 Viduka will not shy away from taking penalties for Australia |
Striker Mark Viduka will step up to the spot to take any penalties that are awarded to Australia at the World Cup - even though he has missed his last two. Viduka, who missed from the spot against Uruguay last November, smacked the bar with his second-half effort against Holland in Rotterdam on Sunday.
He said: "As captain I would rather put my name up to take a penalty and miss it than not offer at all.
"I would take 100 if that is what I needed to do to score."
The Middlesbrough player added: "There is pressure on the kicker, but I am happy with that. Craig Moore did offer to take the one on Sunday but I said no."
Viduka, who will consider his international future after the World Cup, has been blown away by the interest shown by the Australians ahead of the finals.
"To see the amount of interest in us at the moment is weird because for a long time, soccer was not this popular in Australia," Viduka said.
"It is almost like a circus with the number of people wanting to see us and speak to us.
"It just shows how special the World Cup is. It is great for our profile and, more importantly, it is great for the sport's profile back home."
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