Socceroo striker Archie Thompson is on course to make history when Australia takes on Taiwan on Sunday, as he bids to become Australia’s highest goal scorer of all time.
Australia posted a 9-0 rout of minnows Guam on Friday with Thompson scoring one of the fastest hat-tricks from a substitute in international football, plundering three goals in just five minutes.
The Socceroos were already 4-0 up when Thompson replaced Eli Babalj in the 57th minute to begin his assault on Guam’s hapless defence to leave him sitting just one goal away from equalling Damian Mori’s all-time record of 29 Socceroos goals.
And the 34-year-old is likely to surpass it against the 176-ranked Taiwan.
But the Melbourne Victory striker said he was just happy to have delivered the goal haul needed to keep alive hopes of qualifying for the 2013 East Asian Cup.
“I don’t even take all that much notice of it really,” Thompson said.
“To be honest I just really want us to qualify for the tournament next year, that’s my main focus.
“When you’re playing against that kind of opposition and scoring goals as we are it’s hard to take those accolades.
“I’m happy to have scored the goals but the main thing was that we made up the goals that we needed to.”
Coach Holger Osieck stuck to his plan of playing more of the squad’s rookies and the same can be expected when Australia face Taiwan on Sunday.
Aaron Mooy and Michael Marrone both netted in the big win over the world No.181 on Friday night to make it the first time in 32 years that two Australians have scored on international debut in the same match.
Red Star Belgrade striker Babalj, in only his second Socceroos game, also found the back of the net in both halves with goals from Mark Milligan and Richard Garcia rounding out the scoring.
Qualification will come down to the final matches with Australia now equal with North Korea’s goal difference of plus 10 ahead of their final clash on Sunday when the Koreans face Hong Kong.
With North Korea to play the early match, the Socceroos will know exactly what’s required to secure their berth to next year’s showpiece before they step onto the pitch on Sunday.
“The Korean team is a very good side so we’re expecting that they’ll win,” Thompson said.
“Whether it’s comfortably we’ll have to wait and see.
“The fortunate thing for us is that we get to see them play earlier and see what situation we’re at and take it form there.”
dasilva
Guest
Bad luck from Archie. I guess if he going to break the record he'll have to do it in a WCq and assist Australia in qualifying. Certainly a better stage to do it
jimmymac
Guest
cheers guys, thanks. potentially a nervous 90 mins coming up!
Dasilva
Guest
It goes by a drawing of lots if we win 5-1. Osieck has a track record of that as when he led Canada to win the gold cup. Canada only escaped the group stage due to that
jamesb
Roar Guru
We need to beat Taiwan by 5 goals, or 6-2. If its 5-1, I'm not sure what happens, because that would mean both NK and Aust will have the same goals scored and conceded which is 16-2. Me thinks that Australia should've beaten the Honkers by more than 1 goal. I hope that doesn't come back to bite Holger. But beating Taiwan by 5 is doable.
dasilva
Guest
No Rogic and Thompson is surprising and I don't really get the fascination with Taggart. However it could be worst, I was kind of half expecting a Milligan/Thwaite partnership
dasilva
Guest
Socceroos XI announced: Ryan (GK), Franjic, Cornthwaite, Djulbic, Jamieson, Emerton (C), Mooy, Thwaite, Behich, Garcia, Taggart
dasilva
Guest
I'm following Socceroos on facebook and they are giving us updates on the score North Korea just scored a fourth goal on the 85' minute Now Australia needs 5 goals to progress. If that score remains the same I think I would accept that as an acceptable achievable target. If we can't beat Taiwan by the same margin that North Korea defeated the same team then I don't think we deserve to qualify.
jimmymac
Guest
any further update on that dasilva?
dasilva
Guest
North Korea are leading 3-0 to hong kong right now. So far the equation is a 4-0 victory over Taiwan Let's hope Hong Kong can just hang on to that margin or even get a goal back
Bondy.
Guest
Why isn't he doing commercials for the sport.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Had a few beers over lunch ;-)
Punter
Guest
Fuss, why do you bite?
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
"Any player that manages to top the all-time goal scoring, either in a league, or as an all–time record for a club, or for a country, is clearly the best of the best." Yet, in your sport of Aussie Rules, when you look at the TOP 20 Goalkickers in history ... .. only two of them - the 1st (Tony Lockett) & 10th highest goal kicker in history (Bernie Quinlan) - have won the medal for the "best player in VFL/AFL". Lockett was NOT considered "the best of the best" in many years when he won the Coleman Medal for being top scorer in VFL/AFL. In fact, it's very rare for the top goalkicker each season to win any "best for the season" award. So, 18 of the TOP 20 all-time goal scorers in VFL/AFL were NOT considered the best of the best! So odd? This totally contradicts your assertion.
Bondy.
Guest
Good luck to Arch plays the sport with a smile on he's face always has. Iangou, Verbeek showed him the door. TC, I thought it was about technical quality !... An amazing acheivement by arch. Fabrice Muamba is just on soccer am, great to see.
TC
Guest
Any player that manages to top the all-time goal scoring, either in a league, or as an all--time record for a club, or for a country, is clearly the best of the best. TC
langou
Roar Guru
Many people were asking the question, 'why is holger picking Archie'. I have always wondered why the hell didn't Pim didnt pick him. A great player and a great socceroo
Andyroo
Guest
It's not quantity it's quality. Charlie Yankos is the greatest Socceroo ever. His goal against then world champions Argentina made me a life long Socceroos fan. Thankfully the last 12 years have been a much better ride than the first 12. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download it now [http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/the-roar/id327174726?mt=8].
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
@ TC That's the sort of unsophisticated analysis I'd expect from a child, not an adult. There is nothing to equate the most prolific scorer in football - or any sport - with "greatest ever player". To do so, indicates a poor grasp of the technical requirement of sport.
dasilva
Guest
Thompson deserves it No he is not the greatest striker or goal scorer Australia ever has but he choose to be available to bash minnows I mean Cahill MLS season was finish and he could have volunteered to bash minnows with thompson and grab the record himself but he wanted a break and that's fair enough. However that gives Thompson the opportunity to grab the record
Rusty0256
Roar Rookie
That's nonsense TC and you know it. There have been two distinct eras of Archie's goal-scoring for Australia. Many of Archie's goals were scored against weak Pacific island opposition in the early 90's, then a very long dry spell leading into his current scoring renaissance. Archie Thompson is and will always be remembered one of the greatest players and personalities of the early 21st Century (and certainly the greatest Victory player), but in a Socceroo jersey there and a great number ahead of him.