Australia smashed | Thebigtip

A slick Egypt side gave Socceroos coach Holger Osieck plenty to think about before January's Asian Cup by thumping Australia 3-0 in today's friendly in Cairo.

Strikes from Ahmed Abdul-Zaher, Mohamed Nagy and Mohamed Zidan were enough to provide the first defeat of Osiek's short time in charge of the national team.

The Socceroos were chasing a decent hit-out before the Asian Cup and the quick and skilful African champions, who are 11th in the Fifa rankings, certainly provided that.

It was the last match before Osieck picks his squad for the tournament in Qatar and he won't be thrilled about his side's most recent showing.

Some of the defensive lapses will be of particular concern.

Fresh from leading Korean side Seongnam Ilhwa to victory in the Asian Champions League, Sasa Ognenovski made his international debut at the age of 31.

Continue Reading at Herald Sun