Australia 3 Kyrgyzstan 0
Tim Cahill is embraced by Mile Jedinak after scoring to put Australia 2-0 ahead. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
Canberra The Socceroos shrugged off the disappointment of a last start defeat in Jordan to outclass Kyrgyzstan for a 3-0 win here on Thursday night, a result which takes them to within a point of the Jordanians at the top of the World Cup qualifying group.
The victory sets up Ange Postecoglou's team for the psychologically and logistically difficult trip to Bangladesh, where they can take another step on the road to Russia 2018 by winning next Tuesday.
Australia was by far the better team, but like so many of these matches against lower ranked opponents, their quality does not ensure anything until they get in front, forcing their opponents to try to come out and play.
Kyrgyzstan goalkeeper Matiash Pavel blocks a shot from Aaron Mooy. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
Kyrgyzstan were obdurate; Australia huffed and puffed and bluffed and threatened, but for 40 minutes they could not quite blow the Kyrgyzstan house down.
The structure creaked, rattled and rolled as the Central Asians battened the hatches and dug in for the storm that broke from the opening whistle when the Socceroos, as their coach had promised they would, attacked from the start.
Kyrgyzstan shook to their foundations, literally, when Tim Cahill hit the bar with a beautifully weighted curling shot in the 15th minute after Aaron Mooy's driving run towards goal was blocked and the ball fell to his feet. It looked as if the edifice would topple at any minute.
Click for more photosAustralia beats Kyrgyzstan 3-0 in World Cup qualifier
Australia beats Kyrgyzstan 3-0 in World Cup qualifier Photo: Melissa Adams
But somehow it didn't: a combination of inaccurate finishing, desperate defending and sheer bad luck prevented Australia from building what should have been a commanding lead inside the first half-hour.
But the visitors' good fortune and heroics could not last an entire half and their luck ran out five minutes before half-time.
Nathan Burns, who had been introduced as a substitute for the injured Tomi Juric just short of the half-hour mark, was upended by Islam Shamshiev in the penalty area. The South Korean referee, Kim Sang Woo, pointed to the spot and Mile Jedinak, Australia's captain, stepped up to power a shot right of Pavel Matiash in the Kyrgyzstan goal.
It was a score that certainly eased the nerves of the players and coaching staff, not to mention the crowd, which, due to traffic congestion, was arriving in dribs and drabs throughout the opening half.
But it was the least that Australia deserved.
Postecoglou had said that even before the withdrawals through injury of players like Matty Spiranovic and Mathew Leckie in the lead-up to this game, he was inclined to make changes, having been unimpressed with the way his players had performed in the Middle East last time out.
No-one quite expected the side he did put out, however. Australia went into this game loaded with central midfielders (Jedinak, Mark Milligan, Aaron Mooy and Massimo Luongo all started) and two strikers in a sort of 4-2-2-2, with Mooy and Luongo pulling into wider areas and the full-backs, particularly debutant James Meredith on the left, getting forward.
They dominated right from the outset, Cahill being denied by Matiash's tip over after barely a minute.
Mooy has improved by leaps and bounds these past 18 months, and the Melbourne City midfielder looks increasingly at home in a Socceroo shirt. It was his blocked shot after a surging Jedinak run that led to Cahill's effort that struck the bar.
Australia had a scare shortly after during one of the visitors' rare forward forays, when Viktor Maier went down after a Meredith challenge but play was waved on.
The injured Juric made way for Burns and Australia benefitted as a result, the FC Tokyo striker's mobility making him more of a threat when he got on the ball.
Matiash produced a fine double save to deny Cahill and Luongo, then heroic defending by Azamat Baimatov thwarted Mooy's full-blooded drive.
Australia almost took the lead in the 37th minute when another fine pass from Mooy found Burns. Though his shot was saved, Milligan could not get on to the rebound at close range and the ball was scrambled to safety.
Postecolgou didn't have to wait long for the advantage to be doubled and it was Cahill who was on target with his 42nd international goal.
Unusually in his case, it came on the ground, and Mooy was once again heavily involved. A pass off the outside of his foot played his teammate through, giving Cahill the space to finish off nicely with a shot past Matiash.
On the hour mark, the Canberra faithful got what they wanted, when local boy made good Tom Rogic replaced Jedinak.
But when the third goal came in the 69th minute it was once again Mooy who was the creator, his corner skimming in off the head of Ildar Amirov for an own goal.
Australia queued up to get a fourth but Matiash stood firm, denying Cahill's close-range effort once more right at the death.
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