A 2-2 draw with
Croatia
in
Stuttgart
was enough to secure second place in Group F of Australia and a second-round tie against
Italy
in
Kaiserslautern
on June 26.
Australia
finished with four points from three matches, two clear of third-placed
Croatia
.
On a nervy night,
Croatia
opened the scoring through Darijo Srna’s second-minute free-kick. Craig Moore drew
Australia
level from the penalty spot on 38 minutes but the balance swung back
Croatia
’s way when Niko Kovac’s shot was fumbled by Zeljko Zalac in the 56th minute.
However, Harry Kewell struck the decisive second Australian goal 11 minutes from time.
Stuttgart played host to a night of unforgettable drama, where both sides could have progressed to the second round at different stages, but at the end it was
Australia
who were celebrating and heading to
Kaiserslautern
to face
Italy
on June 26.
Source: FIFA
Australia made history by twice coming from behind against
Croatia
to earn the point they needed to claim a place in the Round of 16 of the World Cup 2006.