Switzerland draw proves Socceroos can 'punch above our weight': Popovic

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ndoye-dan/EmmpFCXN/"]Dan Ndoye[/a] opened the scoring for the Swiss in the 14th minute at San Diego before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/australia/xSrf6qMM/"]Australia[/a] debutant [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/yengi-tete/YTFoCLya/"]Tete Yengi[/a] levelled in the second half.[/p][p]It was the final warm-up for both sides for the World Cup, which begins on Thursday.[/p][p]Popovic named an experimental starting side, with seven changes from Australia's 1-0 defeat to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/mexico/O6iHcNkd/"]Mexico[/a] last week, before reverting to a likely first-choice line-up for the second-half.[/p][p]"[b]I'm just happy. We've got no injuries. We've got through the game[/b]," Popovic said.[/p][p]"[b]We got a result, that always helps and we scored a very nice goal. We need to start better, of course, next week, that will help us[/b]."[/p][embed guid="5c9f397a-b0c4-4426-886f-d54df9091cf6" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itDApM7uLiA" social-type="youtube" /][p]Australia, who are at their sixth successive World Cup, are in Group D alongside [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/turkey/QeijuHo5/"]Turkey[/a], co-hosts the United States and Paraguay.[/p][p]The Swiss are pitted with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/qatar/zqzHL77i/"]Qatar[/a], Bosnia-Herzegovina and co-hosts Canada in Group B.[/p][p]Popovic said he was encouraged by holding a near full-strength Swiss side ranked eight places above them at 19th and believes his youthful team can make it through to the knockout rounds.[/p][p]"[b]If you ask every Australian, they expect to be right at the end because we always feel that we can punch above our weight,[/b]" he said.[/p][p]"[b]We've proven that time and time again in all sports, and we've done it in football. So we've shown what we can do.[/b]"[/p][embed guid="dd35729b-2594-448a-91eb-05d96c7c0fac" url="https://x.com/ParamountPlusAU/status/2063369868616069592" social-type="twitter" /][p]In Qatar four years ago, Australia made it through the group phase and gave eventual champions Argentina a scare in the last 16 before going out to a brave 2-1 defeat orchestrated by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/messi-lionel/vgOOdZbd/"]Lionel Messi[/a].[/p][p]"[b]We want to go through, and that's the challenge that we have,[/b]" added Popovic.[/p][p]"We want it to be a knockout stage where we know anything is possible.[/p][p]"[b]But if we peel it back, there's a lot of work to do until then, and we've got a really tough group, but I'd like to think that our opponents will see us as a tough task as well.[/b]"[/p][p]Australia open their World Cup against Turkey in Vancouver on June 13, while the Swiss kick off against Qatar in San Francisco on the same day.[/p]