Australia ready to erase unhappy memories of 1974

SYDNEY, May 26: Australia will be gunning for their first victory at a World Cup when they head back to Germany after a 32-year absence from the finals.

In their only previous World Cup appearance in West Germany in 1974, a rag-tag collection of Australians lost to East Germany and West Germany and drew with Chile. They went home without scoring a goal.

Although they now face world champions Brazil, Croatia and Asian champions Japan in Group F, they look capable of scoring goals and taking points off Croatia and Japan.

Soccer has changed totally in Australia over the last 32 years and although the game is less popular than Australian Rules football, tennis, rugby and cricket, the country has produced some top-level individuals for clubs across Europe.

The Australians can take heart from having experienced Dutch coach Guus Hiddink at the helm and a marked improvement in the form of Liverpool playmaker Harry Kewell, who made a strong finish to the season after battling back from injuries.

Hiddink, widely respected even before he guided South Korea to the semi-finals in 2002, is certain to get the best out of his men.

Kewell, though, is the key. If he produces his club form at the finals and his team mates play to be the best of their abilities, Australia could yet join the dogfight for a runners-up place behind expected group winners Brazil.

RICH TRADITION For a country with such a successful sporting tradition, Australia have been one of the great under-achievers in soccer and made history by qualifying for this tournament.

Their dramatic playoff win over Uruguay, sealed with John Aloisi's penalty shoot-out goal, meant they became the first country to qualify for the finals on penalties.

While the 1974 team was comprised of amateur or semi-professional players, today's side includes Kewell and Middlesbrough striker Mark Viduka.

Viduka's ambling gait belies some great ball skills and a real eye for goal, while keeper Mark Schwarzer, midfielders Brett Emerton and Stan Lazaridis and forward Tim Cahill are also regulars in the English Premier League.

Whether they have the resilience to cope with the rigours of tournament football, though, remains to be seen.

Australia's track record at least means they have nothing to lose in Germany, while there is every hope that the tournament will lift the profile of the game at home.

A move away from the Oceania confederation, which Australia dominated for years, to the more competitive Asian confederation can also only help soccer's cause.

Other domestic changes have seen Frank Lowy, Australia's second-richest man, set up a new board to run the game with a new elite national league, raising hopes of a brighter future.

REUTERS