Socceroos and Safas play out an entertaining draw

A SECOND HALF super-strike by South African Teko Modise ensured the friendly match between Australia and South Africa ended in a 2-2 draw at Loftus Road, London.

Siyabonga Nkosi opened the scoring in the 21st minute when he received a neat throughball backheal from Benni McCarthy (no relation to Jenny) but that was cancelled out only 4 minutes later when Sterjovski was put through by Grella. With one touch, he chipped the keeper from the edge of the area for one of his best goals in the Green & Gold.

Jesus Kennedy put the Socceroos ahead in the 36th-minute when he rose unchallenged in the box to score with his head from a Bresciano free kick near the right-hand sideline.

Things were completely different in the second half as coach Pim Verbeek made wholesale changes to his starting lineup. South Africa began to take the match by the scruff of the neck and were rewarded with the equaliser when Teko Modise blasted the ball into the top right corner.

Australia used this game as a warm up for their upcoming World Cup qualifying match against Asian darkhorse, Uzbekistan.

Australia was without Harry Kewell, Viduka, Cahill and Emerton but still had some of their stars in Schwarzer and Neill in the starting lineup.