The sunny, still conditions sapping energy and sunburning players and spectators alike. 

Host nation Italy, whose national team last night qualified for the 2010 World Cup, took on Cambodia. The team was missing players and had arrived days late for the event after unexpected travel issues leaving Cambodia, so had some reserve players making up the numbers. 

The Cambodians went two goals up early, courtesy of an open-play shot and a penalty after an Italian player encroached on their out-of-bounds keepers' area.  

The Italians clawed two back to level the score. The Cambodian keeper actually lost his shoe in the scramble to save shots, but continued playing with one shoe and one slightly slippery sock until the play stopped and a team mate and the referee helped him retrieve and refit his shoe. 

A slew of goals by both sides kept the Italians ahead by the narrowest of margins, which they held onto to record the win: 8-7. 

There was controversy surrounding the Russia versus Austria match, with the teams and officials adamant that the scores were level at four goals apiece at the game's end, meaning that, under Homeless World Cup rules which decree that there are no draws, the game warranted a penalty shoot out.   

Referee Abudu Ngete felt that the score was 4-3 in favour of the Russians and dismissed appeals, before a decision was made that the appeals were, in fact, accurate and the teams were called up for a penalty shoot out about half an hour later. 

It might have been because the players had cooled down or due to the emotion and added pressure of the situation, but what followed was perhaps one of the most missed penalty shoot out plays this writer has seen. 

Austria: the Russian keeper saved. 

Russia: hit the crossbar and the shot ricocheted off. Missed. 

Austria: the keeper saved. 

Russia: the Austrian keeper saved the shot with his face, intentionally or otherwise. 

Austria: hit the upright. Missed. 

Russia: fired the shot low and hard. The Austrian keeper got to it, but there was too much power on the shot and it slide under his arm and into the back of the net to give Russia the win. 

The Australians then took on India and Hong Kong later in the day.  

India had been decimated by injury so had, under Homeless World Cup rules, been allowed to call in some of the reserve players. It just so happened that they were gun reserves, who almost single-handedly scored all 14 of India's goals in the match. 

Some spectators jokingly chanted 'Show us your real team', but the Australians did manage to score four quality goals of their own.  

Scott Endersby and Ric Oldridge both found the back of the net for the Australians in the face of an Indian reserve player pummelling.  

Lino hit the crossbar and would likely have hit the back of the net too except that he was blue carded (or sin binned for two minutes) after he flung an arm out in reaction to some ongoing niggle from an Indian player.  

It was an unlucky call and could easily have gone the other way, but Dave O'Grady stepped up to the challenge of being a player down and was effectively a one-man attacking and defensive outfit during that time. 

He made it through a sandwich of defensive players with the ball and was denied a goal only by the upright before getting back to defend hard against the onslaught of Indian shots. 

The Australians showed their good sportsmanship regardless of the nine-goal deficit, inviting the Indians into a huddle to sing Waltzing Matilda and then finishing with an 'In-di-a!' cheer. 

The Hong Kong was more evenly matched and yielded better results for the Australians. 

James Crawford had returned from a hamstring injury-induced rest and both he and Nicole Brennan, who is both the only female and only West Australian in the Street Socceroos, were solid in defence.  

The Australians received a penalty after the Hong Kong keeper ventured outside his area and Brennan, taking her first penalty of the tournament, forced the keeper into a save. 

Dave O'Grady scored right on half time, to give the Street Socceroos some confidence heading into the break.  

The Street Socceroos added another two goals in the second half, including one where Thom Lino showed a cool head to hold the ball up, wait for the keeper to commit, and then slotted it away. 

A Hong Kong players accidentally swept Lino's legs out from under him, with the Australians scoring levelling the score at 3-3 with the resulting penalty. 

Then a long-range cracker by Lino edged the Street Socceroos 4-3 ahead, and they held on to post the win. 

The final matches in the secondary stage will play out tomorrow, with Australia scheduled to meet the Philippines and Japan.