"It is a great sporting moment," said Howard after watching the early morning telecast of the game at his home on Friday,

He praised Australia's comeback from a poor start to finish at 2-2 with Croatia, hailing it as "terrific fight-back".

"(I was) very nervous but this is a very tenacious team and they've got a wonderful coach," he said, pointing out "it's obvious that the team spirit is very strong and I think they will continue to surprise a lot of people,"he told the Nine Network TV.

Opposition leader Kim Beazley also joined the chorus of praise for the national team.

"The Socceroos have been dubbed underdogs and their fighting spirit and world class skills have done the whole nation proud,"he said.

"Australians love a never-say-die attitude and the Socceroos have delivered in spades."

About 9,000 fans watched the game at the Federation Square in Australia's second largest city of Melbourne, cheering long and hard. Another crowd of 7,000 people watched a second large screen nearby.

In the largest city of Sydney, thousands of people packed into pubs and venues to watch the game which started at 5 am local time.

Hundreds of police, including mounted officers, lined in the main streets of Sydney to keep the spirited crowds at bay.