Hiddink hails Aussies a success
21 Jun 2006 - 15:13:27
Australia coach Guus Hiddink believes his side have made a big name for themselves already at the World Cup finals, but he wants the Socceroos to go on and clinch a place in the last 16.
Hiddink's side take on Croatia on Thursday with a place in the knockout stages at stake and the Dutchman wants to end his reign on a high note.
He told reporters: "Of course, we want to go further on and qualify for the next round, but the big win for Australia is that in a few months the sport has gone from number four to number one.
"I don't want to talk about failure, because even in the bad-case scenario it's not a failure of Australian football because of what we have achieved already.
"I think Australia have impressed the world already. We have gone beyond the point of failing.
"However, it would be damaging now if Australian football goes down and they don't use the momentum of this World Cup to get better structures and organisation.
"That's the biggest win for me, regardless of the result tomorrow."