Australia through to World Cup

Mark Schwarzer became a national sporting hero in Sydney tonight, saving two penalties in a shootout to send Australia to the World Cup finals.

Australia's failed attempts to qualify for the World Cup finals since 1974, glorious and heartbreaking, are no longer a millstone for the Socceroos, cast to the pages of history by Schwarzer and John Aloisi, who scored Australia's final penalty to secure the Socceroos' berth in Germany next year.

Schwarzer stood firm to beat out the first Uruguay penalty, taken by first-leg goal scorer Dario Rodriguez, and he then became a legend to save the visitor's fourth spot kick, going left and then raining his big right hand to keep out Marcelo Zalayeta's shot.

Aloisi then stood up cooly, to chip his penalty inside the left goalpost as Uruguay goalkeeper Fabian Carini went the wrong way.

Australia captain Mark Viduka was among the first players to congratulate Aloisi, as he was the only Australian to miss a penalty - pulling his shot wide of Carini's right-hand post.

Harry Kewell and man of the match Lucas Neill also scored penalties for Australia, while Gustavo Varela and Fabian Estoyanoff were on target for Uruguay.

Australia midfield player Marco Bresciano scored the only goal of regulation time, netting seven minutes before half-time as a direct result of coach Guus Hiddink's tactical substitution of Kewell for Tony Popovic. The goal had more than a hint of fortune about it, as the ball fell to Bresciano on the edge of the six-yard box only after Kewell had totally mishit a shot.

Given Australia's record in World Cup play-offs, however, luck was the least the Socceroos deserved.

Hiddink had sent Kewell into the fray for defender Popovic after 35 minutes, and the substitution paid gold within five minutes.

Kewell drifted inside from the left flank, played a one-two with Viduka and then fired what must be the best bad shot of his career.

Australia continued to dominate the match, controlling the second half completely - with Kewell, operating on the left flank, at the heart of most of the Socceroos' best moments.

Bresciano, Kewell and Tim Cahill each tested Carini - who was also the busier custodian in the first half, doing well to deny Tony Vidmar and Jason Culina.

Uruguay replaced its two most influential players late in the second period - Alvaro Recoba replaced by Zalayeta after becoming a peripheral figure in the second period, and captain Paulo Montero by Marcello Sosa after picking up an injury with five minutes to play - but Los Celestes managed to keep their discipline and shape, if not their creative spark.

Neither team carved out a clear-cut opportunity in the first period of extra time, Australia's best chance falling to Aloisi, a 96th-minute substitute for Bresciano, but his shot failed to clear a crowded penalty area after a corner.

Minutes beforehand, hearts were in Australian mouths when Uruguay broke through substitutes Estoyanoff and Zalayeta, exploting space on the right flank after Vince Grella had lost the ball high up the field, but the defence and Schwarzer did well to smother the danger.

Australia remained on the front foot in the second period of extra time, producing one of the moves of the match with Culina, Cahill and Aloisi combining on the right flank to create space for Viduka, but Diego Lugano was alert to the danger and cleared for a corner.

Minutes later, substitute Jospi Skoko, on for Brett Emerton, who suffered bad cramp in the second period of extra time, shot just wide with Carini beaten after punching clear a high cross into the penalty area.

Uruguay bossed the opening stages of the match, and the Socceroos had a scare when Schwarzer scrambled to save a deflected free kick from Recoba in the first five minutes. Australia was pushed back in the opening stages, unable to control the ball as Uruguay won two early free kicks and a corner.

But the Socceroos gained a foothold after 15 minutes, winning their first corner - from which defender Vidmar tested Carini from distance after Los Celestes had dealt with the initial set piece.

Five minutes later, Culina picked up a loose ball after Lugano had stopped a break, rasping a fine right-foot shot that Carini did well to beat away to his left.

At the other end, however, Recoba, the Uruguay playmaker, broke past the Socceroos defence and perhaps should have done better than grazing the outside of Schwarzer's left post.

Before the match, Hiddink made two changes to the team that started the first leg in Montevideo on Sunday morning (AEDT), selecting midfield players Cahill and Bresciano in place of Kewell and Archie Thompson, who were both relegated to the substitutes' bench.

Uruguay coach Jorge Fossati meanwhile made four changes to the team that started in Montevideo.

Most notable was the selection of Lugano, who was suspended from the match in Montevideo at the weekend, in defence.

Teams
AUSTRALIA: Mark Schwarzer; Tony Vidmar, Lucas Neill, Tony Popovic (Harry Kewell, 35mins); Brett Emerton (Josip Skoko, 109mins), Vince Grella, Jason Culina, Tim Cahill, Marco Bresciano (John Aloisi, 96mins); Mark Viduka (captain).

URUGUAY: Fabian Carini; Dario Rodriguez, Paulo Montero (captain, Marcello Sosa, 85mins), Diego Lugano, Carlos Diogo; Mario Regueiro (Fabian Estoyanoff, 98mins), Pablo Garcia, Gustavo Varela, Diego Perez; Alvaro Recoba (Marcelo Zalayeta, 75mins), Richard Morales.