defender Mohammed Saleh.

It was the first point for Palestine in the Finals, having lost all group stage matches in their previous appearance in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.

Syria were the more dangerous as they dominated possession in the opening minutes of the game in front of a capacity crowd.

Omar Al Soma’s clever run down the left caught Palestine off guard and his cross found Omar Khrbin in the area but the 2017 AFC Player of the Year fired his effort wide.

Chanathip Songkrasin was the hero as the Southeast Asians secured a remarkable result after their 4-1 defeat to India on Matchday One.

For Bahrain, who drew 1-1 with the United Arab Emirates in their opener, the defeat means they will have to beat India in their final match to keep their knockout stage hopes alive.