Cahill hits treble as Australia thump Bangladesh - ASIA
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Tim Cahill scored his second international hat-trick as Australia thrashed Bangladesh 4-0 in a one-sided FIFA World Cup™ qualifier in Dhaka. The veteran forward completed his treble inside 37 minutes, and captain Mile Jedinak netted the other in the first half in front of a boisterous crowd at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.
The victory was much needed for Australia, who started the match one point behind group leaders Jordan.
Cahill, who turns 36 next month, won a second consecutive start. He opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a neat header, posted a scrappy goal in the 33rd and a tap-in in the 37th.
The three goals took his record Socceroos' goal tally to 45. He also scored in the team's 3-0 win against Kyrgyzstan in Canberra last Thursday.
Jedinak made the score 4-0 with a simple header into an empty net from close range in the 43rd minute.
Australia rested brilliant Aaron Mooy and Massimo Luongo in the second half, allowing Bangladesh some space in the midfield, and the hosts made good use of it to avoid conceding further goals.
With the match, Bangladesh remained at the bottom of their group with just one point from seven games.