Soccer: Australia coach Postecoglou to step down - report

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia coach Ange Postecoglou will step down after the intercontinental World Cup playoff against Honduras in November, local media reported on Wednesday.

Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper, citing an unnamed source, said the 52-year-old would step down regardless of whether the Socceroos win or lose the two-leg playoff against the Central Americans.

A spokesman from Football Federation Australia said the governing body would issue a statement on the coaching situation but was unable to provide immediate comment.

Australia defeated Syria 2-1 after extra time in Sydney on Tuesday to move into the intercontinental playoff for next year's finals in Russia.

Postecoglou, who replaced the sacked Holger Osieck in late-2013, coached the Socceroos at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and guided the side to their maiden Asian Cup title on home soil the following year.

He has been under huge pressure in the final phase of Asian qualifying this year, however, with media pundits and former players regularly criticising his tactics, selections and insistence on an attacking game.

The strain has been particularly evident in recent months, with Postecoglou storming out of a post-match media conference in Melbourne following the team's laboured 2-1 win over lightly regarded Thailand in their qualifier.

That result was not enough to book an automatic berth to Russia but the coach defiantly dismissed his critics and insisted he would stick to his game-plan, regardless of results.

Australia were held to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their confederation playoff against Syria in Malaysia but two goals from Tim Cahill on Tuesday kept the team's World Cup hopes alive.

While a relief for the Socceroos, pundits condemned Postecoglou's move to start playmaker Aaron Mooy on the bench, a decision leaked hours before the game.

Midfielder Mooy was the team's best player in Malaysia and was also influential after coming on in the first half in Sydney to replace the injured Brad Smith.

Mooy said after the game that he was "angry" about the decision, a rare criticism from a playing group that had been hitherto vocal in its support of their coach.

In another surprising post-match admission, defender Trent Sainsbury said he had not listened to Postecoglou's address in the interval before extra time.

(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Nick Mulvenney)