Australia beats Costa Rica 1-0 in friendly

SYDNEY (AP) Tim Cahill scored in the 69th minute to give Australia and its new coach a 1-0 win over Costa Rica in a friendly on Tuesday.

The win before 29,000 fans marked Ange Postecoglou's debut as Socceroos coach. Postecoglou took over after Holger Osieck was fired after consecutive 6-0 losses to Brazil and France in friendlies.

Those losses came after Australia qualified for next year's World Cup in Brazil.

Cahill's goal was his 29th for Australia, equaling Damian Mori's national record.

Lucas Neill, who became Australia's longest-serving captain on Tuesday when he wore the armband for the 61st time, was shown in television footage gesturing angrily to apparent hecklers in the crowd.

Neill has been under pressure in the past several months over his play and there was speculation Tuesday's match might be his last as captain.

Postecoglou led the Brisbane Roar to two A-League titles before moving to Melbourne Victory last year. He is the first Australian coach of the Socceroos since Frank Farina in 2005.