Australia and Serbia – Their Chances Of Qualifying From Group D
Ghana – 4 points, +1
Germany – 3 points, +3
Serbia – 3 points, +0
Australia – 1 point, -4
Austrialia’s fate is not in their hands. The Socceroos will have to rely on the result that will occur between Ghana and Germany in Group D’s other fixture which will be played simultaneously. The standings explain that Australia’s sole option is to beat Serbia. But then, that is not all. They will only qualify if Ghana defeat Germany or if Germany defeat Ghana by a wide margin.
Actually, in the case of Germany beating Ghana, the Australians will either have to win big against Serbia or pray that Joachim Lowe’s men clinch an emphatic victory in Johannesburg. Now should Germany and Ghana play out a draw, it means that Australia would have to beat Serbia by a 7 or 8 goal margin – something which looks quite impossible!
For Serbia, however, things aren’t that complicated. They just need to clinch a victory over their Australian counterparts to go through to the next round. A win for the Serbians will give them 6 points which is enough to qualify. Now, should they fail to beat Australia, things will start getting dangerous as only the Ghana vs Germany result will decide their fate.
Supposing Serbia can only draw, they’ll have 4 points and a (+0) goal difference still. Germany will have to beat Ghana by 2 or 3 goals to permit Serbia to reach the Last 16 at the expense of the Black Stars. Another way for them to qualify will be if Ghana beat Germany. In this case, a draw will be enough for Serbia to progress as they’ll be one point ahead of Germany who will then remain with 3 points only. Australia will crash out with 2 points, though.
Australia To Prove The World Wrong
Only a few people believe in Australia’s chances of reaching the Round of 16. The Socceroos’ emphatic 4-0 loss to Germany actually killed the people’s interests in the team. But Captain Lucas Neil is determined to lead his team tonight for a historical achievement. Neil knows that Australia’s match against Serbia is crucial and despite possessing only 1 point and a (-4) goal difference, the skipper is ready for the challenge. He said:
“Tonight’s game is the biggest game we have played to date, it’s the most important. It is a World Cup game and we’re not going to get another chance until four years later – if we ever get a chance. It could be the end of the line.
“We cannot take a World Cup for granted. So, we are going to make sure that if we go down, we go down with a fight. We are going to make sure we fight to the very end to get the opportunity of keeping our dream alive.
“Then, who knows? We could be here for another one, two or three games. We need a good performance in order to try and produce what many people think we can’t do: to win the game an dwin it well. Fingers crossed, that keeps the dream alive.”
Serbia Are Confident
It will be ridiculous for Serbia to squander the glorious opportunity that is before them tonight. As it has been analyzed above, Serbia are pretty much in control of their destiny and Coach Radomir Antic knows it:
“We have a chance of historical significance and we know that, so we will do our best… I’m optimistic because I know the way my boys have performed during their last three training sessions. These were actually the best three training sessions ever. This shows their spirit and now, we have an opportunity to show it.”
Indeed, Serbia have every chance of finishing the job they started. Why allow room for despair against an Australian side that will be without their talisman, Harry Kewell?
Read the "2010 FIFA World Cup Quotes: Australia Face Serbia And Hope Germany Beats Ghana" article to know more ahead of the Australia vs Serbia clash which kicks off at 18:30 GMT tonight.
