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The win kept them at top of Group A with only one match to play, against Japan in Melbourne next week, and preserved their record of not conceding a goal in the final stage of qualifiers.

Coach Pim Verbeek made seven changes from the starting side that drew with Qatar in the Middle Eastern heat just three days ago, most notably leaving out Tim Cahill, who he said had muscle stiffness, and starting Vince Grella on the bench.

With captain Lucas Neill suspended and regulars including Josh Kennedy, Mark Bresciano and Scott Chipperfield already ruled out, Verbeek handed rare starts to the likes of Mile Jedinak, Mark Milligan and Sterjovski, with goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer handed the captaincy.

Australia should have taken the lead in the first half when striker Scott McDonald missed a golden chance to break his international duck by blasting over from close range.

The Celtic striker, who also came close late in the second half, was played into space by a clever through ball from Brett Holman and had time to take a touch before shooting, but opted to hit his shot first time and blasted it over.

Aside from that and a couple of close calls from Bahrain, there was little to cheer about until Sterjovski chimed in early in the second half with his eighth international goal.

The move which led to the goal started after Carney launched a brilliant long ball to Harry Kewell, who turned it inside with his first touch.

Bahraini midfielder Aaish then made a meal of clearing the ball and Sterjovski pounced to neatly turn it into the net.

The visitors, though, thought they had equalised shortly after when Abdulla Marzooq headed in from Aaish’s free kick but it was correctly ruled offside.

The result was put beyond doubt in the 88th minute through the impressive Carney, whose club career is in limbo after being placed on the Sheffield United’s transfer list.

The wing-back played a looped square ball to midfielder Jason Culina, who struck the left upright with a spectacular bicycle kick, but Carney was there to poke home the scraps for his second international goal.

Bahrain’s loss means they are still likely to need a point from their final match against Uzbekistan to ensure third sport and a play-off against a group B side.

Fulltime
AUSTRALIA 2 (Mile Sterjovski 55m, David Carney 89m) bt BAHRAIN 0 at ANZ Stadium.
Referee: Abdullah Al Hilali.

PIM Verbeek has guided the Socceroos to their second consecutive World Cup Finals despite their game against Qatar ending in a 0-0 draw.

They join Japan who earlier defeated Uzbekistan 1-0 in Tashkent who became the first team to qualify for South Africa, 2010.

Qatar fielded a young team and proved to be a more formidable opponent than during their previous three meetings but the Socceroos could have made it 1-0 when Tim Cahill hit the post with a spectacular bicycle kick just before the half hour mark.

Both sides made a tentative start in front of a small but vocal crowd, with the Socceroos content to keep possession in the hot and humid conditions.

Qatar’s star striker Sebastian Soria Quintana had the first shot of the game blocked in the ninth minute while defender Bilal Mohammed had his headed attempt save by Mark Schwarzer on the ensuing corner.

Harry Kewell created Australia’s first opportunity minutes later when his cross found Josh Kennedy but the big striker could not get enough power on his header.

Kennedy flicked on a Mark Bresciano free kick with his head, before Cahill found himself in space, controlled with his chest and drilled a bicycle kick into the right upright. Kewell started to prove more of a menace after switching to the right side, going close to scoring himself before creating another move which led to Vince Grella firing a volley just over the bar in the 33rd minute.

Watch the full match highlights from the Socceroos v Qatar below:

Only six players are left to complete the extended squad, which is basing itself in Dubai this week before flying to Doha on Friday ahead of the crucial match.

Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek put 22 players through a solid training session on Monday evening, with only midfielder Scott Chipperfield and striker Bruce Djite restricted to light duties due to minor problems.

The players still to join the squad are Tim Cahill, Mark Bresciano, Mile Jedinak, Dario Vidisic, Matthew Spiranovic and Michael Petkovic and all players should be on deck by Wednesday morning.

Several players, including Chris Coyne, Jason Culina and Carl Valeri, have been in Dubai for more than a week in order to acclimatise to the Middle Eastern heat.

