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Aussies hold Holland
04/06/2006: In a game played as competitively as a quarter-final tie, Australia and Holland drew one apiece in Rotterdam with Luke Wilkshire sent-off and Wesley Sneijder a possible World Cup 2006 doubt
Tim Cahill's goal as a second half substitute levelled Ruud van Nistelrooy first half effort but it was the physical nature of the Socceroos game that made the match thrilling and annoyed the Dutch.
Bristol City's Luke Wilkshire was sent off for a nasty-looking challenge on Giovanni van Bronckhorst minutes after being yellow-carded for a similar challenge on Mark van Bommel.
Philip Cocu and Bronckhorst suffered injuries but it could be end of Wesley Sneijder's World Cup after a first-half clash saw him stretched off with ankle damage.
Coach Marco van Basten was furious with the way the Socceroos played and was clearly concerned by the Sneijder injury.
"Sneijder is limping and his ankle is strapped up," said van Basten
"We'll have to wait 24 hours to find out how serious it is. We have to wait and see how it develops."
Van Bronckhorst was livid with the challenge on himself.
"I didn't expect that challenge," said Van Bronckhorst.
"I do not think he wanted to go for the ball.
"Luckily for me, the injury is not too bad but if it had have been, I would have missed the World Cup and, in a game like this, I don't think it would have been worth it.
"We knew Australia were a physical team. It is one of their strengths. But I just felt some of their challenges were too hard. After all, we are only one week away from a World Cup."
Wilkshire was more philosophical and believed his dismissal was hard.
"I feel hard done by but it is the referee's decision," he said.
"It is disappointing but I have to take it on the chin and get on with it.
"Thankfully, the boys dug deep and we got a draw."
Discuss this at
Holland (4-3-3):
Van der Sar (Man Utd)
Kromkamp (Liverpool)
Mathijsen (AZ)
Ooijer (PSV)
Van Bronckhorst (Barcelona)
Van Bommel (Barcelona)
Cocu (PSV)
Sneijder (Ajax)
Van Persie (Arsenal)
Van Nistelrooy (Man Utd)
Robben (Chelsea)
Substitutions Maduro (Ajax) for Cocu (40), Heitinga (Ajax) for Kromkamp (46), Landzaat (AZ) for Sneijder (50), Kuyt (Feyenoord) for Van Bronckhorst (64).
Australia (4-4-2):
Schwarzer (Middlesbrough)
Neill (Blackburn)
Moore (Newcastle)
Chipperfield (Basel)
Emerton (Blackburn)
Grella (Parma)
Wilkshire (Bristol City)
Culina (PSV)
Viduka (Middlesbrough)
Bresciano (Parma)
Substitutions Cahill (Everton) for Sterjovski (53), Aloisi (Alaves) for Viduka (64),Thompson (PSV) for Bresciano (65)
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Comments on: Aussies hold Holland
04/07/2006: "I took a whack on my left ankle, but something told me it was my right." - Harry Kewell.
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