Asian Cup 2015: super Socceroos turn on the style to smack four past Oman in Sydney
HERE comes Australia. The Socceroos are through to the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup after another commanding display swept aside Oman 4-0.
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HERE comes Australia.
The Socceroos are through to the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup after another commanding display swept aside Oman 4-0 at ANZ Stadium.
Top of their group from South Korea thanks to a prodigious goal difference, only defeat to the latter in Saturday’s final pool game will prevent Ange Postecoglou’s side going through as winners. On this evidence they have every chance of finishing top.
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Three goals to the good by half-time, thanks to strikes from Matt McKay, Robbie Kruse and a Mark Milligan penalty, Tomi Juric’s fourth means Australia have now scored eight goals in two games.
They are entertaining the country, just as Postecoglou wanted.
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In fact the coach had warned his players they might need patience, and for almost half an hour they did. Oman were as obdurate as predicted, and it took the home side a little while to find their range.
Tim Cahill missed two presentable chances, heading over twice in two minutes, and Matthew Leckie followed suit as the Socceroos tried to move Oman’s defence from side to side.
Which made the breakthrough a touch ironic, for it was an old-fashioned setpiece that gave Australia the lead.
Luongo’s corner to the far post hung in the air, allowing Trent Sainsbury to make a steepling leap and head the ball down into the goalmouth for McKay to slam it home from barely a metre out.
The mood changed instantly, and within two minutes spirits among the 50,276 crowd were even higher - when the ball was nodded forward to Luongo he took one touch then lifted an angled pass into the run of Kruse, who shot calmly past Ali Al-Habsi from the edge of the box.
If the goalkeeper’s attempt to save was unconvincing few were complaining, for the lead was now convincing and deserved.
Bar a third minute, 25m shot from Raed Saleh that Mat Ryan tipped away, there was little to fear from Oman - at least legitimately, for Ahmed Mubarek should have seen red for a horrible, two-footed tackle on Cahill in the 36th minute.
The tide though was only one way - Kruse hit the post with a shot from 20m, then a brilliant reverse ball from Luongo set Ivan Franjic free for a cutback that Leckie struck wastefully wide.
But in the last seconds of the half, Luongo’s pass found Kruse on the right of the box. The winger’s cross was bundled in at the far post by Leckie, but the referee had prematurely awarded a penalty for a clumsy foul on Cahill.
No matter - keeping his nerve, Milligan swept home the spotkick.
Refreshed by the break, the home side were hungry for more - immediately, Kruse’s clever opportunistic lob landed on the roof of the Oman net with Al-Habsi stranded.
With an eye on Korea, Postecoglou removed Cahill and Luongo, sending Tomi Juric and Mark Bresciano on for the final 35 minutes.
Despite Postecoglou’s promise that his side would always go for the jugular, the tempo inevitably dropped as Australia sought to conserve energy ahead of the deciding group fixture on Saturday.
With a delicious piece of skill, Kruse sped away down the left and set up Bresciano for a shot at Al-Habsi. Then McKay’s raking 50m pass left Juric clear, only for the goalkeeper to save the striker’s fierce shot.
But with 70 minutes on the clock, Leckie sprinted more than 30m down the left wing, crossed low with the outside of his boot and watched Juric slide the ball home for Australia’s fourth.
Only some outstanding saves from Al-Habsi, and a wasteful finish from Bresciano, prevented more damage.
But this will do very nicely for now.
Originally published as Asian Cup 2015: super Socceroos turn on the style to smack four past Oman in Sydney
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