The conditions promise to be a huge factor in the Socceroos’ quest to officially clinch World Cup qualification, with temperatures of close to 45 degrees Celsius forecast up until gameday.

Midfielder Richard Garcia said even those that had longer to acclimatise to the conditions would find the going tough.

“It’s pretty hard to play in this heat, regardless of how long you’ve been here,” Garcia said.

“It’s always a tall order to play in 44-45 degree heat so it’s going to be a tough game and we’re preparing ourselves for that.”

Verbeek has several significant selection decisions to make this week with Luke Wilkshire suspended, Craig Moore rested and Tim Cahill in doubt.

It means fringe players including Garcia, Mark Milligan, and new face Rhys Williams could come into contention for starting berths.

“I’m just happy to be in the squad and whatever comes comes,” Garcia said.

Cahill limped from a tackle in the 6oth-minute when he clashed with Chelsea defender Alex.

Despite being affected, Everton’s star player finished the game and will undergo tests before flying out to join the Aussie squad in Dubai.

The Roos, who need just one point to qualify for the WC Finals in South Africa in June 2010, will face Qatar, Bahrain and Japan during next month’s Super-June football.

Verbeek has hinted that he would rest Cahill for the match against Qatar even before his latest injury setback but Cahill wants to play the 90 minutes.

“It was a bang on my hip. It’s quite sore. It was just holding me back a bit. I couldn’t really sprint or run, but you just deal with it, don’t you? It’s pretty sore, but you get loads of knocks, and just get on with it.”

Cahill said after the defeat that Everton needed to add quality to their side and retain the services of the current squad to build on their FA Cup experience.

The lack of injured talisman Mikel Arteta was particularly critical for Everton as they struggled to keep the ball throughout, leading to Cahill remaining on the periphery of the game.

Ticketek Australia has come up with a rewards scheme that offers members discounted SOCCEROOS tickets by earning Ticketek Dollars for participating in research and marketing campaigns.

The idea is that you then use these dollars to purchase tickets to absolutely anything especially the upcoming Socceroo World Cup Matches!

The upcoming Socceroos football extravaganza fixture list is below:

Saturday June 6 vs Qatar AWAY (Doha) WCQ

Socceroos v Bahrain Tickets – Wednesday June 10 vs Bahrain HOME Sydney WCQ

Socceroos v Japan Tickets – Wednesday June 17 vs Japan HOME MCG, Melbourne WCQ

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Remember: Ticketmaster are no longer selling tickets to the Socceroos matches as of 1st March 2009 as Ticketek now have the rights.

While national coach Pim Verbeek will leave the door open to the big striker when he names an extended 30-man squad for the final three qualifiers against Qatar in Doha on June 7, Bahrain in Sydney on June 10 and Japan in Melbourne on June 17, it appears unlikely he will take up the offer.

It is believed Viduka, who is considering his options after Newcastle United was relegated from the English Premier League to The Championship, is not keen to be involved in the Qatar match.

And his international and club future beyond that remains up in the air.

An insider said yesterday he wasn’t sure whether Viduka wants to play at all next year.

“He has issues with his weight and I don’t know whether he has the burning desire any more,” he said.

That news comes on top of a suggestion Viduka won’t finish his career in the A-League after he confided he is wary of putting himself through the same pain and drama that engulfed John Aloisi last season.

Viduka admitted recently to Perth Glory coach David Mitchell that he had watched with disappointment the developments which saw Aloisi jeered, abused and berated by fans and criticised by the media after failing to produce the goals expected of him in his first season with Sydney FC.

A $2.8million marquee signing, the former Socceroo striker struggled with injury and form and managed just two goals in 16 matches as Sydney missed out on the finals.

A shattered and devastated Aloisi was eventually relegated to the bench amid calls for Sydney to cancel his contract.

Mitchell spoke to Viduka in Newcastle last month and said the striker had mentioned what had happened to his World Cup teammate.

“I think Mark figures he would be on a hiding to nothing if he comes back,” Mitchell said yesterday.

