In an encouraging sign for Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek, World Cup qualifying opponents Uzbekistan were comprehensively beaten by 88th-ranked Oman in a friendly today.
Australia will trek into the unknown when they take on Uzbekistan in Tashkent on September 10, a match captain Lucas Neill expects will be the most difficult of the campaign.
Those fears were allayed a little today, though, with the 55th-ranked Uzbeks going down 2-0 in Muscat.
“The Uzbeks have got us thinking. We’re going to have to work on our system and our system only and make sure that we can adapt in the first five minutes to whatever gets thrown at us,” Neill said this week from London, where the Socceroos drew 2-2 with 2010 World Cup hosts South Africa.
“It’s important that we get together now to prepare for what will possibly be our toughest qualifier for the World Cup because we go into the unknown against Uzbekistan.”
There were mixed results for Australia’s other group A opponents in international friendlies around the globe, with Japan losing 3-1 at home to Uruguay while Bahrain and Qatar both won comfortably.
Uruguay scored three second-half goals to secure the result in Sapporo.
Japan had taken the lead in the 48th minute when a pass from Kengo Nakamura was deflected by Uruguay midfielder Sebastian Eguren into his own net.
Eguren made up for the mistake by equalising seven minutes later, picking up a loose ball in the area and shooting past Japan goalkeeper Seigo Narazaki.
Ignacio Gonzalez then gave Uruguay the lead with a header in the 83rd minute before Sebastian Abreu sealed the win with a goal in injury time.
Qatar, meanwhile, thrashed the Tajiks 5-0 in Doha while Bahrain cruised to a 3-1 win over Burkina Faso in Manama.
Australia will wrap up preparations for Uzbekistan with a friendly against Euro 2008 quarter-finalists the Netherlands in Eindhoven on September 6.
The top two teams from Australia’s group automatically qualify for the World Cup.
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