Popovic's World Cup nightmare

Australia defender Tony Popovic may well have played his last ever World Cup game.

The tournament had been hailed as the Crystal Palace man's last chance to shine on the world stage after two previous failed campaigns, but now it seems injury could rule him out.

The 32-year-old SocceRoos stalwart was taken off in the first half of the team's 2-0 Group F defeat to world champions Brazil, suffering with a calf problem.

Boss Guus Hiddink's assistant Graham Arnold has confirmed the player will likely need a fortnight's rest to recover, which means he would only return in time for the semi-finals on July 4.

Because of the intense nature of the fixture list that would see him missing out on three crucial World Cup games, starting with a crucial tie to qualify for the next stage against Croatia on Thursday.

But with the Aussies still rank outsiders to win the tournament, it would be a major turn up for the books should they make it to the last four.