Neill's Australia sneak past Bahrain

8:01pm Wednesday 19th November 2008

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LUCAS Neill captained Australia to a barely-deserved 1-0 2010 World Cup qualifying win over Bahrain in Manama.

The West Ham United defender was part of a disappointing Socceroos performance capped by a last-minute strike by Palermo midfielder Mark Bresciano.

The former Hammers' transfer target took advantage of Mohamed Husain's moment of hesitancy to race into the home penalty area and finish calmly.

At the other end, Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer produced a number of fine saves to keep Bahrain at bay, most notably denying substitute Adbdulla Aldakeel just moments before Bresciano's strike.

Striker Jaycee John, Salman Isa and Abdulla Fatadi also went close for the home side, while David Carney and former Liverpool winger Harry Kewell wasted Australia's best opportunities.

Victory lifted Pim Verbeek's side on to nine points from three matches and two points above second-placed Japan in Asian qualifying round four Group A.

In the group's other match, the Japanese beat Qatar 3-0 in Doha.

The top two teams in the group qualify for South Africa 2010, while the third-placed team will face a country from Oceania for a place at the World Cup finals - almost certainly New Zealand.

Neill's next international assignment will see him travel to Japan on February 11, 2009.