Australia 2 Serbia 1
Never say die Australia battled and fought their way to a 2-1 win over Serbia in a loud and vibrant Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, a second half Tim Cahill header and a stunning Brett Holman drive enough to give the Socceroos all three points and the dream, at least for a short while, that they could smash their way into the knock out stages in the most unlikely of fashions.
Unfortunately for Australia, which finished the group phase on four points, Ghana managed to keep the Germans at bay in Johannesburg sufficiently to only lose 1-0, ensuring that they, not Australia, would go forward on goal difference.
Germany topped the group with six points,while Australia and Ghana finished with four points each, the Ghanaians having a zero goal difference, Australia minus 3, so they, not the Socceroos, go forward to meet the USA in the round of 16.
That dreadful night in Durban, when Tim Cahill was dismissed and Australia uncharacteristically crumbled in the face of a German onslaught and lost 0-4, ended up costing the Socceroos everything. Had they even managed to keep the score down to 0-2 they, not Ghana, would have gone through on goals scored. As it stands their 2010 World Cup record is identical to their 2006 performance - won one, lost one, drawn one.
Australia may have gone out, but, as captain Lucas Neill pledged, they fought right through to the end and almost, as he had predicted, managed to write history with the most dramatic of World Cup comebacks.
This was very much a game of two halves, where the Serbs dominated the first 45 minutes and Australia controlled the second.
Serbia teased and tantalised Australia with their neat, precise passing and their ability to move the ball from side to side and drag Australia around in the opening period, but despite their control of the game, and the amount of problems the speedy Milos Krasic was causing on the right flank, they could not break Australia down.
To their credit Australia dug in, worked hard, battled, scrapped and contested - traditional Socceroo virtues which kept them in the game.
The fact that Serbia did not score in that first period was mainly down to the Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, who made several fine saves, starting as early as the fifth minute when he dived to beat away Krasic's shot after the winger's run down the right took him past Jason Culina and David Carney.
Australia's best first half chance fell to Tim Cahill, back from suspension, but his header from a Mark Bresciano cross went over the bar. Nikola Zigic should have done better at the other end when he had a free header only to direct the ball wide.
Australia began the second half in lively fashion, Cahill's optimistic long range effort going well over.
Dejan Stankovic then released Milan Jovanovic down the left, and the winger's cross was well controlled by Zigic who could only fire over, while at the other end Jason Culina shot wide from long range as the game began to open up and stretch with both teams knowing their World Cup could be over unless they could take three points from this match.
Mark Bresciano's long range free kick - awarded after Milos Ninkovic picked up a yellow card for fouling Luke Wilkshire - went close as news of a Germany goal against Ghana upped the stakes for both sides. The Italian based midfielder then almost made the breakthrough inthe 64th minute when his well struck shot forced Vladimir Stojkovic into a diving save.
Australia coach Pim Verbeek went for broke, replacing a holding midfielder, Carl Valeri, with the more attacking Brett Holman and brought the veteran Scott Chipperfield in for Bresciano, while Rady Antic rolled the dice, bringing on Zoran Tosic and Marko Pantelic for Krasic and Zigic respectively.
Cahill gave Australia hope shortly after when he headed home Wilkshire's cross from the right, and then Holman made the impossible seem just improbable with his fiercely struck effort shortly after as Australia threw caution to the wind and chased a third goal.
But Schwarzer, so often the hero, let the Serbs back into the game in the dying minutes of the match when he spilled Tosic's cross cum shot and Pantelic knocked in the rebound. The striker then had a great chance to equalise in stoppage time but put his shot over the bar.
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