Last-gasp strike spares Socceroos blushes

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Australia snatched a last-minute 2-1 win over New Zealand in their World Cup warm-up match on Monday.
The All Whites looked set to spoil Australia’s farewell bash in front of 55,659 fans before substitute Brett Holman scored the winner in the fourth minute of injury time after the Socceroos had trailed for much of the match.

New Zealand, playing Australia for the first time in five years, took the lead in the friendly at the Melbourne Cricket Ground after a 16th-minute strike by Middlesbrough’s Chris Killen.
The Socceroos, ranked 58 places above the Kiwis in 20th spot, equalised in the 57th minute through Dario Vidosic and the game looked set to finish in a stalemate before Holman’s late intervention.
Holman, who plays his club football in the Netherlands, latched on to a chip kick from Carl Valeri to beat All Whites goalkeeper Mark Paston with the last kick of the match.
It was a fiercely contested friendly just three weeks out from the World Cup with five yellow cards, four of them to the Australians, who face Germany in their tournament opener in Durban on June 13.
New Zealand, playing in their first World Cup since 1982, take on Slovakia in Rustenburg on June 15.
The All Whites had the better first-half chances and rocked the Socceroos when Killen got to Shane Smeltz’s headed flick first to beat Adam Federici on his international debut in the 16th minute.
The Australians lost their cool and had three yellow cards in seven minutes with defensive midfielder Vince Grella fortunate not to be sent off for his lunging two-footed tackle on Leo Bertos.

Park inspires South Korea to warm-up win
Meanwhile, captain Park Ji-sung inspired South Korea to a 2-0 away win over fierce rivals Japan.
Park stunned Japan in the sixth minute with a superb solo goal, bursting past three players before smashing a right-foot shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the penalty box.
Substitute Park Chu-young added an injury-time penalty to complete a deserved victory for the 2002 World Cup semi-finalists in front of a crowd of 57,000 in Saitama.
— Agencies