Socceroos ease to victory in Lebanon

Tim Cahill and then Matt McKay found the back of the net within three minutes midway through the first half before Archie Thompson netted late to seal Australia's first triumph since February.

Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer was largely a spectator throughout his milestone 100th international appearance.

His team-mates showed passages of the cohesion and energy that will be required to earn the country a third straight World Cup berth.

The Saida Municipal Stadium, surrounded by military tanks and armed guards, provided every measure of tension the Socceroos could possibly have to deal with in Jordan on Wednesday morning (AEST).

Coach Holger Osieck played his strongest pace and energy card in response to last month's 3-1 humbling at the hands of Scotland, employing 23-year-old Robbie Kruse and Nikita Rukavytsya, 25, in attacking tandem for the first time.

However, a reminder of the value of experience came from the performances of Cahill and midfield veteran Mark Bresciano, who were sublime throughout their respective 60 and 45-minute contributions.

Bresciano and Cahill combined for Australia's first shot on goal though it was another seasoned campaigner, Luke Wilkshire, who provided the final cross for Cahill to power home on 20 minutes.

Minutes later, McKay netted his first international goal - an angled effort on the end of a David Carney centre that was crafted by another exceptional Bresciano lead up.

With only a few minutes to play, Thompson provided a delicate finish after being played through by Brett Holman to put the gloss on a vastly-improved Australia performance that augurs well ahead of the resumption of its World Cup qualification quest.