Sluggish Socceroos edge Ghana

The Socceroos have warmed up for their big month of World Cup qualifiers with an unconvincing 1-0 win over Ghana in Sydney tonight.

Despite Ghana dominating possession for large parts of the often unexciting match, it was Mile Sterjovski who scored the decisive goal with arguably the only piece of individual brilliance for the night.

Sterjovski, however, went from hero to villain as he was sent off for two bookable offences late in the match, forcing the inexperienced Australian defence to withstand a late barrage from the Ghanaians.

Whilst the scoreline will please Socceroos manager Pim Verbeek, he will still be left with selection headaches for the upcoming qualifiers, as the depleted Australians struggled to find their rhythm for much of the game.

Despite giving valuable starts to inexperienced players, including four A-League players, Verbeek would have been largely unimpressed with the performance. The Socceroos surrendered possession too cheaply, too often, and lacked imagination in attack.

Controversy reigned before kick-off, as the Ghanaian national anthem was embarrassingly skipped due to a technical glitch. Unusually, It was eventually played after the half-time break in an attempt to placate the Ghanaians, provoking a raucous reaction from the disappointing crowd of just 29,914.

Neither team settled into the game early on, as both defences resorted to hitting long balls to lone strikers. Ghanaian target man Junior Agogo proved a handful all night for the Socceroos' central defensive pairing of Michael Beauchamp and Jade North, but his final product lacked polish.

The Ghanaian midfield, however, took hold as the half wore on, with the experienced Kingston Laryea driving Ghana forward. But chances were at a premium, with Ghana limited to shots from distance that either sailed harmlessly over the bar, or were hit straight at goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.

For the Australians, many eyes were on acting captain Harry Kewell, but he failed to impose himself on the match, and looked to be lacking match fitness and pace before he was substituted in the second half.

A-League top goalscorer Joel Griffiths was also crowded out by a swarming Ghanaian defence on most occasions, whilst the inexperienced central midfield of Mile Jedinak and Jacob Burns were often forced to defend as Ghana's midfield enjoyed greater possession.

Australia's best chances of the first-half were also long-range efforts, with Sterjovski volleying straight at Ghana's keeper, and Jacob Burns also flashing a shot over the crossbar.

Neither keeper was seriously tested before the break, so it came as a surprise when Australia broke the deadlock less than a minute after the interval.

Ghanaian captain John Mensah was caught in possession on the halfway line by Sterjovski, who capitalised on Ghana's dozing defence by racing to the edge of the box before coolly drilling the ball across the keeper into the bottom corner.

The goal unsurprisingly rattled Ghana, which for the next 20 minutes attempted to regain its lost rhythm. The Socceroos, meanwhile, began passing the ball with more confidence, but they failed to create any further clear-cut chances.

Another lull in play ensued, with one highlight being the introduction of young defender Matthew Spiranovic, who is now tied to the Socceroos after a drawn-out battle with Croatia for his allegiance.

His introduction, along with Australia's other substitutions, further disjointed the Socceroos play, and handed Ghana the impetus once again. But their opportunities were still mainly limited to speculative efforts from long-range, despite gaining reasonable shooting positions.

In the 86th minute, the game took a twist when Sterjovski was sent off after collecting two yellow cards. Whilst he faces suspension from the upcoming game against Iraq in Brisbane on June 1, he was already likely to miss anyway due to his impending fatherhood.

Now with an extra man, the Ghanaians poured forward in search of an equaliser, and were denied by a brilliant save from Schwarzer deep into injury time.

Largely untroubled for much of the game, Schwarzer pulled off a brilliant save to deny a point-blank flick from Ghanaian substitute Asamoah, preserving Australia's fifth consecutive clean sheet.