australia

A high scoring, but ultimately fruitless match, as Australia went down 3-4. We finished the tournament with a single point from three matches. From that point of view it was disappointing. On the plus side, many young players were given their opportunity. It will be interesting to see what sort of squad Osieck looks to build for Rio 2014.

Our second match saw an improvement. We fought back from 0-2 down to level the scores with some good play, only to concede shortly after and eventually go down 2-3. A better effort.

With World Cup qualification sealed, this tournament was an opportunity to be experimental. Osieck used newcomers and A-League players and came away with a 0-0 draw. Not a bad result, and by all accounts, we were lucky, having been thoroughly outplayed.

Far from a comfortable win, this was an extremely tense match. In bitterly cold and wet conditions, the Socceroos triumphed 1-0 against a valiant Iraq side to claim their place at Brazil 2014.

Despite all the pressure and an opponent with a lot to play for, the Socceroos were a revelation, thumped Jordan and took a giant step towards qualification.

Nothing less than a win would do for the Socceroos. For Jordan, a win would be a big step towards 2nd spot. There was everything to play for, and while the Socceroos and their fans were confident, particularly after last week, we'd all seen the Socceroos stumble against Oman a couple of months ago.

A fascinating game with a much improved performance from Australia. Up against an in-form Japan, at home, at a stadium they haven't lost at for yonks, with qualification completed if they got a result, we were really up against it. In a surprisingly open game we almost pulled off a famous victory before having to settle for a draw.

A match that was talked up as a comfortable win for Australia was very nearly a disaster of epic proportions. As it was, we were lucky to escape with a draw. Jordan defeated Japan overnight meaning we've slipped to third in our group. It's going to be very tough from here to ensure we achieve a top-2 spot.

It's hard to know what to make of this match. We were up against a strong Romanian side that dominated early and deserved their 1-0 lead. We equalised just before half-time through a penalty. In the second half, we were much improved, went ahead and looked in control, only to concede two late goals to lost the match. Not bad for our first hit-out for 2013 I suppose, but we should be able to close out matches like this.

North Korea played just before us and won 4-0, so we knew we had to win by +5 or better to ensure first place. The new football broadcasting deal meant this match was streamed live from SBS's website which I think is fantastic. And we got the job done.

A much improved performance, albeit against a relative minnow in world football. Osieck was also more adventurous with his selections giving several newcomers a start and they didn't let him down. The big margin was very handy as we've reined in North Korea's goal difference in just one match. So we'll start our last game on a level footing with them. Much better but one more good game still required.