The Socceroos have bounced back from defeat in Jordan, convincingly accounting for Kyrgyzstan 3-0 at Canberra Stadium on Thursday.
Mile Jedinak (40′ pen), Tim Cahill (50′) and Ildar Amirov (69′ OG) saw Australia over the line and never really looked troubled as their opponents failed to register a shot on target.
The goal tally could have been higher if not for a superb performance from Kyrgyzstan goalkeeper Pavel Matiash.
The win was soured somewhat by injuries acquired by Tomi Juric and Nathan Burns, but three points closes the gap on first-placed Jordan ahead of Tuesday’s qualifier against Bangladesh in Dhaka.
Socceroos Player Ratings
Adam Federici – 7: Had very little to do.
Ryan McGowan – 6.5: Much of the play, in truth, transpired down the opposite flank, but did find himself forward on more than one occasion.
Bailey Wright – 7: He and central partner Sainsbury dealt with the few threats that came their way.
Trent Sainsbury – 7: Again, did not have a great deal to contend with.
James Meredith – 8: Had a moment of panic in the 17th minute, reaching across Viktor Maier who went down in the box. Penalty claims went unanswered and the debutant provided a positive outlet on the left, proving to be the more effective of the full-backs. Did his chances of another cap no harm.
Aaron Mooy – 9: Played at the top of the midfield diamond and constantly ventured forward, showing the full bag of tricks that has earned him plenty of plaudits in the A-League. Assisted Cahill’s strike almost telepathically and his tricky delivery led to the third goal.
Mark Milligan – 6.5: Solid in midfield but a miskick saw him miss the unmissable when the scores still remained nervously level. Distribution was good at 87%.
Mile Jedinak – 7.5: Looked at ease in midfield and emphatically converted the penalty. Given an early mark on the hour for hometown hero Tom Rogic.
Massimo Luongo – 7: Played on the right-hand side of the midfield and enjoyed a good shift, often drifting into central positions.
Tim Cahill – 8: The veteran worked tirelessly, forcing a brilliant save in the opening minute and finding the crossbar soon after. Was unlucky not to score in the first half but took only four minutes to do so in the second, coolly striking across Matiash after being slipped in by Mooy. Could have added another at the death but was denied by the outstanding Kyrgyz gloveman.
Tomi Juric – N/A: Succumbed to a groin injury 25 minutes in. Nathan Burns took his place up front.
Substitutes
Nathan Burns – 7.5: Made a huge impact after replacing the unfortunate Juric. Saw a shot saved by Matiash and won the penalty only seconds later, which Jedinak thumped home. Gave the Kyrgyz defence plenty to think about with his pace and agility, but was felled by injury with 20 minutes left.
Tom Rogic – 6: Was able to enjoy a half-hour run in his home town. Delighted the crowd with a beautiful piece of trickery on 78 minutes.
James Troisi – 5.5: Brought another spark when he came on and was involved in a promising one-two move with Cahill that ultimately failed to herald an end product. By the same token, was wasteful in some instances.
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