The Qantas Socceroos have qualified for the 2013 East Asian Cup after an 8-0 thrashing of Chinese Taipei in Hong Kong on Sunday.
The Qantas Socceroos have qualified for the 2013 East Asian Cup after an 8-0 thrashing of Chinese Taipei in Hong Kong on Sunday.
The Socceroos needed to win by five goals or more to secure top spot in the qualification group ahead of North Korea and had that tally wrapped up by the 34th minute.
Holger Osieck's men went on to add another three goals in a dominant performance against a side ranked 176 in the world, 143 spots below the Socceroos.
Adam Taggart and Aziz Behich netted braces, with Richard Garcia, Robert Cornthwaite and Aaron Mooy also getting on the scoresheet and Yang Chao-Hsun scoring an own goal.
Australia had Chinese Taipei pegged back from the outset and opened the scoring on 11 minutes through Garcia.
Behich beat his marker down the left before crossing for his unmarked Melbourne Heart team-mate to head in.
A long-range Behich drive was unable to trouble goalkeeper Lu Kun-Chi moments later and Michael Thwaite headed a Mooy corner wide when he should have done better.
Mooy's corners were causing Chinese Taipei all sorts of problems and the Socceroos doubled their lead in the 17th minute.
The set-piece was partly cleared before Scott Jamieson had an effort saved, only for Cornthwaite to tap in the rebound.
It was 3-0 just two minutes later when Thwaite took control of a loose ball in the middle and slid a perfectly weighted through pass to Taggart, who beat Lu in a one-on-one after the goalkeeper moved early.
Dino Djulbic had a header saved after another excellent Mooy corner before Taggart headed in his second after a Jamieson cross on 29 minutes.
Taggart became the first teenage multiple goalscorer for the Socceroos since David Mitchell managed the feat in 1981.
Garcia and Behich were denied before the latter got his maiden international goal in the 34th minute, with Lu fumbling his header over the line.
Australia only needed two minutes into the second half to make it six, with Mooy continuing to impress with his set-pieces.
The Western Sydney Wanderers midfielder curled in a 30-yard free-kick of the highest quality, the second he has scored at the qualifying tournament.
Chinese Taipei somehow survived a seventh three minutes later when they twice blocked shots off their line and Emerton, who was playing his 100th match, struck the post.
Behich netted his second in the 56th minute after Garcia played him through and he finished neatly past Lu.
Substitute Archie Thompson, needing two goals to become Australia's all-time leading goalscorer, hit the post in the 72nd minute.
There was a 26-minute wait for Australia's eighth and it came courtesy of unlucky defender Yang Chao-Hsun, who diverted an Ivan Franjic cut-back past Lu.
Thompson wasted a glorious chance to equal Damian Mori's record of 29 Australia goals, but he blazed a close-range effort well over after a neat pass from the impressive Jamieson.
It was the last of the genuine chances as Australia qualified for South Korea 2013 ahead of North Korea on goal difference.
Australia 8 (Richard Garcia 11, Robert Cornthwaite 17, Adam Taggart 19, 29, Aziz Behich 34, 56, Aaron Mooy 47, Yang Chao-Hsun (og) 82) Chinese Taipei 0 @Hong Kong Stadium