Australia coach Holger Osieck was delighted with his players after they claimed a shock 2-1 win over Germany in a friendly in Monchengladbach yesterday.

The Socceroos, who were thumped 4-0 by the same side at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, trailed at the interval to Mario Gomez's 26th-minute strike.

A change in strategy at the break saw the AFC Asian Cup runners-up start the second-half well, though, before a David Carney goal and a Luke Wilkshire penalty secured a famous away victory.

"I'm really proud of the boys, they did a great job," German Osieck told Fox Sports. "The only thing I said after the game was, 'thank you, from the bottom of my heart!'"

I'm really proud of the boys, they did a great job. The only thing I said after the game was, 'thank you, from the bottom of my heart!
Holger Osieck on his Australia side's 2-1 win in Germany

Osieck explained how he wanted his side to keep the ball more in the second half and was pleased with the results.

"[In the first half] we played to our structure pretty well and our set-up was good, but when we were in possession we gave the ball away too easily," he said. "So I asked the players to keep possession and not to give it away easily. I think that worked pretty well."

Osieck also praised the attitude of his squad at half-time, adding that it was easy to motivate them.

"They were really upbeat. That is what I wanted to see. I'm really happy about our performance, especially the second half. The boys did very well and it's a reason to be proud."

The win was Australia's first against Germany in four attempts.