England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson said Australia's dramatic comeback victory over Japan showed the Socceroos were capable of defeating defending champions Brazil when the two sides meet Sunday in their second Group F match.
Australia rallied from behind to score three goals in the final eight minutes against Japan, a performance that drew praise well beyond Eriksson's camp. Trinidad and Tobago coach Leo Beenhakker was equally enthusiastic, saying the Australians played with visible joy and determination.
Australia enter the Brazil fixture with historical grounds for confidence: they defeated Brazil 1-0 at the 2001 Confederations Cup in Korea and held them to a scoreless draw at the 1997 edition in Riyadh, despite currently ranking 42nd in the world.
Brazil themselves arrived at the match under mild scrutiny after a narrow 1-0 opening win over Croatia failed to impress observers. Eriksson noted, "Can they beat Brazil? Yes, why not," adding that belief was essential.
Australia's preparations carry one complication: four players, including Tim Cahill and John Aloisi, who scored two and one goals respectively against Japan, are on yellow cards. A second caution for any of them would trigger a suspension for the group's final match against Croatia.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in June 2006, in its own words.