football

Our first ever match in this relatively new tournament was a little uninspiring. We fielded a pretty strong team but made hard work of our opponents and we were a little fortunate to win. We couldn't afford to drop points so we should be grateful that Brett Emerton scored with just a few minutes to go. Improvement needed.

All up, a pleasing result. It was a friendly and both teams fielded experimental and youthful line-ups. We came back from 0-1 down against a side that dominated us early and turned it around to dominate the second half and win 2-1.

After a lacklustre first half from both teams, Australia looked to be getting on top in the second and pressing for the win. Then disaster, caught on the break and down 0-1 with 15 minutes to go. Almost miraculously we turned it around in five minutes when Tim Cahill (who else) headed home, followed by Archie Thompson with his third goal in three games. A priceless away win that sees us climb to second spot in the group at the half-way stage of the final round.

Groan. What a disaster - a 1-2 loss to a weaker team. We were out-thought and out-played and "something must be done". It's not panic stations yet. Realistically we should still finish 2nd in our group and qualify for Brazil directly. But another loss could make it very difficult and I'm sure everyone would rather avoid play-offs, especially as the 5th-placed South American team lies at the end of that.

A much improved Australia, captained by Mark Schwarzer in his 100th cap, easily accounted for Lebanon 3-0. Osieck went for his strongest team, demanded a better performance and the players responded well. Lebanon are not exactly a tough opponent, but these are the games you have to win. We'll go into our next qualifier with plenty of confidence.

A disappointing match in which we succumbed 1-3 to Scotland. A cracking goal by Mark Bresciano got us off to good start, but Scotland thoroughly deserved their win. We were flat. Osieck was being kind when he said he expected more of the Socceroos. We have to improve for our upcoming qualifiers.

Japan arrived full of confidence and in form. Australia arrived battle-weary from a tough away match in Oman. But it didn't seem to matter. Australia threw everything into the match, while Japan absorbed it and used their skill. It was a thrilling match that finished 1-1. Probably a fair result, all things considered.

Oman sought to make the most of their home advantage, starting the game at 5:00pm in 32 deg heat. Both sides had their chances, Australia perhaps slightly ahead here, but neither side managed to score. An away drawis a pretty good result under tough conditions.

Our next opponents, Japan, have had the luxury of two home games and are in tip-top form with a 3-0 win over Oman and a 6-0 win over Jordan (although Jordan played with 10 men from 2-0 down). Japan will arrive full of confidence for what should be a very tough match for Australia.