Australia have finished an impressive Confederations Cup campaign by adding the scalp of Brazil to that of France by winning 1-0 to secure third place. Sheffield United striker Shaun Murphy scored the winning goal six minutes from the end, rising above a crowded defence to head home Birmingham City midfielder Stan Lazaridis's swinging free kick.
Brazil were missing top players like Romario, Cafu and Rivaldo and squandered numerous scoring chances, but Australia managed to hang on despite a second-half onslaught which forced Middlesbrough goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer to produce a number of fine saves.
This was Australia's second upset during the tournament, having already beaten an understrength France before going out to Japan in the semi-final. Elated Australian boss Frank Farina paid tribute to his players, saying the performances signalled the arrival of Australia on the world football scene. "I think you've seen the dawn of a new era in Australian soccer here," he said. "We've done well playing against top-quality teams," said Farina.
Under fire Brazillian coach Emerson Leao said that he was "ashamed" by the loss, and also expressed his dissatisfaction with the team's preparations. "We don't get enough help from the Brazilian Football Federation," he said. "This tournament came at a bad time for us and the players are very tired."
Australia are rated 68th in the FIFA World Rankings, while Brazil have only recently slipped down to second place for the first time ever, having been overtaken by France. The next rankings, which will be published on June 20, could be very interesting for the Aussies.
Filed by Greg McKevitt
