Socceroos thrash Nepal to continue dream start on qualifying road to 2022 World Cup

The Socceroos continued to run riot on their road to Qatar 2022 with a 5-0 thrashing of Nepal in front of 18,563 fans at Canberra Stadium on Thursday night.

Canberrans flung up their hands and performed an impromptu Viking Clap as the Socceroos dominated from start to finish.

It took just six minutes for the Socceroos to break the deadlock when Craig Goodwin fired a ricochet off a set piece, for Jamie Maclaren to ease the ball past Nepalese goalkeeper Kiran Kumar Limbu.

Australia doubled its lead in the 19^th minute when defender Rhyan Grant headed the ball across the face of goal for Maclaren to nod it home with a tidy finish.

Scottish diaspora Harry Souttar helped Australia put the result beyond doubt on his international debut in the 24th minute when he used his six-foot-six frame to head the ball into the back of the net from a Goodwin corner.

It was the fastest goal on Socceroos debut since teammate Aaron Mooy scored a 14^th minute goal against Guam in 2012.

Nepal struggled to gain possession in their attacking half as the Socceroos' defence ran riot around the tourists, who could barely get consecutive passes away.

But Nepalese fans spurred on their players with roars of approval at the slightest hint of an attacking charge.

Australian fans were then brought to their feet as Mathew Leckie's shot deflected into the goal in the final minute of the first half. But the linesman's flag went up and the Socceroos were denied a chance to extend their lead going into the break.

The Nepalese frantically fought back and tried to force themselves back into the game after the break but they simply couldn't surpass the Socceroos' relentless defence.

The hosts extended their lead to four goals in the 58^th minute when Souttar headed the ball towards the net off an Aaron Mooy header.

The contested ball deflected off a Nepalese defender and went down on the score-sheet as an own goal.

But the Socceroos struggled to fly through the gears and wasted plenty of attacking opportunities in the final third as the clock ticked closer to full-time.

"I was very happy with the performance but we always know there is a lot of room for improvement," Arnold said.

"We're creating those chances which is great, it's a big improvement. Now it's about the final touch which is the finish.

"We were very good in the first half, and in the second half you could see a little bit of fatigue.

"A lot of them got off the plane just yesterday morning. They showed great commitment to want to be here and also with their performances."

Maclaren became the first Australian to score a hat-trick in two years when he bagged his third in the 90th minute.

Milligan struck a long ball with Jackson Irvine as the forward target and the midfielder bounced the ball off his chest for Maclaren to complete the attack with a tidy finish.

"Jamie is great, his movement is fantastic," Arnold said.

"Sometimes playing teams that sit so deep like that really doesn't suit him as much as potentially a Taggart or a Giannou because they like to play with their back to goal and Jamie doesn't.

"I'm really proud of the kid, to score his first hat-trick for Australia. He has worked extremely hard. It was a no-brainer to start him."

The victory comes after the Socceroos won their qualifying opener against Kuwait 3-0 in sweltering conditions last month.

They'll look to continue their perfect start to their qualifying campaign when they face Chinese Taipei in Kaohsiung on Tuesday.

"They'll freshen up now and we will move across to Chinese Taipei," Arnold said.

"I feel very comfortable in this job now, more than ever, because of the depth we have created. I probably will make seven or eight changes for the Taipei game."

Australia need to finish as one of the eight group winners or four best runners-up in the Asian Football Confederation to advance directly to the 2023 Asian Cup finals and the next qualifying round for the 2022 World Cup.

The Socceroos endured one of the longest and most gruelling campaigns in the tournament's history when they played 22 games over a 29-month period to qualify for Russia.