....all Australia (well the non-Italian part) must be absolutely stunned. I can't ever remember a game at a World Cup Final being decided with what was literally the last kick o####ame and a penalty kick at that.
What was Lucas Neill thinking about? That was just bad defending at that stage in the game, or at any stage in a game I suppose.
No disrespect to the Swiss or the Ukraine but Italy is eyeing a semi final and has yet to play well.
Italy is having the better of this one although they are far from dominating.
Zambrotta is back in Italy's line-up at right back but we haven't not seen him push forward to often. Maybe he is playing himself into this one - more adventurous in the second half perhaps.
Cannavaro and "the Matrix" are handling Viduka who is badly in need of support.
Del Piero has been quite up to now and Italy has been dangerous with longer balls fed into Toni from midfield rather than from any link play.
It is always facinating to try and work out what system Guus Hiddink is playing. It looks like three at the back but sometimes four. Three in central midfield with a couple of wide midfielders but sometimes only three with the wide players droping back depending on the Italian attack. What is clear is Viduka is the lone striker. He needs to either hold the ball longer for support to arrive or to have someone up there to support him.
No doubt Hiddink will make adjustments as he always does. If Italy do not get a goal in the first 20 minutes of the second half I can see Hiddink pushing on and trying to win this one.
Another three unimpressive points for Brazil. Australia never looked outclassed and with a little more composure they could have had a couple of goals.
Brazil has a lot of problems beyond Ronaldo. Was Cafu playing? Roberto Carlos is not a factor. Dida looks dodgy at times and there build is often slow and laboured.
Overall a very flattering scoreline for Brazil.
The bright spot was Robinho - he played with desire and some yest.
It would be silly to write off Brazil but Carlos Alberto Parreira needs to find a ruthless streak if this team is going to challenge.
Man of the Match - Ze Roberto. He was the one who did the hard graft for Brazil in midfield.
Brazil has had the better of the possession but they are not dominating Australia by any stretch of the imagination.
You can see the frustration mounting in the Brazilian players.
Australia is looking very comfortable at the moment. Defensively they are compact; in midfield they are moving the ball nicely; up front they are getting chances allbeit from outside the penalty area.
Brazil is getting very little movement from Ronaldo and Adriano in attack and that means the Australian defense doesn't need to think very much.
If this doesn't change then Parreira has to get Robinho into the game.
This is a game so instantly forgettable that I find it difficult to write something. Between the 30 yard marks it was a reasonably well played game. However, when it came to creating and executing chances both sides were as toothless as a Wednesday night bingo audience.
When you look at the standings it was a poorer result for Japan. They now need to beat Brazil and even so, it would not guarantee them a spot in the last sixteen. For Croatia they will be hoping for a Brazil win – scoreline irrelevant – that will set up a must-win game against the Aussies on Thursday.
Gabriele Marcotti takes a look at Jose Pekerman, Coach of Argentina, and the play of Javier Mascherano. Mascherano shone at the 2004 Copa America and it looks as if he has only improved.
Michael Grant looks at England's progress so far and includes a comment from former England star Trevor Steven on ####mp;T's Chris Birchall outplaying Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.
A piece on Guus Hiddink and his Australian charges.
Sami Al-Jaber scores less than three minutes after stepping onto the park.
A classic counter attack after the ball is headed clear from the Saudi penalty box and it is moved quickly through midfield until Al-Jaber finds himself one-on-one with the keeper.
He slots it home, a great example of how a team is most suseptible when it loses the ball.
Trabelsi awol on the goal.
A massive equalizer for Tunisia and the Ukraine. Three minutes into injury time and Bolton's Jaidi ties it up.
Jaidi makes and scores the goal after a long ball is pumped in. He outmuscles a defender to knock the ball down to Jaziri who crosses and Jaidi heads underneath the goalie.
What a fantastic last 10 minutes bettered only by Australia and Japan.
Next up for Saudi Arabia is Ukraine and for Tunisia it is Spain.
Man ot the match - Mohammed Noor. He ran his heart out and his prompting helped to pull Saudi Arabia back into this game.
Brazil opens with a win and three points but it was an underwhelming performance. The Croatian defense was rarely troubled by the Brazil attacks and Carlos Alberto Parreira is going to hear about this one.
This performance will probably encourage the other countries but Brazil has a habit of getting stronger as the WC progresses.
What Parreira does with Ronaldo will be a source of speculation until the next game against table-topping Australia on Sunday.
Man of the match - Dado Prso, he was willing to run at the Brazilian defense and with a little bit more luck he could have scored or set one up.
Australia is struggling to create clear cut chances - in fact they are not creating any chances.
Not so quick. Chance for the Aussies as big Kennedy is fouled right on the edge of the penalty box. Viduka strikes it well with his right foot but the keeper saves well. I thought Kewell's left foot might have been a better option.
The Japanese defense is outnumbering the Aussies when they get close to the box.
Hiddink plays his last sub with Wilksire off and another strilker - Aloisi - on. Japan might catch Australia on the break.
Aloisi receives a welcome-to-the-game yellow card within two minutes - silly boy. Japan is getting the ball into wide positions when they break but the chances are being wasted.
Australia is pumping balls into the Japanese penalty box but the crosses are very poor.
Seven minutes and another free kick for Australia. Aliosi hits it ever so well but the keeper makes a great save.
Sam Allardyce would be proud. A long throw in drops to my boy Tim Cahill who slides it home. A massively important goal. Can Australia become the first team to come from a goal back to take a point?
They've just done better than that - Cahill does it again. He is such a cracking wee player!!!
The Japanese are stunned, shell-shocked and anything else you can think of.
And there is more - Aloisi runs through the Japanses defense to score and to cap the most sensational 10 minutes of this World Cup.
Just minutes ago the Aussie fans in the crowd looked like they had just been told that all the breweries had burned down and now they are set to drink K-town dry.
Viduka shows how brilliant he can be by playing in Bresciano with a cute back heel but the Parma player doesn't make good contact.
Japan go into the lead and it was a soft goal. Nakamura floats one in and Schwarzer makes a real bollocks of it. There was contact with Takahara but the referee - I'm assuming - judged that the Japanese player was pushed into the Aussie keeper.
I thought Schwarzer mistimed coming off his line and should have been able to take the ball in the air and to clean Takahara's clock at the same time.
This one has started very brightly - almost has a Premiership feel to it. It sounds as if there is a great atmosphere in the stadium.
I've avoided picking on the ESPN announcers but I can't let this one go - "Alex on the ball for Japan, certainly looks Brazilian." Maybe the name might have provided a clue that the Japanese player isn't born and bred.
Fifteen minutes gone and the game is still going from end-to-end. Viduka and Emerton are playing with fire in their bellies - Boro and Blackburn fans must be rubbing their eyes.
Australia need to get Bresciano and Kewell the ball.
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