The Socceroos have drawn 1-1 with Switzerland in San Diego in their final warm-up match before the World Cup. Playing a largely experimental line-up, Tony Popovich's team showed resilience to bounce back from an early Swiss goal.
Australia made seven changes from their previous match against Mexico. Harry Souttar captained the side for the first time, while there were debuts for Italian youth international Cristian Volpato and striker Tete Yengi.
Switzerland showed its class in the first half, consistently breaching the Australian defence and coming very close to forcing an own goal. The opening goal eventually fell to Dan Ndoye, who took his third chance of the match and made no mistake.
The equaliser arrived early in the second half. Substitutes Cameron Burgess and Connor Metcalf combined to set up Yengi, who scored on his debut and rewarded Australia's bright start to the second period.
Both sides created chances after the break, with the best of them falling to Switzerland, but neither could find a winner. The match finished level at 1-1, with Australia growing into the contest as it went on.
Assessments of the performance were positive. The Australians were seen to play more defensively in the first half and more offensively in the second, with observers noting more confidence from players who do not have a lot of experience at this level.
A 1-1 draw with an experimental line-up was viewed as a positive sign for the Socceroos. The team came through the match injury-free and now has a week to prepare for its opening game at the World Cup.