He said he would not be surprised if Viduka stayed with Newcastle to try to help it get back to the Premier League.

“I know a few of the coaches there and they have a huge regard for Mark … they believe he has been one of the best players to come to the club,” Mitchell said.

“I don’t think he’ll come back to Australia to play.”

Mitchell said Perth would not be in the market to sign him, given it is close to securing a marquee deal with a Belgian international.

Gold Coast United (Jason Culina), North Queensland (Robbie Fowler), Sydney FC (Aloisi), Newcastle Jets (Joel Griffiths), Melbourne Victory (Archie Thompson) and Brisbane Roar (Craig Moore) are already committed with marquee signings.

Adelaide United is without a marquee player. But coach Aurelio Vidmar does not believe Viduka, 34 in October, is ready to return home to play.

Kennedy ended his nightmare season with two goals as his side hammered Hertha Berlin 4-0, but the result wasn’t enough to preserve Karlsruhe’s stay in the German top flight.

The brace represented his first two goals of a season which has seen him start just 19 times and make four other appearances after a much-publicised fall out with manager Edmund Becker.

Kennedy, who is aiming to get as much game time as possible ahead of next year’s World Cup, has made no secret of his desire to switch clubs, and while he is contracted for another year at the Baden Wurttemberg outfit, has an out clause.

He hinted in an interview two weeks ago that there has been interest been from the English Premier League and that after nine years in German football playing for Stuttgart Kickers, FC Koln, Dymano Dresden, Nuremberg as well as Karlsruhe, it may be time to move on.

Kennedy has become a cult hero among Socceroos fans since his cameo appearances at the 2006 World Cup, where his height caused massive problems for opposition sides. He has scored six goals in 12 international matches, including one in the recent 2-0 win in a World Cup qualifier against Uzbekistan in Sydney.

National coach Pim Verbeek rates him as a very important player in Australia’s hopes at next year’s World Cup should the Socceroos get the one point needed to book their place in the showpiece tournament. Having had plenty of recent game time, Kennedy is likely to feature heavily in the three World Cup qualifiers against Qatar, Bahrain and Japan in June.

Kennedy’s former club Nuremberg, which features Australians Matthew Spiranovic and Dario Vidosic, gets its chance to get back in the Bundesliga with a relegation/promotion playoff against Energie Cottbus, which finished third from bottom in the top flight this season.

Spiranovic hasn’t played since injuring his ankle while in Socceroos camp in November, but is back close to full fitness and should remain at the club should they make it back into the Bundesliga. Former Roar player Dario Vidosic came on as a sub in the weekend’s 2-1 win over 1860 Munich and the 22-year-old is a chance to play in the match against Cottbus.

Real Football will be giving away 2 x International Football Jerseys to two lucky readers thanks to SoccerPro.com!

All you have to do is subscribe to our email list and you will be in the running to win either:

• An Official England Men’s Home Football International Jersey 2009/2010 (Umbro)
• An Official Greece Men’s Away Football International Jersey 2008 (Adidas)

Simply enter your email address and click “Subscribe Now” on the right hand side of this screen.

If you are recieving this via email then you don’t have to do anything further as you are already in the running but make sure you forward this email onto your friends!

Two lucky winners will be contacted via email on 10 Wednesday June 17 (Socceroos v Japan match).

Good Luck and once again thanks to SoccerPro.com for making this competition possible.

Scottish giants Celtic have announced that they are to play a friendly in Australia in July.

Gordon Strachan’s side, containing Socceroo Scott McDonald, will face Brisbane Roar, whose line-up includes former Rangers pair Craig Moore and Charlie Miller.

The game will take place on Sunday, July 12, at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.

Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell said: “Celtic are fortunate to enjoy the support of millions of people worldwide and it will be a great privilege to ensure that many of our Australian supporters have the chance to see the team play in their own country.

“As well as playing in the match we are hoping to stage a number of other supporter events and we are sure we will make this a trip to remember for Celtic and our fans.”