Brazil rout Australia 4-0

MELBOURNE: Brazil scored after 12 seconds away to Australia before completing a 4-0 rout in a friendly on Tuesday to hand the hosts a wake-up call before they leave for their opening game against world champions Germany at the Confederations Cup in Russia.

Australia got off to a terrible start when centre back Bailey Wright gave away possession with the second pass of the game, allowing Diego Souza to hammer home a low shot to groans from most of the 49,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Souza wrapped up the win for the five-time world champions with a header in added time after Thiago Silva headed the second from a goalmouth scramble in the 62nd minute and substitute Taison finished off a brilliant team goal in the 75th.

Australia, who face Germany in Group B of the Confederations Cup on Monday, had entered the stadium with cautious optimism after last week’s home win over Saudi Arabia reignited their hopes of a fourth successive World Cup appearance.

But the crushing early blow in Tuesday’s game left Ange Postecoglou’s side rattled and they were only spared further punishment in the first half by Brazil’s failure to convert several early chances.

Australia were humbled 6-0 away by five-times world champions Brazil when the teams last met in 2013, which was a prelude to former coach Holger Osieck’s dismissal and replacement by Postecoglou.

Postecoglou will wake up to some stinging headlines but he was philosophical in defeat, and said responsibility for the second half blow-out lay with him making a raft of changes.

“You never like getting defeated and you don’t like a heavy defeat particularly at home,” he told reporters. “From our perspective it’s about preparing for that game in about a week’s time.”