Neill and Upson on a high

West Ham United defensive duo Matthew Upson and Lucas Neill both had memorable evenings as the 2010 World Cup qualifiers continued on Wednesday night.

Australia
Lucas Neill led by example as Australia beat Uzebekistan 1-0 in Tashkent to get the final stage of the Asian zone campaign off to a winning start. After helping his side to an impressive 2-1 friendly win in the Netherlands at the weekend, the captain played the full 90 minutes as defender Scott Chipperfield's 26th-minute header secured the points in the Socceroos' first senior international with the Uzbeks.

England
Matthew Upson made his ninth appearance for England in the majestic 4-1 win in Croatia. The defender came on for the final two minutes to replace captain John Terry. The result means it is two wins from two for England in Group 6. Club-mate Robert Green missed out on a place on the substitute's bench as a Theo Walcott hat-trick and a Wayne Rooney goal confirmed Fabio Capello's side at the top of Group Six on goal difference.

Switzerland
New signing Valon Behrami watched on as Switzerland suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat at home by Luxembourg. A regular for his country, initial reports from Switzerland suggested Behrami was not risked against the minnows in Geneva after suffering a slight knock in the 2-2 draw in Israel last weekend. The visitors won it through Alphonse Leweck's late goal for a shock result that leaves the Swiss fifth in Group Two.