Australia on brink of World Cup

Defender Aziz Behich was the home hero in front of over 57,000 in Perth, rifling into the corner in the 90th minute to give Australia a 1-0 win over already qualified Japan. The crucial victory cemented the Socceroos' second place in Group C behind Japan with one game to play, with the top two finishers going straight to the World Cup in North America next year.

Saudi Arabia play at Bahrain later Thursday knowing they must win or Australia are through. "We know there's room to grow and room to improve, but we've done something special tonight," said Popovic, who saw his team outplayed for long periods by an experimental Japan side.

If the Saudis win in Bahrain, the battle for second will go down to the wire next Tuesday, when Australia travel to Jeddah. The Socceroos will be very much in pole position to qualify because of their far superior goal difference.

"We've all played a part in getting us to this point," added Popovic, who replaced Graham Arnold in September.  "We want to go to Saudi Arabia and really finish the job off."  Teams finishing third and fourth in the three Asian groups go into a further round of qualifying.