The Socceroos begin their final-stage campaign for a place in the Qatar 2022 World Cup on Friday morning (4am AEST) against China.
It is the first of 10 games against a group of Asia’s finest sides to decide who represents the continent on international football’s biggest stage.
After a slow start in the air-conditioned Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Australia struck twice separated by just over two minutes in a rapid-fire blitz.
A long ball forward from Trent Sainsbury met a darting run from Awer Mabil in the 24th minute, who couldn’t poke past the keeper at the first attempt. But Adam Taggart collected the deflected, and chipped it to the back post for Mabil to acrobatically volley home.
Then it was the other winger of Martin Boyle who got on the end of a long ball from Tom Togic, charging forward and unleashing from the edge of the box into the bottom corner.
Australia…
