Low-key Aussies kick off World Cup arrivals

This will be a good opportunity for us to surprise, says midfielder Oar.

CURITIBA: Australia became the first team to touch down for the World Cup in Brazil Wednesday but it was a low-key arrival as they dodged well-wishers and were ushered away under tight security.

About 100 Brazilian fans were waiting at Vitoria airport but the Socceroos, arriving in darkness, went straight from their plane to a bus with blacked-out windows and were whisked away to their hotel.

Dozens of heavily armed riot police were also at the airport, with authorities apparently fearing a repeat of protests which have marred the tournament’s build-up.

Fans trying to catch a glimpse of the squad, who were wearing suits, rushed into the street to wave as they set out on the short drive to their town-centre hotel.

Australia, who are playing their third straight World Cup, have their first match on June 13 against Chile. They will also face Spain and the Netherlands in a difficult Group A.

They are ranked at 59, the lowest of the tournament, with one columnist remarking “the bookmakers regard Australia’s World Cup possibilities as something worse than a snowball’s survival chances in hell”.

But midfielder Tommy Oar said Ange Postecoglou’s side were using their lowly status as motivation.

“We are the underdogs,” said Oar in a statement released by Fifa.

“It will be a good opportunity for the Australian team to surprise, so this is all very exciting. And being in the ‘soccer country’ is an extra motivation, of course.

“We’ve been training for the last few days and things have gone well. We still have some two more weeks to keep on training, so I think we will be well-prepared for the World Cup.”

The next teams expected in Brazil are Croatia and Iran on June 3. The last arrivals are South Korea, Ghana and Portugal on June 11, the day before the opening match.

Meanwhile, Iran will start the World Cup as rank outsiders but their players have vowed to make life tough for their fancied opponents in Brazil.

“No game is going to be easy for us,” said midfielder Andranik Teymourian at a training camp in eastern Austria.

“But playing against Iran is not going to be easy for any of the opponents.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2014.

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