Tim Cahill has said that Australia will take lessons from today's opening-game loss against Chile into their next match.

The Socceroos captain scored a towering header to give his side a lifeline at the Arena Pantanal after falling 2-0 behind, but Chile showed their strength by holding out before eventually adding a third goal late on.

"They got in twice and punished us but after that you could see their legs were going and we knew we could get something from this game," Cahill is quoted as saying by BBC Sport.

"We really stood up strong. Not a lot went our way and it showed. It's all about defining moments. This is the stage to do it and when you're called upon you have to show up.

"We showed a bit of fear but we got in their faces. We showed some aggression, we'll learn from this and go into the next game positive."

Next up for Australia is a Netherlands side that defeated Spain 5-1 on Friday night.