Tim Cahill returned for Australia for the first time in eight months and produced the opening goal of today's 4-0 World Cup Asian qualifying win over Qatar. The Everton midfielder, who scored Australia's first World Cup goal in the first-round comeback win over Japan at Germany 2006, gave the Socceroos a big boost towards the 2010 qualification. Brett Emerton scored twice to repeat his double in the win over Qatar at Doha in the previous qualifying round in a dominant performance by the Australians.
Australia leads Group A with six points in the fourth round, having opened last month with a 1-0 victory at Uzbekistan. The top two teams in both groups earn direct places at South Africa 2010 from the fourth round of Asian qualifying. Qatar led the group with four points coming into the match but, after losing twice on a 6-1 aggregate to the Australians in the third round, were heavy underdogs.
After a start, delayed half an hour because of a tropical storm that soaked the field and continual lightning around the stadium, Cahill needed only nine minutes to find the net. Only recently back from a broken foot that sidelined him for six months, Cahill rifled in a left-foot shot from close range - his 14th goal in 29 international appearances - after Josh Kennedy headed on a lofted Luke Wilkshire pass.
A questionable penalty for Abdulla Koni's challenge on Cahill in almost the same place eight minutes later allowed Australia to double its lead with Emerton successful from the spot. Emerton's powerful strike from the right in the 59th minute beat the finger tips of Qatari goalkeeper Abdulaziz Abdulla and deflected off the inside of the far post to make it 3-0. Another long, flighted Wilkshire pass contributed to Australia's fourth, with rangy striker Kennedy meeting it in front with a well-timed header in the 76th. Qatar had no shots from inside 18 yards in the first 80 minutes.
Its best chance coming when Magid Mohammed played an incisive Fabio Cesar pass across the face of goal for Sebastian Quintana, who was not quite fast enough to connect. Quintana, a regular goal scorer for Qatar, was isolated up front in attack and wasted his best opportunity with a hurried shot on an open goal 10 minutes from regulation time. * AP
