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Australia outclass Solomons to the tune of seven [Mon Sep 5th, 2005]
Australia will take a 7-0 advantage into their second-leg World Cup Oceania playoff in Honiara on Tuesday, after outclassing the Solomon Islands in front of 14,715 spectators at Aussie Stadium.
Mark Viduka marked his first appearance as national captain with two first-half goals, and led a list of six different goal scorers, including Jason Culina, Tim Cahill, Scott Chipperfield, substitute Archie Thompson and Brett Emerton.
Australia almost had a monopoly on possession in the first half, with Scott Chipperfield and Josip Skoko taking every opportunity to feed balls into the box.
It was not until the 21st minute though that Australia opened their account. A Chipperfield ball was only cleared to Cahill with his back to goal. Cahill managed to lay the ball off to the waiting Culina on the edge of the box, who blasted the ball into the net with the outside of his right foot.
Australia again applied sustained pressure on the Solomons’ goal for the next 15 minutes, before Viduka finished a ball into the box by Skoko with a spectacular overhead kick from 12 yards.
It was the same combination again, just shy of half-time, who gave Australia a 3-0 advantage at the break. This time Skoko’s delicate ball from the right found Viduka, who was unchallenged to head into the corner of the goal from eight yards.
If a 3-0 deficit was not already far too much for the Solomon Islands to overcome in the second half, their task was made all the more difficult when Nelson Sale was given his marching orders following his second bookable offence in the 54th minute.
Marco Bresciano was introduced for Tony Popovic in the 57th minute, only seconds before Cahill added to the goal tally with the fourth, with a header from a Chipperfield corner. Cahill’s seemingly harmless, looping header was fumbled into the net by the Solomon Islands goalkeeper, Francis Aruwafu.
Archie Thompson, a 62nd-minute substitute for John Aloisi, almost scored with his first touch – a header from 12 yards - after combining well with earlier substitute Bresciano.
New team boss Guus Hiddink would be pleased that he can call on quality substitutes of the like of Bresciano and Thompson to give Australia an extra dimension in attack.
Chipperfield made it 5-0 in the 64th minute after his low skidding shot, from outside the box, was again spilled by Aruwafu – who could only manage to parry the ball into the net.
Thompson was again involved, this time getting on the scoresheet in the 68th minute. The Melbourne Victory striker controlled a bouncing ball in the box, flicked it over a defender and was forced to shoot on the volley from an acute angle, but managed to find the net on the far side of the goal.
Australia continued to press for the next twenty minutes, but could not find the target. Thompson (twice), Chipperfield, Cahill, and Bresciano all came close to adding to the score.
Finally in the 89th minute, Brett Emerton rounded off the scoring with a left footed shot, from a wide angle outside the box, that again crept under the hapless Aruwafu.
Emerton also just shot wide in time added on, as Australia completed a romp in Guus Hiddink’s first match at the helm.
AUSTRALIA 7 (Jason Culina 20', Mark Viduka 26', 43', Tim Cahill 57', Scott Chipperfield 64', Archie Thompson 68', Brett Emerton 89')
SOLOMON ISLANDS 0
Australia: Mark Schwarzer, Lucas Neill, Tony Vidmar, Tony Popovic (Mark Bresciano 57'), Brett Emerton, Josip Skoko (Vince Grella 71'), Mark Viduka, Tim Cahill, Scott Chipperfield, John Aloisi (Archie Thompson 62'), Jason Culina.
Solomon Islands: Leslie Leo, Mahlon Houkarawa, Nelson Sale, Alick Maemae (Stanly Waita h/t), Kidstone Billy, Batram Suri (George Suri 42'), George Lui, Gideon Omokirio, Henry Fa’Arodo, Francis Wasi (Richard Anisua 59'), Francis Aruwafu
Cautions: Sale 14', 53'
Red Card: Sale 53'
Attendance: 14,715
AAP
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