Socceroos rout Bangladesh
ABC
The Socceroos have ripped Bangladesh to shreds in their World Cup qualifier, cruising to a ruthless 5-0 victory in Perth yesterday, according to ABC.
The reigning Asian Cup champions were never troubled on Thursday night against the worlds 173rd-ranked side, who were well off the pace in just about every department. It took just six minutes for Australia to open the scoring and the manner in which they did so was a pointer to the utter dominance they would enjoy. A simple cutback from Massimo Luongo found Mathew Leckie in the box and he routinely swept home the ball underneath the outstretched glove of Bangladesh goalkeeper Sahidul Alam, who was under siege all night long.
Making his first international appearance in more than a year, midfielder Tom Rogic added the next two goals in the eighth and 20th minutes, the latter aided by a wicked deflection that went down as an own goal. Nathan Burns provided the next just before the half-hour mark and Aaron Mooy made it 5-0 in the 61st minute with a long-range screamer from outside the box. In truth, the margin could and should have been far greater, but Australia clearly coasted through the second half and missed some easy chances from close range.
It all made for a party atmosphere for the crowd of 19,495 at Perth Oval, the biggest at the venue for a football match. The turnout was a strong statement from the Perth public in the first Socceroos game held there in a decade. Coach Ange Postecoglou had attempted to play down the chances of a bloodbath but, despite trying a new diamond midfield formation and some fresh combinations, he would have taken next to nothing from
the match.
Some of his selections were intriguing, not the least of which the decision to bench Tim Cahill, who had been unveiled as stand-in skipper the day before the match. Mark Milligan took the captains armband and led with aplomb, providing brilliant service from midfield, but the result was effectively never in doubt.
The Socceroos are unbeaten in Group B qualifying after beating Kyrgyzstan 2-1 in June and face 153rd-ranked Tajikistan on Tuesday night in Dushanbe. Bangladesh, ranked 170, tasted their second defeat in three matches and they will play their next match at home against Jordan on September 8.
Result
Australia 5-0 Bangladesh
