2022 World Cup qualifiers: Mathew Leckie, Aaron Mooy on scoresheet as Socceroos beat Kuwait

Temperatures soared to almost 40 degrees as Australia kicked off their 2022 World Cup odyssey against Kuwait in style. And most encouragingly there were goals, after a run of three games without one.

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In the heat of the desert, it was two old foxes who got Australia’s World Cup qualifying campaign off to a resounding start.

Two goals for Mathew Leckie and another for Aaron Mooy clinched a 3-0 win for the Socceroos in Kuwait City, making light of obscene temperatures to start the road to Qatar 2022 in style.

If the scoreline wasn’t quite as emphatic as the 4-0 win in the same city with which Graham Arnold began his Socceroos tenure in 11 months ago, the performance was easily as efficient in a rather more hostile atmosphere.

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Mathew Leckie grabbed a double.

Most encouragingly there were goals, after the last three outings for Australia had seen none, and the first potential banana skin of the first qualifying round was successfully sidestepped.

“It was a fantastic win, you know a very positive start to the campaign and a lot of younger fresh faces that we’ve brought in over the last six months really stood up tonight,” Socceroos coach Graham Arnold said.

“We’re very proud of them.”

Leckie, who wore the captain’s armband after Mark Milligan was injured earlier in the week, knew the Socceroos could get the result they wanted if they stayed vigilant.

“As I said to the boys before the game, concentration and clarity is going to be the biggest thing and we did it really well tonight, I think we were really composed, scored the goals we needed to and saw the game out,” he said.

Awer Mabil proved a real handful for the Kuwaitis.

“Big one for me also to represent that country with Milligan out, but the most important was the win and we did it.”

Individuals stood out in the heat, with temperatures around 38C at kick off, notably Adam Taggart whose leading of the line and movement were intelligent and proactive.

Time and again, in the first half especially, he linked well with those around him, and on another day would have added to the scoreline himself.

At the base of midfield Jackson Irvine and James Jeggo made light of the heat to press and harry, providing the canvas for Aaron Mooy to gently probe the Kuwaiti defence with the intelligence of his passing.

Mooy it was who swung in the two corners with which Australia established their lead, the first coming on just six minutes when Irvine struck the half-cleared corner across goal and the ball deflected in off Mat Leckie from close range.

Aaron Mooy had an excellent game for the Socceroos.

In his 62nd game it was Leckie’s 10th international goal, and the 11th wasn’t far behind — Irvine again got on the end of a Mooy corner and this time Leckie drove home emphatically.

There was a certain irony in the goals coming from set pieces, for the attacking movement from the green and gold was astute, showing the benefits of almost a week in camp in Dubai beforehand.

The return of Mooy was key to it, after he had missed the Asian Cup in January through injury. Time and again he saw passes where others saw only mountain ranges, and it was his technique that brought the third goal.

Rhyan Grant’s cross was half cleared to the edge of the box where Taggart laid it off for Mooy to strike a curling half volley into the top corner.

The third goal was the signal for Australia to shut up shop and preserve their lead, reinforced by two flying saves by Mat Ryan from Yousef Nasser as Australia weathered a predictable but short-lived storm from their hosts.

Mustafa Amini tries to get the better of the Kuwait defence.

In truth Kuwait are a limited side, but they were given little space to play despite the exhortations of their home support.

The three points were Australia’s on a very satisfying first day of qualifying.