RIO DE JANEIRO: Australia have become the first of the 31 qualified nations to land in Brazil for the World Cup after landing last night at Curitiba.

Before the squad flew on to their HQ in Vitoria, midfielder Tommy Oar said: “We are the underdogs. 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.

The Socceroos, appearing at their third consecutive World Cup, feature in Group B in Brazil alongside Chile – their first opponents, on June 13 in Cuiaba – and 2010 Finalists Spain and Holland.

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