Soccer: Socceroos fight playoffs scourge

By TERRY MADDAFORD

The rankings suggest Uruguay should be too strong for the Socceroos.

Other factors tend to even out the odds - except Australia's shocking home record at playoff time.

The two countries have met four times. Their first three clashes were split, with the first of two friendlies in 1974 drawn 0-0 in Melbourne. Australia won the second, in Sydney, 2-0.

In 1992 they played another friendly, in Montevideo, with Uruguay 2-0 victors.

Their most recent clash came at the 1997 Confederations Cup in Riyadh, which Australia won 1-0.

Australia, who go into tonight's game at 48 in the latest Fifa rankings (compared with Uruguay's 23rd) have not lost a World Cup game since the 1994 playoffs.

After scoring good wins over Tahiti and the Solomon Islands and beating New Zealand 1-0 and 3-0 in the Oceania playoffs, Australia lost 2-1 away to Canada and beat them by the same score at home before winning a penalty shootout which put them into the final phase - home and away against Argentina.

After a 1-1 draw in Sydney, Australia went down 1-0 in Buenos Aries and were out.

Four years later, Australia conceded just two goals (in a 6-2 win over the Solomon Islands) in cruising through to the Oceania playoffs, where they beat New Zealand 3-0 and 2-0.

Again, they fell at the final hurdle - eliminated by Iran who got through on the away goal rule after a 1-1 home draw and 2-2 in Australia.

Australia go on to the Melbourne Cricket Ground tonight after romping through their Oceania group with wins over Tonga (22-0), American Samoa (31-0), Fiji (2-0) and Samoa (11-0), and playoff victories over New Zealand (2-0 and 4-1).

But it is their home record which gives Australia most concern.

They have yet to win a home playoff, having drawn six and lost two - including their worst-ever result, the 2-0 loss to the All Whites in 1981.

Uruguay have entered the World Cup 15 times since 1930. They have qualified for the finals nine times, and won in 1930 and 1950.

They were semifinalists in 1954 and 1970, and last played in the finals in 1990 (making the last 16).

Australia have entered 10 times since 1966, qualifying once (in 1974 in West Germany).

Of the 31 teams who have already booked their places in Japan/Korea 2002, African representatives Senegal (65th) are the lowest-ranked nation.

First-time qualifiers China - who missed out to New Zealand in a dramatic 1982 playoff - are ranked 55th.

Japan are 26th and South Korea 43rd.

Other teams ranked outside the top 32 are Belgium (33), Turkey (34), Cameroon (38), Nigeria (42) and Ecuador (38).

Top teams to miss out include Holland (ranked seventh), Colombia (eighth), Czech Republic (10), Yugoslavia (11), Romania (15), Norway (22), Honduras (24) and Trinidad and Tobago (31).