Cahill double as Aussies crush India

By N.D. Prashant/Doha

Australia striker Tim Cahill (L) tries to score as India goalkeeper Subrata Paul catches the ball during their Group C match in Doha yesterday

A 27-year wait for India ended on a disappointing note at the Al Sadd Stadium yesterday as Australia handed them a 4-0 drubbing in their opening group ‘C’ encounter at the Asian Cup.
For the Socceroos, Tim Cahill scored a brace while Harry Kewell and Brett Holman completed the tally.
India were cheered by a crowd at the 13,000 but the support did very little to lift the spirit of the minnows.
Cahill, the Everton star, opened the scoring for the Aussies in the 11th minute. Overlapping from behind, he benefited from a measured cross from Brett Emerton on the left flank.

An Indian fan cheers his team yesterday

The Aussies kept pressing and the floodgates were open again in the 25th minute. An unmarked Kewell had all the time in the world to pick his spot and his powerpacked left-footer beat a diving Indian custodian Subrata Paul.
 The Aussies went into the breather riding on another brilliant goal by Holman in the injury time. He rose above the Indian defence to head home a fine release from Emerton.
Had it not been for the brilliance of Paul under the bar, India would have slipped further. The only noticeable move from India in the first half came through N.P. Pradeep and Climax Lawrence. Pradeep tested the Australian custodian Mark Schwarzer with a long-range effort and later Lawrence’s shot lacked precision and ended up going wide.
The second session also belonged to the Aussies and they were all over the Indian territory. A series of raids saw Cahill find his second and Australia’s fourth goal in the 65th minute – this time his well-directed header, off a free-kick from Luke Wilkshire, settling into the far corner of the goal.
Indian striker Sunil Chettri had a chance to score a late consolation goal but failed to beat an on-rushing Schwarzer in the dying minutes.
Injury hit India were always the underdogs going into the match and for most fans, this result was expected.
Despite the loss, Indian coach Bob Houghton was all praise for his players. "I’m proud of my boys and I think they can walk out of here with their heads held high. It is not by chance that Australia are the best team in Asia but they have got lot of experience.
 "They have a lot of players playing in the English league and we, as a side are just emerging at this level. So while nobody likes to lose 4-0, I think it was a good experience for the side,” said Houghton, whose team now play Bahrain in their second group fixture on Friday.
Indian team’s injured star Baichung Bhutia, who watched the proceedings from the sidelines, speaking about his team’s performance, said, "The boys played well but they conceded goals at the wrong time. We always knew we are playing the tough team. Maybe by next match, I should be fit and can join the team but I can’t say that for sure.”
Australia’s German coach Holger Osieck said: "It was  very difficult to start a tournament against an opponent, no matter who it is.
"You have to break them down and that is what happened. We played tactically a very disciplined attacking style of football. It probably could have been a bit more but I am still pleased with the performance of all. We don’t want to ask for too much.”