Australia
Group F | World ranking: 42 Coach: Guus Hiddink
Key Players: Tim Cahill (midfielder), Harry Kewell (midfielder), Mark Viduka (forward)
Past Record: Group stage 1974 Group F Results:
June 12: Japan (3-1 | Report)
June 18: Brazil (0-2 | Report)
June 22: Croatia (2-2 | Report) Knockout Stages:
June 26: Italy (1-0 | Report) Group Summary:
Australia returned to the World Cup for the first time in 32 years in impressive fashion, coming from behind with three late goals to beat Japan 3-1 in their opening match and then clinching a place in the last 16 with a nerveless performance in a bad-tempered and bruising 2-2 draw with Croatia, once again overturning an early one-goal deficit. But Italy are likely to pose a more sophisticated test in the second round. Pre-Tournament Preview:
A squad packed full of Premier League players, Australia will undoubtedly do better than their only previous finals appearance, also in Germany, when they returned home without even scoring a goal. Qualification was achieved by the skin of their teeth after a dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Uruguay, a result that sent the country into wild scenes of celebration. With the Oceania group winners not gaining automatic qualification, the Socceroos have often let themselves down at the final hurdle. However, under the expert leadership of coach Hiddink -- who is bidding for a World Cup hat-trick after guiding the Netherlands to the semifinals in 1998 and South Korea to the same stage in 2002 -- they appear well equipped to have a successful tournament. SquadGoalkeepers:
1. Mark Schwarzer (Middlesbrough)
12. Ante Covic (Hammarby)
18. Zeljko Kalac (AC Milan)
Defenders:
2. Lucas Neill (Blackburn Rovers)
3. Craig Moore (Newcastle United)
6. Tony Popovic (Crystal Palace)
16. Michael Beauchamp (Central Coast)
22. Mark Milligan (Sydney FC) Midfielders:
4. Tim Cahill (Everton)
5. Jason Culina (PSV Eindhoven)
7. Brett Emerton (Blackburn Rovers)
8. Josip Skoko (Wigan Athletic)
11. Stan Lazaridis (free agent)
13.Vince Grella (Parma)
14. Scott Chipperfield (Basel)
20. Luke Wilkshire (Bristol City)
21. Mile Sterjovski (Basel)
23. Marco Bresciano (Parma)
Forwards:
9. Mark Viduka (Middlesbrough)
10. Harry Kewell (Liverpool)
15. John Aloisi (Alaves)
17. Archie Thompson (PSV Eindhoven)
19.. Josh Kennedy (Dinamo Dresden)
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