Socceroos have overcome their crisis of confidence, says Lucas Neill Solid performance: Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou congratulates captain Lucas Neill. Socceroos captain Lucas Neill believes the side has overcome their crisis of confidence and is well-placed for the World Cup after Tuesday night's 1-0 win over Costa Rica at Allianz Stadium. Morale among the national team appeared at all-time low after thrashings against Brazil and France, but a 3-0 win over Canada in London, followed by a win in Ange Postecoglou's first game in charge has sparked hope for Brazil. Neill, 35, was proud of the way his teammates stepped up for the new manager. "I'm just proud of all the guys and I'm delighted for Ange Postecoglou because this gets him, in his very first game in charge of the national team, off to the perfect start," he told Fairfax Media. I think what's really pleasing is that we worked really hard in training this week and a lot of the ideas that the manager has tried to put into practice there were implemented and executed in the game. As we look forward to Brazil, I think we're in pretty good shape. There's lot of improvement, of course, but the signs suggest we're on the right track. The national skipper - leading the team out for a record 61st time - said the side had to show mental strength when, despite dominating possession, they had to wait for substitute Tim Cahill to head home a winner. "We were professional from start to finish and we showed great spirit throughout," he said. The boys never dropped their heads and kept their focus on finding a winner. There were periods in the game that we dominated and that was really pleasing. Asked if he was pleased to put a difficult week behind him - where many believed he would be stripped of the captaincy - Neill replied he tried to keep focus on the game. "Look, there's been a lot of noise, but the talk has come from outside," he said. I just believe in letting my football do the talking. It's always pleasing to be out there playing and I never take it for granted. It's just nice, from a team perspective, to be rewarded with a result after a tough week of training. Cahill said he was rapt to score the goal which pushed Postecoglou off to a perfect start as manager - and that he didn't mind coming off the bench. I think it's a new era for us and it's great to get the boss off to a winning start. It was great football from the youngsters as well and it's looking pretty good at the moment," he said. This is all about the team, not an individual. It's about everyone sticking together. So long as I'm on that plane [to Brazil], whether I'm sitting on the bench or whatever, I just want to be part of this squad. While the decisive header took a wicked deflection to throw off Costa Rican goalkeeper Patrick Pemberton, Cahill reckons it was on target regardless. "I was actually trying to put it in the other corner, so I'm thinking it would have gone in anyway," he said. It was good contact and it's what happens when you put your head in the right place. Mark Bresciano played an hour as an attacking midfielder - leaving his usual defensive midfield duties to Mark Milligan and Mile Jedinak - but he appeared unflustered by the four-month suspension lingering over his head. The 33-year old has been banned by FIFA for the next four months following an illegal transfer, making this potentially his last professional appearance until March next year. However, he admitted it had been a tough week as he mulls over an appeal. Honestly, it has [affected me]. It came as a surprise, but it's something we're working on," he said. I think I'm in good hands, so hopefully I can get a result.