The Socceroos have ended their World Cup preparations in a satisfactory manner, battling back from another slow start and a goal down to secure a credible 1-1 draw with Switzerland in San Diego.

World No.19 Switzerland ran Australia ragged in the opening 20 minutes of the game as Sunderland star Granit Xhaka and Nottingham Forest winger Dan Ndoye were dominant before combining for the latter to open the scoring.

But the sluggish start gave way to a more confident Australian performance in possession; whether or not it was because the Swiss took their foot off the gas can be debated, but the result was a Tete Yengi equaliser on his debut a share of the spoils.

As much as an experimental Socceroos’ line-up had Yengi’s goal to thank for the draw, plenty of plaudits must be reserved for goalkeeper Patrick Beach and centre-back Harry Souttar.

The former saved Australia’s bacon early, while the latter was responsible for keeping the scoreline from trending upwards and arguably man-of-the-match alongside Xhaka.

On debut, Cristian Volpato started and had his moments, but they were fleeting for an Australian side starved of the ball before his withdrawal at the break, while Nestory Irankunda pressed his case for a starting berth against Turkiye next weekend with an eye-catching showing.

With seven changes from the side who lost 1-0 to Mexico, coach Tony Popovic gave extended minutes to several players on the fringes. Alessandro Circati only played the first 45, while stars Jordan Bos, Jackson Irvine and Mo Toure only got cameos off the bench.

But with Xhaka pulling the strings, the bubbly movement of Johan Manzambi and Michel Aebischer and the directness of Ndoye, the Swiss were able to quickly seize control of the game.

Ndoye was the most dangerous player in the final third and gave Kai Trewin the run-around but was foiled twice in quick succession by goalkeeper Beach — the first after a surgical pass from Aebischer, the second following a lovely lofted Xhaka pass.

But come the 14th minute, it proved to be a case of third time’s the charm and once again it was Xhaka at the heart of the move as he wrapped a sumptuous pass in between Trewin and Circati; Beach looked hesittant off the mark, while Ndoye did not.

It could have been 2-0 had Circati not made a vital block on Zeki Amdouni, while Switzerland’s dominance was perhaps best summed up by striker Yengi having to make a last-ditch intervention to prevent a certain goal.

But like last week against Mexico, the FIFA-mandated hydration break came to Australia’s aid, with the Socceroos able to settle down after the restart and slowly build possession — although chances were still at a premium.

Souttar did almost level the scores before the break when he headed Cristian Volpato’s free-kick into the side-netting, while Lucas Herrington got away with a turnover when Beach once again came to the rescue against Ndoye.

Both sides wrung the changes at half-time, and it was Australia who adapted better. With Xhaka’s influence somewhat nullified by the Socceroos’ improved ball retention, it had a domino effect on Manzambi’s impact; up the other end, Irankunda grew in prominence.

When a slip allowed the young attacker space from long range, he unleashed a swerving effort which was only denied by a combination of goalkeeper Gregor Kobel’s fingertips and the crossbar.

And the Swiss defence were caught napping in the 56th minute when Cameron Burgess curled a ball in behind their high line and Connor Metcalfe’s run from deep was not picked up, allowing him to set up Yengi for a simple finish.

Just after the hour mark, Switzerland regained the upper hand, but with Souttar standing tall in defence, Australia were able to repel a series of dangerous crosses from left-back Miro Muheim.

Some spite infiltrated the game, with Irankunda and Xhaka involved in a skirmish, before two Cedric Itten headers in the final 15 minutes zipped narrowly over the bar.