The 0-0 draw with China was not the best of the Socceroos, but having weathered an injury crisis and the high altitude to emerge with a point, the signs are there that Australia has grown immensely as a side.

Verbeek has instilled in them a strength and confidence and in their first major test of what will no doubt be an arduous campaign, the players came through with flying colours.

In the end, a cruel twist of fate, eerily similar to the one which destroyed Australia's World Cup dream two years ago, almost cost the committed Socceroos again. If Mark Schwarzer has a weakness, it his lack of presence in the penalty area and his uncertainty in attacking Qu Bo in the 88th minute put him a desperate position. He dived to secure the ball, made contact with the Chinese striker, and was penalised, probably harshly.

Schwarzer's great strength is his ability as a shot stopper and much like he did against Uruguay in that famous penalty shootout in Sydney in November 2005, he was up to the task. Shao Jiayi's penalty was not well hit and the 35-year-old custodian got enough of his body behind the ball to preserve the stalemate.

The draw was a just result for two teams which showed little enterprise. But at least Australia had a reason to sit back and absorb the pressure. It was away from home, was undermanned and had already secured a win. Archie Thompson, the lone striker, was injured in the first eight minutes.

China, needing a win to spark its campaign, was ridiculously circumspect. It showed little invention and put no pressure on an Australian side which was vulnerable to defeat without the likes of Cahill, Emerton, Kennedy, McDonald and Kewell. Coach Vladimir Petrovic must be feeling the pressure.

In contrast, Verbeek's fairytale start to his tenure continues and his straight-forward approach will continue to win him fans both in the media and with the fans.

The Dutchman ruffled a few feathers when he arrived and announced he wasn't a big fan of the local A-League. His points were valid, but his aim was not to belittle to local players but to motivate them to try and prove him wrong.

Jade North did exactly that with an excellent performance as part of a back three which featured more seasoned international performers Lucas Neill and Michael Beauchamp. In Emerton's absence, the Newcastle skipper outshone that pair, using his athleticism to continually thwart China's attacking forays.

The other impressive man was Brett Holman, who was given his chance when Thompson went off. Always a fringe player for the Socceroos, Holman had too often been too eager to grab his chance and had not allowed himself to settle into his natural game. On Wednesday, he played off Mark Bresciano brilliantly and showed Verbeek that in Cahill and Kewell's absence he can be a very handy player.

Carl Valeri acquitted himself well alongside Vinnie Grella, and the more time he spends in that Australian midfield the better. Verbeek knows he has a capable holding man if anything should happen to either Grella or Jason Culina.

The late drama of this match will add to the Socceroos legend which has been building over the past few years. Those players involved will be richer for the experience of having survived the trials of Kunming and will be ever so grateful to Schwarzer for ensuring they emerged with something.

And Verbeek will know that all these experiences make his players all the more valuable during this long qualification campaign.