Bangladesh’s ultra-defensive football bore little fruit as reigning Asian champions Australia romp to 5-0 win over the visitors in the World Cup qualifying match in Perth on Thursday.
The home side left Bangladesh in awe to take 4-0 lead inside the half-an-hour mark, and despite controlling the possession throughout the game, showed little urgency to increase the margin.
As a result Bangladesh could escape with just one more goal in the remaining 60 minutes, a result that will satisfy them considering the fact that it could easily have been worse.
Though Bangladesh took two strikers in their line-up, they deployed all 11 players in their own half without showing an iota of courage to go for a counter-attack, leaving it agonisingly one-sided contest.
Australia’s dominance was evident not just in the score-sheet, but also in match statistics, which suggested that the Soccaroos had over 80 per cent possession and played more than 800 passes throughout the game.
Bangladesh could barely hold the fort for five minutes before Mathew Leckie opened the floodgate with a neat finishing from the six-yard box following a cut back of Massimo Luongo from right.
Tom Rogic doubled the lead two minutes later with a left footed attempt from the edge of the box.
Rogic left Bangladesh shivering once again in the 20th minute when his shot from a Davidson cut back took a deflection off Tapu Barman before finding the back of the net.
The goal was recorded as Tapu’s own goal, leaving the Celtic forward content with just one goal from the match.
Australia left their talismanic striker and captain Tim Cahill out of the starting lineup with Mark Milligan leading the side from midfield. But that made little difference as the hosts went 4-0 ahead before the 30-minute mark.
Leckie forced a fine diving save from Bangladesh goalkeeper Shahidul Alam Sohel, but the ball drops at the feet of Nathan Burns, who smacked it home.
Sohel was under the spotlight throughout but he could do little from stopping the Australians posting a big win.
The shot-stopper did a commendable job as Australia had 22 shots in goal with only five successes.
Bangladesh, who could not take a single shot in Australian post, also suffered from injury problems.
Assistant coach Saiful Bari Titu, who guided the team in the absence of suspended head coach Lodewijk de Kruif, was forced to make two early changes as he sent midfielder Monayem Khan Raju for unfit Hemanta Vincent and right back Yamin Munna for Nasirul Islam.
Winger Abdul Baten Komol was Titu’s final substitution in the later half but none of his changes could affect the game.
In the second half Bangladesh tried hard to restrict the Australians and were lucky for not to concede more than one goal.
Aaton Mooy unleashed a curling shot outside the box in the 61st minute that went into the back of the net.
Substitute Arvine’s header in the 84th minute beat Sohel but hit the far post.
Sohel rescued his side in the injury time to deny substitute forward Ikonomidis who unleashed a powerful right-footer from just outside the box but Sohel was there to punch away for corner.
Bangladesh will play their fourth match against Jordan on September 8 at home.
RESULT
Australia 5 (Leckie 6, Rogic 8, 20 OG, Burns 29, Mooy 61)
v Bangladesh 0
-With New Age input
