Australian striker Tim Cahill's individual performance ended the impressive run of China and helped the host nation through to the semi-finals of the Asian Cup football tournament with a 2-0 victory here Thursday.
The 35-year-old struck twice in 15 minutes, once with an overhead kick and again with a craning header, as Australia advanced to the final four of the competition at the expense of a resolute China side, reports Xinhua.
Earlier, South Korea also qualified for the semi-finals, but was forced to wait until extra time to defeat Uzbekistan 2-0 in an entertaining clash in Melbourne.
A hard fought 2-0 victory, courtesy of Son Heung-Min's extra time double, helped South Korea become the first side to qualify for the semi-finals of the tournament.
South Korea will now face the winner of Iran and Iraq in the semi-finals, while Australia will meet either Japan or the United Arab Emirates.
