Croatia game like a Cup Final says Moore

Socceroos key defender Craig Moore has likened Friday morning's match against Croatia to the equivalent of a Cup Final and the team will therefore need to keep on improving if they are to progress to the second round of the FIFA World Cup in Germany.

Socceroos key defender Craig Moore has likened Friday morning's match against Croatia to the equivalent of a Cup Final and the team will therefore need to keep on improving if they are to progress to the second round of the FIFA World Cup in Germany.

"It-s going to be a great game, it-s like a Cup Final for us and hopefully we can get the right result that can take us through," Moore said at the team-s official press conference at their training base in Oehringen.

"Obviously, you always continue to improve and must look to improve all the time. The situation of the last game, we know what lies ahead and Croatia will obviously have a huge crack at us.

"Hopefully that can open things up and we maybe look to get things on the counter-attack as well."

Moore, the former captain of the Socceroos, said the team is very motivated and exactly in the position they wanted to be in going into the last game of the first round.

"Before the tournament, the situation that we would have love to be in, has happened. We are going into the last game of the group with a big chance to qualify for the second round."

"This was something that we really wanted to achieve, so hopefully we can get the right result to progress.

"The players are all extremely happy at this moment in time, but know there is still a lot of hard work that lies ahead. Every game, as long as we can be here, will be like a Cup Final for us."