Background
Australia have appeared only in two World cups till date. They had to wait till 2006 after the debut in 1974. South Africa 2010 is their second consecutive World Cup. In 1974, the Socceroos could not proceed beyond the first round, whereas they made it to the last 16 in 2006.
The road to the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals
As the new member of the Asian Football Confederation, Australia took part in the qualifiers from the AFC zone, beginning their campaign in Round 3.
Third Round:
Australia was the top seed of Group A, which also contained Qatar, Iraq, and China. They began the qualifying campaign in style winning the first match against Qatar, 3-0. The next was an away game with China which finished without either team scoring.
But Iraq was a different proposition. Though the Aussies managed to win the home game 1-0, the return leg saw the Iraqis paying back in the same coin. They won the away match with Qatar but then lost to China 1-0 in the final game. Australia finished Group A with 10 points along with Qatar who also collected the same number of points. But they topped the group on goal difference.
Fourth Round:
The Aussies were put in Group A, along with Japan, Bahrain, Qatar, and Uzbekistan.
It was the Australians all the way in this group, conceding only one goal in the eight matches. Starting with a 1-0 away victory over Uzbekistan and a superb 4-0 win against Qatar, neither Bahrain, nor even Japan proved to be too tough for the Australians and they added four points to the kitty.
Success over Uzbekistan (2-0), and Bahrain (2-0) were pointers of the great form they were in. But they played a goal less draw against Qatar in the away match.
The Japanese finally tarnished the clean sheet and surprised the Aussies by an early goal. But the Aussies fought back and won the game 2-1 in the last of the qualifiers. They thus assured a place for themselves in the grand jamboree of football in South Africa with 20 points ahead of Japan which was placed second with 15 points. The point difference speaks volumes of the superiority of the Australians in the group.
Australia is placed in Group D for the 2010 World Cup’s group stage along with the European top seeds Germany, Serbia, and African big guns Ghana. Qualifying for the knockout stages will obviously not be an easy task. But they can draw inspiration from the last world cup, when the team, under Guus Hiddink, marched into the second round from a group which had Brazil, Croatia and Japan.
Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek has said that he was content with his side's draw.
"Could have been better, could have been worse," he told SBS television
Match-day 1: Germany vs Australia
The match will be played at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, on the 13th of June 2010, at 20:30 local time.
Germany are No. 6 in the current FIFA rankings, whereas the Australians are ranked 21. It is not as if football holds ranking in awe. Upsets are always there on the cards. But to be realistic, a draw in the opening game should be satisfying for the Socceroos. It may be recalled that at the 2005 Confederations Cup, Australia fought hard and lost only narrowly to Germany 4-3.
Match-day 2: Ghana vs Australia
In match-day two, Australia will play Ghana at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, on the 19th of June 2010, at 16:00 local time.
The Ghanaians are the lowest ranked nation in the group at No.37. Interestingly, the Socceroos have favourable playing records against Ghana in two friendly matches in the last three years. The last was in Sydney in May last year which the Aussies won through a Mile Sterjovski goal.
Match-day 3: Australia vs Serbia
Australia’s last group match is against Serbia at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, at 20:30 local time on June 23.
Serbia, who topped their World Cup qualifying group ahead of France, are no push-over and is one place above Australia at No.20 in FIFA ranking. They had also overcome the mighty France in the qualifiers. But the Aussies will have to make the maximum out of it as their best chances are with Ghana and Serbia rather than with Germany.
Star men
Tim Cahill:
The 30-year old Everton footballer is one of Australia’s top stars. Tim Cahill, who has made over 35 appearances for the Socceroos, was his country’s first Man of the Match in a World Cup tournament, scoring two goals in their game against Japan in 2006, the winner coming in the 89th minute. He is expected to put on a similar show and inspire his team mates.
Mark Schwarzer:
At 37, Schwarzer is near retirement and this World Cup will probably be his last. He has put in over 70 appearances and has acquitted himself well. He kept goal for Australia in the first two games of the 2006 World Cup. Though replaced in the third, he was brought back for the crucial pre-quarter match against Italy. Despite diving in the correct direction, he could not prevent the Totti penalty from crossing the goal line. Schwarzer has a vital role in the 2010 World Cup for Australia.
THE COACH
For a long time the assistant to Hiddink and Dick Advocaat, Verbeek has sufficient knowledge of Australian soccer and the players. He is in total command and even managed to persuade Australia's top players to join the national squad for every qualifier.
By nature a careful, traditional coach, for him the midfield is an extension of the defence. He believes that his squad's strength is in defence.
This is a big opportunity for Verbeek to show to the world what he is, after playing second fiddle for so long.
THE PROSPECTS
Australia had a good run in the qualifiers, but Asian opposition is certainly not the toughest in the world. So that makes the world cup a different kettle of tea and the Socceroos will have to draw upon all their energy and skill to make it beyond the second round.
Verbeek needs his key men fit and fighting, and must find a level of performance from the players that so far haven’t been displayed too often. But the time for average displays is over and they must aim sky high and be very ambitious in approach.
The Australians had done well in the last world cup, where they were appearing after 32 years and managed to reach the second round. It will only be logical and the fans too would be happy if they can make it to the quarterfinals.
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