Pride restored, but Aussies are homeward-bound

Australia beat Serbia, but exit competition

By Marc Fox

Pim Verbeek.

Australia's compelling finale to their initially hapless Group D campaign has been well received by the country's sporting public and media alike, although the side's well-documented defensive frailties ultimately came back to haunt the Socceroos over all three games in South Africa.

The Fairfax writer at the centre of the Harry Kewell storm described the performance against fancied Serbia that resulted in a 2-1 win as "absolutely brilliant" even though it meant the Socceroos bowed out of the tournament by virtue of goal difference.

Ghana join Germany in the last 16 where they will face the eminently beatable United States on Saturday night.

It would be easy to get carried away with how Australia fronted up to the Serbians in the second-half at the Mbombela Stadium after the correctly deployed Tim Cahill headed a trademark goal and unsung hero Brett Holman fired a spectacular second.

Cahill, playing off lone striker Josh Kennedy, proved himself a cut above the rest of the Aussie side, but Holman was the biggest surprise, following up his goal against Ghana with aplomb despite again starting on the bench.

However, whether he will gain any greater game time as a result will be anyone's guess. Cahill was one of a number of high profile Socceroos to immediately pledge to carry on playing for Australia until the Asian Cup in Qatar - at least.

Brett Emerton and Mark Bresciano also showed their desire to compete at the elite level is as high as ever. However, young guns Dario Vidosic and Nikita Rukavytsya had little chance to shine and question marks continue to hang over left-back David Carney.

Like Cahill, captain Lucas Neill was another long-standing Australian international to throw his weight behind a personal bid for Asian Cup glory in January.

Neill, though, is in decline both domestically and internationally while central defensive partner Craig Moore's Socceroos career ended after he received a second yellow card in a fine performance against Ghana in the second game.

Some will inevitably argue that Australia conceded enough chances to be beaten handsomely in all three group games, and that the priority of the coach replacing Pim Verbeek will be to restructure the Socceroos' back third.

Before the World Cup started, Leeds United's Patrick Kisnorbo had pushed himself to the front of the queue to replace Moore, but time will tell how he takes to life back in the English Championship following a knee reconstruction after a relatively untroubled season in League One.

Meanwhile, Michael Beauchamp, back in the A-League with new franchise Melbourne Heart, was at his best against Serbia, proving he deserved a place ahead of Mark Milligan. He will certainly compete with Kisnorbo and, to a lesser extent, Aston Villa youngster Shane Lowry, for a starting place alongside Neill in Qatar.

With Verbeek gone, K-League defender Sasa Ognenovski might even come into consideration.

Either side, Luke Wilkshire's maturity was an asset on the right, but neither Scott Chipperfield (in the 4-0 loss to Germany) nor Carney, who was given the run around by Serb Milos Krasic in the first-half, looked assured. Dean Heffernan, another Heart recruit, could be given an extended opportunity.

In truth, 37-year-old Mark Schwarzer - his uncharacteristic error against the Germans aside - was probably Australia's most consistent performer again. However, he looks set to give up-and-coming Adam Federici the chance to shine over the coming six months, especially given the newspaper talk of an imminent move to Champions League qualifiers Arsenal.

Chipperfield provided this sobering assessment of Australia's campaign: "We've qualified for two World Cups, it's been great but there's still a lot of work to be done to be considered one of the top teams.

"We have some talent coming through but we still have to see how they go at the international level. They haven't been tested yet."

Cahill, however, argued that "the future is bright for Australian football".

"There are so many good youngsters that have come through this competition," he said. "There are so many bright stars."

Copyright © Marc Fox and Soccerphile.com

More Australian Soccer News