The South Australian scored two goals, and would have had a hat-trick of assists if his teammates - Harry Souttar in particular - converted more of his exquisite left-footed crosses.
The return of Craig Goodwin and his exquisite left foot has propelled the Socceroos into the next round of World Cup qualifying with a 5-0 victory over Lebanon, confirming his status as one of Australia’s most important players with a virtuoso performance in the nation’s capital.
On another night, Goodwin could have ended up with a hat-trick of assists to go with his brace, had Souttar scored directly from that free kick - and if the lanky defender had converted another chance late in the second half, when Goodwin delivered an absurd outside-of-the-foot cross. Souttar met it with his head and bounced it into the ground, only for it to clip the right post and go out of play.
The only sour note for Australia was another injury to playmaker Ajdin Hrustic, who was scythed down by Lebanese midfielder Ali Tneich just moments after assisting Goodwin’s goal with a delightful chip over the top. Hrustic waved away a stretcher that was brought onto the field for him before hobbling off with the assistance of two trainers, unable to put pressure on his left foot.
While they were clearly the dominant team, Australia’s performance in the first half left plenty to be desired, with Goodwin seemingly the only player capable of making anything happen in attack; in fact, across the opening 45 minutes, he was the only Socceroo to have completed a successful pass into their own attacking box.
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