Curitiba (Brazil): Australia became the first team to touch down for the World Cup in Brazil, but it was a low-key arrival as they dodged well-wishers and were ushered away under tight security.
About 100 Brazilian fans were waiting at Vitoria airport but the Socceroos, arriving in darkness, went straight from their plane to a bus with blacked-out windows and were whisked away to their hotel.
Dozens of heavily armed riot police were also at the airport, with authorities apparently fearing a repeat of protests which have marred the tournament’s build-up.
Fans trying to catch a glimpse of the squad, who were wearing suits, rushed into the street to wave as they set out on the short drive to their town-centre hotel.
Australia, who are playing their third straight World Cup, have their first match on June 13 against Chile. They will also face Spain and the Netherlands in a difficult Group A. They are ranked at 59, the lowest of the tournament, with one columnist remarking “the bookmakers regard Australia’s World Cup possibilities as something worse than a snowball’s survival chances in hell”.
But midfielder Tommy Oar said Ange Postecoglou’s side were using their lowly status as motivation.
