Defender Lucas Neill noted Hiddink kept faith in his backline to resist the Japanese counterattack while cranking up the offense.

"It paid off _ yet again, he's a genius," Neill said.

Combine Hiddink's tactical genius with his insistence on top fitness and the 42nd-ranked Socceroos are a tough assignment for any team.

And he's molded the team essentially as a part-time coach. He took over the team from Frank Farina after a disappointing Confederations Cup campaign last year, but kept his job at PSV _ 10 time zones away from Australia.

The situation worked because almost all the Socceroos play in Europe. And Hiddink had Arnold to oversee talent Down Under, with fellow Dutchman Johan Neeskens _ now bound for Barcelona _ his assistant in Europe.

Despite the limited preparation time, it's clear Hiddink has a real fondness for this Australian team.

"I love to work with them, because they go for the adventure. And that's what I like very much," he says.

His players clearly respect their manager. They like a boss who is consistent and clear on what he wants.

"He makes the players feel confident about themselves," said Culina. "He's very calm and collected and makes players feel what they've practiced during the week, they're capable of doing on the weekend or in a match."

Added midfielder Josip Skoko: "He's straight to the point. He knows what we need to do and he makes sure that we know it."