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The pressure of qualifying for Brazil is not suffocating Tim Cahill or the Socceroos as they aim to turn Sydney into their World Cup dream factory for the second time in eight years.
After nearly three weeks in camp, Australia say they are ready to rise to the challenge of beating Iraq at ANZ Stadium on Tuesday night and secure a World Cup finals berth.
Superstar striker Cahill – so often the Socceroos’ go-to man in big matches – is happy with the mood in the camp.
And he believes the spirit of 2005, when Australia overcame Uruguay at the same venue to book the nation’s first World Cup qualification in 32 years, can play a role.
“Experience is fantastic … everything’s on it (this match), and the biggest thing for us is to take (the pressure) and embrace it,” Cahill said on Monday.
“To have the weight of the country on your shoulders is a compliment, and you have to enjoy it.
“I’ll be trying to cover every bit of grass to get a result, and I’m sure the rest of the team will as well.”
Coach Holger Osieck believes the length of time the Socceroos have spent together since coming into camp in Japan in late May is shaping as a key factor.
Australia’s players have so often been thrown together at the last minute for big games.
But Osieck believes they are relishing and benefiting from their time together as a team, as shown by the draw against Japan and win over Jordan.
“Whenever we have a one-off game, players arrive late, it was always a bit difficult to get our stuff together,” he said.
“But I’m very happy about our position – that we could get closer together as a team, develop a better understanding, and that has been displayed in the two previous games.
“I’m pretty sure we’re going to have a good game (against Iraq).
“Everyone’s 100 per cent focused. We’re going to have a great crowd, playing at home, there are so many positives.”
Cahill had an unusual pre-match honour on Monday.
The Cahill Expressway – linking the Sydney Harbour Bridge to the city’s east – was named the Tim Cahill Expressway for the next 48 hours in the build-up to the decider.
WHERE DOES THE SOCCEROOS’ CLASH WITH IRAQ RANK IN AUSTRALIA’S MOST CRITICAL MATCHES?
1973 – World Cup playoff – Australia v South Korea, Hong Kong
The equation: The two scheduled cup-ties to decide who would go to the 1974 finals in West Germany ended in draws, so a hastily arranged decider in Hong Kong was winner-take-all.The result: Euphoria. A Jimmy Mackay goal gave the Socceroos a 1-0 win and a place at their first ever World Cup finals. It would be 32 years before it happened again.
1993 – World Cup playoff – Australia v Argentina, Buenos Aires
The equation: After a superb 1-1 home draw, the Socceroos could have made the World Cup finals in the US with victory against Diego Maradona’s Argentina.
The result: Disappointment. A 1-0 loss – courtesy of a deflected Gabriel Batistuta shot off the leg of Socceroos defender Alex Tobin – gutted a brave Socceroos side which matched the Argentines for much of the game.
1997 – World Cup playoff – Australia v Iran, MCG
The equation: A 1-1 draw in the first leg in Tehran gave Australia the upper hand, with away goals counting double.
The result: Heartbreak. After completely dominating the first half – and tellingly after pitch invader Peter Hore had stopped play – Australia was leading 2-0 and looked bound for France. Then the Socceroos conceded two goals, and Iran qualified on the away goals rule. A result which still reduces grown men to tears 16 years on.
2001 – World Cup playoff – Australia v Uruguay, Montevideo
The equation: Leading 1-0 after the home leg in Melbourne, a win or good result in the second leg of the tie could have erased the nightmares of four years earlier and sent Australia to Korea and Japan.
The result: A damp squib. Whether they were overawed or psyched out by the imposing Estadio Centenario, the Socceroos never reached any heights, were beaten 3-0 and went home tails between legs.
2005 – World Cup playoff – Australia v Uruguay, Sydney
The equation: A 1-0 loss in the away leg – with Mark Schwarzer brilliant in denying several late Uruguay goals – meant Australia could secure World Cup qualification with a good result in the second leg on home soil.
The result: Delirium: A 1-0 win sent the game into extra-time, then a penalty shootout. Again Schwarzer was heroic, before John Aloisi slotted home the pressure spot-kick, whipped off his shirt, and sent Australia to its first World Cup finals in 32 years.
2006 – World Cup finals group match – Australia v Croatia, Stuttgart
The equation: A draw against far higher ranked opposition would be enough to put the Socceroos into the round of 16 for the first time.
The result: Celebration. A 2-2 draw, secured with Harry Kewell’s second half equaliser in a rollercoaster match. Two send-offs, and referee Graham Poll’s failure to send off Croatia’s Josip Simunic following three yellow cards, added to incredible drama which ended with AC-DC music blasting around the stadium as the Socceroos soaked up the historic moment.
2006 – World Cup finals round of 16 match – Australia v Italy, Kaiserslautern
The equation: Beat Italy, and the World Cup quarter-finals would await. Lose, and the Socceroos’ brave march in Germany would be over.
The result: Deflation. After trying unsuccessfully to break down a 10-man Italy for half the match, Socceroo Lucas Neill brings down Italy’s Fabio Grosso in stoppage-time to concede a hotly-disputed penalty. Italy’s Franceso Totti slots it home, the Azzurri go through, and Australia go home.
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