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Australia are by way of to the ultimate spherical of World Cup qualification after a masterful show from winger Craig Goodwin led them to a 5-0 win in opposition to Lebanon.
At Canberra’s GIO Stadium, Goodwin scored two objectives and created one other two with beautiful deliveries into the field to get the Socceroos the snug outcome.
Coach Graham Arnold mentioned Goodwin’s elevated management means made him a useful asset for the aspect transferring ahead as they chase a sixth consecutive journey to the FIFA World Cup finals.
They’re now assured a berth in third-round qualifiers which begin in September, the place a top-two end in a six-team group will carry them to the 2026 showpiece match.
A dream evening for his aspect noticed each Kusini Yengi and John Iredale internet their first worldwide objectives as Australia proceed to seek for a long-term reply up entrance.
Goodwin’s masterclass noticed him arrange Yengi inside two minutes, create the havoc that led to an personal aim early within the second half, after which rating a beautiful dipping volley lower than a minute later to place the workforce 3-0 up.
A late tap-in to seal the 5-0 rout was the whole lot his near-flawless show deserved.
“Once I knew Craig Goodwin youthful, he did not consider in himself like he does lately,” Arnold mentioned.
“He is a high quality participant however he is a improbable particular person and an amazing chief and in and across the dressing room and on the pitch … however his supply of set items is improbable.
“The dialog we had after the Asian Cup was just about you solely have a brief profession in life, do not throw it away now … gamers have restricted time for his or her careers, and I believe he is in his prime.”
A sold-out Canberra crowd solely needed to wait two minutes for Australia to guide, Yengi jabbing a close-range effort onto the publish earlier than shinning residence the rebound.
Ajdin Hrustic and Harry Souttar every spurned probabilities created by chic Goodwin balls however these wasted probabilities mattered little, one other teasing set-piece supply forcing Lebanese defender Bassel Jradi to show the ball into his personal internet.
Arnold made 4 workforce tweaks together with Goodwin’s inclusion up entrance, and used the second-half result in give debuts to Patrick Yazbek and Josh Nisbet.
Yazbek made an early affect, whipping in an ideal cross that Iredale might simply flip residence, earlier than Goodwin had easy back-post tap-in for his double on 81 minutes.
5 days on from a 2-0 win in opposition to the identical opponent in Sydney, the Socceroos appeared much more harmful in assault.
However Arnold wasn’t fully happy, begging his workforce to proceed creating a killer intuition that may allow them to put video games to mattress even earlier.
“An awesome begin, we get the aim early and will have been up three or 4-0 at half-time,” he mentioned.
“That is stuff I have been driving with the boys about elevating our requirements and once I say that, it is about taking these alternatives to kill groups off, not letting them keep within the recreation.
“After the primary recreation it was all in regards to the lack of penetration in behind and so that is what we labored on … it is about if a participant is on the ball, you do not stand nonetheless, you progress and make ahead runs and penetrate.”
Conceding early in opposition to the Socceroos for a second straight recreation, Lebanon might have equalised on 14 minutes however attacking choice Nader Matar fired his shot into the side-netting.
AAP
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