A novice defensive duo scored goals to punch Australia's ticket to the Asian Cup final with a 2-0 victory against United Arab Emirates.
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Unlikely sources Trent Sainsbury and Jason Davidson logged their first international goals in Tuesday night's comprehensive semi-final triumph in Newcastle.
The duo scored inside 14 dreamy minutes for the Socceroos, who secured a slot in Saturday night's final against South Korea in Sydney.
Sainsbury, in his ninth international, and Davidson, in his 15th, stunned the Emirates and extended the Socceroos' remarkable spread of scorers in the cup.
Ten Australians have netted the nation's 12 goals with Tim Cahill (three) the only multiple scorer.
Sainsbury's goal came in just two minutes 35 seconds, as many of the sell-out 21,079 Newcastle crowd were settling into their seats.
The centre-back's score came from a Massimo Luongo corner - and the magnetism of Cahill.
Cahill's presence attracted three UAE defenders to him, and Sainsbury trailed in behind, unattended, and placed a neat header to the right of the `keeper.
Just 11 minutes later, Davidson thundered a left-footer into the net and the Socceroos were headed for the final.
After a Mathew Leckie shot was blocked, the ball spilt to a scramble won by Luongo with a deft touch into the path of Davidson.
With time and space, the left-back cracked a low shot which beat a despairing dive from Emirates goalkeeper Majed Naser.
The perfect start came as the Socceroos dominated the Emirates, shifting the visitors around at will on a pitch softened by heavy rain throughout the day.
The UAE, despite eye-catching cameos from their star playmaker Omar Abdulrahman, rarely threatened against the cohesive Socceroos who turned in a complete performance - resolute defence blended with attacking menace, all underpinned by tireless work ethic.
The Emirates' best chance came from a speculative 25-metre blast from Ahmed Khalil in the 51st minute which had Australian keeper Mat Ryan beat, but sailed just wide.
The UAE will now remain in Newcastle for a play-off for third spot in the cup against Iraq on Friday.
And the buoyant Socceroos head for Sydney and their second consecutive cup final, after losing 0-1 to Japan four years ago.
They will confront the Koreans, who defeated the Socceroos 1-0 in a group match in Brisbane 10 days ago - though the Australians started their attacking trumpcards Cahill, Leckie and Robbie Kruse in the bench in that encounter.
IAN McCULLOUGH'S player ratings for Australia in the 2-0 Asian Cup semi-final win over the UAE:
MAT RYAN: A relative spectator for most of the game but did what he had to do when called upon with the minimum of fuss Rating: 6.
IVAN FRANJIC: Solid at right back and did well to keep tournament's join top scorer Ali Mabkhout quiet. Lucky not to concede a penalty with a rash tackle that went unpunished in the second half Rating: 7.
JASON DAVIDSON: Took his first international goal well with a cool finish. Comfortable on the ball, should be a regular at this level for a long time: 7.
MATTHEW SPIRANOVIC: Caught out for pace on more than one occasion in the first half by the lively UAE attack but got to grips with his task in the second half. Will need to improve in the final against Korea. Rating: 6.
TRENT SAINSBURY: Solid, but occasionally looks vulnerable against pace. Better after halftime and scored his first Socceroos goal with a fine header. Rating: 7.
MARK MILLIGAN: Given the job of keeping the dangerous Omar Abdulrahman in check but struggled to contain the silky-skilled schemer and was substituted after an hour. Rating: 5
MASSIMO LUONGO: One of the young midfielder's quieter games, but always wants the ball and delivered the perfect corner for Sainsbury's opener. Rating: 7.
MILE JEDINAK: A mixed bag from the skipper. Could have done more to stop Abdulrahman dictating terms in midfield, but used the ball well and was on the spot to break up a dangerous UAE attack with a strong tackle. Rating: 6.
MATTHEW LECKIE: The all-action winger is always a threat going forward with his pace and physicality, but his inability to use his left foot often hinders his production. Rating: 6.
TIM CAHILL: No goalscoring heroics from the evergreen superstar, but his presence in the box was enough to worry the UAE defence enough to ignore the unmarked Sainsbury for the opening goal. Rating: 7.
ROBBIE CRUSE: Worked hard on both flanks after being switched to the left in the second half. Made a fine 35-metre run, but couldn't deliver the telling pass as the UAE cleared he danger. Substituted. Rating: 6.
Substitutes:
MATT MCKAY: Brought on to shore up the midfield for the final half-hour. Saw a fierce drive flash just wide as the Socceroos pushed for a third goal. Rating: 6
TOMI JURIC: Came on for Cahill but never really imposed himself on the game. Rating: 6
JAMES TROISI: Came on for the last eight minutes and not given enough time to really impress. Rating: 6
- AAP