Grella: Spirit of Socceroos saved us

Australia's midfield hardman Vince Grella says the come-from-behind win over arch-rivals Japan at the MCG on Wednesday night sums up the spirit of the Socceroos.

Australia's midfield hardman Vince Grella says the come-from-behind win over arch-rivals Japan at the MCG on Wednesday night sums up the spirit of the Socceroos.

Pim Verbeek's team repeated its thrilling comeback over its biggest rivals at the 2006 World Cup final by again coming from a goal down to beat the Blue Samurai 2-1, in its last qualifying match ahead of the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.

In another eerie similarity to that famous day in Kaiserslautern three years ago, it was again Tim Cahill that turned the game with two late goals at the MCG on Wednesday night - just as he did in Germany when he also scored two second-half goals as Australia scored for the first time at the World Cup finals and won its first-ever game at the world's biggest sporting event.

Japan's latest heartbreak against Australia - in what was yet another epic encounter between the two heavyweights of Asian football - meant that the Socceroos remained unbeaten in the final group stage and ended five points clear of Japan at the top of Group One.

But both teams had already safely qualified for South Africa 2010 with Australia set to appear in its second successive World Cup finals - and its third overall - while Japan will be appearing in its fourth overall and fourth in a row, having first qualified in 1998.

However while there was not much riding on Wednesday night's result, Grella said the Socceroos sent a message to all their potential rivals in South Africa next season by showing they are never beaten.

"It says everything about the Socceroos' doesn't it," Grella said of the come-from-behind win, which thrilled a crowd of 69,000 at the MCG.

"There were some similarities to what we did (against Japan) at the last World Cup but we played a lot better then, than we did in this game."

"But the Australian spirit was there again - and that is what it's all about, grinding out results."

After dominating the final phase of qualifying - the team had not conceded a goal in seven games prior to its MCG showdown against Japan - Grella said the team proved that it could also fight games out when things were not going its way, which will be vital to success or failure at the World Cup in South Africa next year.

"It says a bit about Australia's history in football," he said of the Socceroos' latest gallant win.

"We were a bit down and not playing great in the first half (when Japan scored) and then we were able to step it up a gear and pulled the game back and we were in control for most of the second half."

"So it was a great way to end off the campaign in front of a great crowd at the MCG."

It was Grella's pinpoint free-kick, which led to the first of Cahill's two goals and the Australian equaliser when the Everton man powered home Grella's expert delivery into the penalty box with a trademark header.

Afterwards Grella joked that Cahill made his free kick look better than what it was.

"I thought it (the free kick) was in a good spot but Timmy is Timmy, isn't he," Grella said.

"That (heading home free kicks) is his bread and butter and with a fantastic player like him, you know you can put the ball in a certain area and he will get on the end of it."