Viduka's Socceroos Upstaged
Australia, making their debut in the competition, clearly struggled to adapt to the Bangkok humidity and were frustrated by a determined Oman, who took the lead in the first half through a Badar Mubarak strike.
It could have been a different story but for goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer pulling off a number of superb saves late on.
And it paid off as Cahill, who came off the bench midway through the second period, pounced on a spilled Mark Bresciano shot to ensure Australia go joint top of Group A of the AFC Asian Cup - level on points with Oman, Thailand and Iraq.