Midway through the first half, I thought one word could describe the Socceroos’ drubbing of Qatar: Clinical.

It seemed too easy. Qatar may have come out with a 5 man defense, but the Australians were finding holes with little trouble.

In the end, it was the Socceroos’ aerial assault that killed Qatar. Josh Kennedy nailed his first header in the 10th minute; 7 minutes later, Tim Cahill doubled the lead with another well-placed header. By then, it felt like the contest was over. Qatar had had minimal possession and rarely proved threatening.

Marco Bresciano’s goal in the 32nd minute only confirmed what was already obvious: Australia had its first three points in the bag.

After the break, Qatar emerged with two fresh faces and a less defensive formation. An obvious move, considering. But it turned the game into a much more even affair, as the Socceroos noticeably reduced the pressure. Qatar’s passing improved and they were able to maintain posession – but outright chances were still rare.

Qatar may have been beaten, but they’re far from gone in this World Cup qualification campaign. A 1-1 draw in the other Group A match between Iraq and China (more) keeps Qatar just a point behind 2nd place.

Australia’s next qualifier is on March 26, when they play China, a match reportedly to be played at an altitude of 1900 metres to give the Chinese an advantage.

Australia coach Pim Verbeek has had 6 weeks to decide whether to field a team of inexperienced A-League players, or try his luck with a squad of experienced – but potentially jet-lagged – Europe-based players. After several training camps with the local players, culminating in an embarrassing 1-1 draw against an undermanned Melbourne Victory last Saturday, Verbeek has opted for the latter.

Selecting a team after spending only two days with the majority of the players is far from a safe option. But then, picking a side that can’t beat a Melbourne side missing many of its key players is just plain foolish. Choosing the “Euroroos” was the better of two risky options.

Or at least, that’s what we hope.

Yesterday, Verbeek named a provisional 21-man squad, which is due to be shortened to 18 today. Rodrigo Vargas and Kevin Muscat did not make it into the shortlist, which featured 7 A-League players: John Aloisi, Ante Covic, Jade North, Craig Moore, Danny Vukovic, Nikolai Topor-Stanley and Melbourne’s Archie Thompson. Joel Griffiths and Mark Milligan were both injured on the weekend, putting them out of contention for tonight’s game.

Not among the 14 Europe-based players are Harry Kewell, Michael Beauchamp and Nick Carle, who were informed earlier this week that their services were not necessary. Michael Thwaite, who flew out to Melbourne last week, has also been told he will not be needed.

Coaching Qatar is one Jorge Fossati, a man many Australians will remember for being the coach of Uruguay when Australia qualified for the 2006 World Cup. Fossati has plenty of reason to seek revenge.

But he will be trying to do so with a Qatar side missing some of its best players: Uruguayan-born Sebastian Soria, the team’s star striker; Portuguese-born Yasser Hussein, a midfielde; defender Bilal Mohammad; and striker Sayed Al Bachir.

Qatar failed to score in their three warm-up matches last month, a result which has made most pundits predict that the Qatari 11 will be banking for a nil all draw. But with Al Sadd striker Ali Afifi and talented 19-year old Khalfan Ibrahim running behind him, Qatar’s potential to steal a goal should not be underestimated. And according to today’s Age, Pim isn’t underestimating their counterattack at all.

Qatar are considered the easiest of Australia’s Group 1 challengers, with both China and Iraq promising tough competition. Winning tonight is, quite simply, essential.

My tip: 2 – 0

Your tip?

Does Pim Verbeek know what he’s doing? Who will he pick from the 39-man squad he named last week? Will Vargas, Archie or Muscat get a run?

It may be the first qualification match, but it’s incredibly important. The Socceroos will be at home, playing against what is arguably their easiest competition, in front of a fanatical crowd at the Telstra Dome. Nothing short of a win will satisfy.

Will the Socceroos beat Qatar?