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Aussies enter World Cup fray as Koreas clash today

Australia enter the World Cup fray today on a high after beating the Netherlands over the weekend, as Qatar and North Korea look to continue their winning ways.

The Socceroos went further than any other Asian team at the last World Cup in Germany, where they made the last 16 before losing to eventual winners Italy 1-0 following a disputed last-minute penalty.

Coach Pim Verbeek said their 2-1 friendly win over the Dutch in Eindhoven was the ideal preparation for their opening game against Uzbekistan in Tashkent in the final round of qualifiers.

“For us it was the perfect warm-up match,” Verbeek said. “I saw good things, I saw things we have to improve.”

While ecstatic with the victory, captain Lucas Neill warned his side not to be complacent or underestimate Uzbekistan, with conditions in Tashkent likely to be considerably tougher than the ideal weather in the Netherlands.

“The coach and I have already stressed that, as good as the win was, it will count for nothing on Wednesday, so we’ll have to start again and put in a similar kind of performance,” he told reporters.

The Uzbekistanis, tipped by many as a dark horse of the competition, are desperate for a win after crashing 3-0 to Qatar in the extreme heat of Doha on Saturday.

That stunning victory for Jorge Fossati’s team raised the bar in Group A, which also includes Bahrain and Japan.

Japan, who beat Bahrain 3-2 in Manama over the weekend, don’t play today, leaving the team from the tiny Sultanate to make the short trip to Doha to try to salvage their campaign.

While delighted to see his side topple Uzbekistan, Fossati stressed he was not taking Bahrain lightly.

“We respect all our opponents and Bahrain’s defeat against Japan doesn’t mean that we should underestimate them,” he said.

In Group B South Korea, who have qualified for the past six World Cups, get their campaign underway in Shanghai against their northern neighbors.

The match was moved from Pyongyang after North Korea refused to let the South play its national anthem and fly its flag at the game.

South Korea go into the match with a 1-0 warm-up win over Jordan under their belts on Friday, while a defensive North Korea upset the United Arab Emirates 2-1 in Abu Dhabi for the perfect start to their World Cup drive.

“Obviously we are happy with the result,” North Korean coach Kim Jong-hun told reporters. “We still have a long way to go but it’s a good start.”

Iran, who drew 1-1 in Riyadh with Saudi Arabia in their opener, rest today with the Saudis playing UAE in the other Group B game.

The Asian round culminates in June next year with the top two teams from each group automatically qualifying for the 2010 finals.

The two third-placed teams play-off for the right to meet Oceania representative New Zealand for the final slot.
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