SYDNEY: Veteran Tim Cahill bid an emotional farewell Tuesday on his 108th and final appearance for Australia as Scottish striker Martin Boyle scored twice for his newly-adopted country.
Cahill, the Socceroos all-time top scorer with 50 goals, came out of international retirement to play the final nine minutes of Australia’s 3-0 win against Lebanon in their last match before defending the Asian Cup crown in January.
Coach Graham Arnold made sweeping changes from the line-up that drew 1-1 with South Korea on Saturday with Hibernian marksman Boyle, who recently secured an Australian passport, starting up front.
He played alongside South Sudanese refugee Awer Mabil and added a spark that the Socceroos have been missing since Cahill announced his retirement at the end of the World Cup in Russia.
Boyle, who played for the Scotland under-16s but qualified for Australia due to his Sydney-born father, scored on his starting debut in the 19th minute when his powerful long-range strike took a deflection.
He made it 2-0 on 41 minutes after toe-poking home the rebound after Milos Degenek’s header hit the bar.Substitute Matthew Leckie buried the third soon after coming on in the second half, from a Boyle assist.
With the result secure, it was all about Cahill as he came on in a pre-arranged farewell in front of his home fans in Sydney.Widely considered as the “Greatest Socceroo”, he couldn’t add to his goal-scoring tally but was given a huge ovation.
“Every time I’ve pulled on the green and gold, I’ve played with my heart. Thank you, Australia,” he said.“To all my teammates and the staff I have worked with, I would be nothing without you.”