IT'S been 18 months since the Socceroos succumbed to an extra-time defeat to Japan in last year's Asian Cup final, but Sasa Ognenovski believes the pain of that night can inspire his team to extract revenge in tomorrow night's World Cup qualifier at Suncorp Stadium.

Ognenovski, 33, rose to international prominence in that tournament, yet left Qatar every bit as frustrated as any Socceroo stalwart, many who still believe they were every bit as worthy of victory as the Japanese.

Robbie Kruse gets away from Japan's Keisuke Honda in last year's Asian Cup. The Socceroos hope to do the same tomorrow. Credit:Getty Images

With a bitter taste still lingering, the 2010 Asian player of the year is confident his teammates can get their own back by claiming a vital win in the hunt for World Cup qualification.

''For the ones who played that night, there's a motivating factor there,'' he said yesterday. ''We felt we probably should have won that and hopefully we can get the result on Tuesday.