'This is what you're here for and this is why you play for the national team,' the Fulham goalkeeper said. 'You want to be successful. To have the opportunity to play a team like Uzbekistan in the semi-final is huge and that's what we set out to do.

'If I look back 18 or 19 years to when I first starting playing for the national team, I would never have envisaged I'd still be playing today and reaching such a milestone. It's a great honour.

'Alex Tobin is a fantastic servant of the game, a top player for the Socceroos for a long time and I made my debut with him in the side as well, so there's a lot of connection there.

'He's a great guy and a great servant of the game and it's a real honour to be able to equal the record.'

Schwarzer will hope for a relatively quiet evening against an Uzbekistan team who have impressed in the tournament - emerging through the group stages with wins over hosts Qatar and Kuwait before a 2-2 draw with China.

A 2-1 victory over Jordan - with both goals from Ulugbek Bakaev - ensured the Uzbeks are in their first Asian Cup semi-final; their game with Australia is only the third competitive clash between them.

Socceroo Harry Kewell knows his side face a tough challenge against a team they beat twice in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup finals.

Australia were made to fight hard for the World qualifying points against the Uzbeks and the Galatasary winger expects nothing less than a battle in the semi-final.

'Hopefully it's exciting,' he said. 'I think both teams can play football. We've played them a couple of times and been fortune enough to win the games. Both games we've been played off the park, so it's going to be a difficult game.'

Kewell is one of several veterans of Australia's 2007 Asian Cup campaign when they crashed out at the quarter-final stage to Japan.

'In 2007 we walked in thinking we were the number-one team and that it was going to be easy and we got found out early on - and we got kicked out,' the former Leeds and Liverpool player said.

'This time we realised early on that we weren't going to make the same mistakes. We've knuckled down and aren't taking any game for granted; we're just trying to play our football and enjoy it.'

Uzbekistan coach Vadim Abramov is refusing to regard his side as the underdogs in the semi-final meeting and has taken great heart from Japan's recent 1-0 friendly win against Argentina.

'Inside my team there are many experienced players,' said Abramov. 'This might be their first semi-final, but they have played so many games before and I believe the players can focus on this match.

'Australia are a good team, but also they're not Brazil.

'Before we came to this tournament, I said we would win this Asian Cup and that hasn't changed. I hope the players can concentrate on the match. They have a chance.

'If Japan can beat Argentina why can Uzbekistan not beat Australia? It's the same chance, 50-50.

'Before the game both teams are the same.'