STUTTGART, Germany - Australia likes to keep it dramatic. The Socceroos squeezed into the World Cup for the first time in 32 years through a penalty kick shootout with Uruguay. A pulse-stopping 2-2 draw with Croatia has now sent them into the second round, alongside Group F winner Brazil.

The Australians came back twice in a tense match in which three players were sent off. Harry Kewell scored the equalizer in the 79th minute from close range.

"It was a terrific game ... why football is so beautiful," Australia coach Guus Hiddink said. "This team has a lion heart, to fight until the end. I think it was very hectic."

Kewell added, "The team knew what I was capable of doing. They fed me the ball and I was out there, I was enjoying myself."

Croatia took the lead in the third minute on a dipping free kick by Darijo Srna. Craig Moore equalized for Australia with a penalty kick in the 39th minute after Stjepan Tomas handled the ball in the box.

The Croats went up again in the 56th minute after a goalkeeping blunder by Zeljko Kalac, who started in place of Mark Schwarzer. Captain Niko Kovac shot from about 20 yards and the ball rolled over Kalac's hands.

But Kewell put home a short shot off a scramble in the area, and Australia was headed for a matchup with Italy in Kaiserslautern on Monday.

Back in Australia, millions rose before dawn to watch the live broadcast, with crowds of thousands gathering before giant screens in Sydney and Melbourne.

More than 1,000 people at Circular Quay in downtown Sydney let out huge cheers, pumping their fists and waving Australian flags as Kewell slammed the ball home.

The cry was echoed in Melbourne, where more than 10,000 people, many with faces painted Australia's green and gold colors, lit flares, waved flags with kangaroos wearing boxing gloves, and hollered their support before a giant television screen erected at Federation Square.

Making the second round was another triumph for coach Guus Hiddink. The Dutchman led the Netherlands to the semifinals in 1998 and South Korea that far four years ago .

Instead of galvanizing the Croatians, Srna's goal awoke the Australians and prompted a series of attacks. The pressure was rewarded with the penalty kick, and Moore sent the goalkeeper one way, the ball the other.

"It is a realistic result. The match was dynamic, full of tempo and rhythm," Croatia coach Zlatko Kranjcar said. "If Croatia had won, it also wouldn't have been undeserved."

The match was billed as a clash of loyalties. Seven players of Croatian descent play for Australia, while three of Croatia's grew up Down Under. The ancestral ties took a back seat on the field as the players often slammed into bone-crunching tackles.

For the entire match it seemed as if the Australians were chasing a win, battering at the Croatian defense, which looked closer and closer to buckling but kept holding up.

Kewell and Tim Cahill tried with long shots, while captain Mark Viduka was trying short combination passes, hoping to get into closer range.

Goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa saved a forceful shot from Kewell from point-blank range after a clever flick from Viduka late in the match, and it appeared that Croatia would hang on to the win.

"You can't think about that. You've got to keep pushing forward and we did that," Kewell said. "For us, we like to get the old heart pumping."

Kewell took a back header from substitute John Aloisi and slammed it into the net to send the green-and-gold fans into delirium.

Dario Simic got sent off for Croatia and Australia's Brett Emerton also received a red card in the second half. Josip Simunic was red-carded after the final whistle.