Irankunda double fires Australia to 5-1 win over Curacao

The livewire forward struck twice in a five-minute burst from 80 minutes

Representational photo. REUTERS

Nestory Irankunda scored a second-half double as Australia thrashed Curacao 5-1 in a friendly in Melbourne on Tuesday, giving fans a sweet farewell in their final home match before heading overseas to continue their World Cup buildup.

Livewire forward Irankunda struck twice in a five-minute burst from 80 minutes as the Socceroos ran riot with four goals after the break against the smallest country to qualify for the World Cup finals.

Jordy Bos and Alessandro Circati also grabbed second-half goals at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium after Curacao's Arjany Martha scored for the visitors on 50 minutes, cancelling out Awer Mabil's 23rd-minute strike.

Australia play their opening World Cup match on Jun 13 against Kosovo or Turkey, who meet in a playoff later on Tuesday.