MUNICH, Germany -- Brazil's lackluster performance against Australia was good enough for coach Carlos Alberto Parreira and his players.

Brazil beat the Socceroos 2-0 Sunday and advanced to the second round, but again the defending champion failed to impress.

"There was one key issue today: We looked better physically and tactically," Parreira said. "As I have said before, our group is very difficult, because all of the teams have different styles."

The victory was Brazil's ninth consecutive at the World Cup and the five-time champions haven't been eliminated in the first stage since 1966.

Brazil was coming off a below-average outing in the 1-0 win over Croatia, and can secure first place in Group F with a draw against Japan on Thursday.

"We're going to improve with every game. The World Cup is a marathon, not a sprint," Ronaldinho said. "Brazil is capable of playing nice soccer and the team is getting stronger with every game."

The two-time FIFA world player of the year was heavily marked and couldn't get any of his moves to work.

Australia played tightly from the start, keeping Ronaldinho and the rest of Brazil's "magic quartet" in check for the second straight match.

"We had to play a patient match," Kaka, another member of the foursome, said. "The team is evolving and we're growing together in every way."

"It was our most difficult match so far," added Adriano, who netted his first World Cup goal with a left-footed shot from the top of the penalty area in the 49th minute.

Fred, who came in for Adriano in the 88th minute, closed the scoring a minute later after a shot by Robinho rebounded off the post.

In other games, it was South Korea 1, France 1, and Japan 0, Croatia 0.

Australia, which beat Japan 3-1 in its opener, challenged Brazil several times during the match and had several chances to get on the board.

"It's not about winning one game, it's about winning the competition," Roberto Carlos said. "We're on the road to our sixth title -- the team is on the right track."

Brazil, ranked No. 1 by FIFA, hadn't scored as few as three goals in its first two World Cup matches since the 1990 tournament in Italy, when a Diego Maradona-led Argentina eliminated its South American rival in the second round.

"That first half, I thought we were magnificent," Australia defender Lucas Neill said. "We restricted them to pretty much nothing. But tomorrow you're going to read in the papers and it's going to say 2-0."

In Leipzig, Park Ji-sung scored the equalizing goal in the 81st minute to grab a crucial point for South Korea after Thierry Henry had given France the lead in the ninth.

Park poked the ball over France goalkeeper Fabien Barthez and out of the reach of defender William Gallas, who tried to clear the ball before it crossed the goal line.

France captain Zinedine Zidane, who has said he will retire from all soccer after the World Cup, may have played his last match. He picked up his second yellow card of the tournament and will miss the remaining group game against Togo.

In the 32nd minute a header from France's Patrick Vieira appeared to have crossed the goal line before South Korea's goalkeeper caught it. The Mexican referee waved play on.

Henry profited from a favorable bounce after Sylvain Wiltord's blocked shot fell into his path. He took a stride and coolly shot past goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae for France's first World Cup goal since it won the 1998 final.

South Korea leads Group G with four points from two matches, with France in second place with two points. Third-place Switzerland has one point and plays Togo on Monday.

Croatia, yet to score at the World Cup, had the best chance when Japan captain Tsuneyasu Miyamoto brought down Dado Prso in the area. Darijo Srna's penalty was saved by Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi.

Both teams had chances to win the match but solid goalkeeping on both sides left the teams with just one point with one match remaining. Japan faces Brazil in its final match while Croatia plays Australia.

Prso was confident Croatia would find its touch when it is most needed -- the must-win match against Australia.