- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
On a night where Australia was made to earn their place in Brazil for the 2014 World Cup finals, Holger Osieck’s heroes delivered a performance that sparked celebrations around the nation.
It was reminiscent of that fateful moment two World Cup campaigns earlier, at the same venue, Stadium Australia, Sydney.
Going into the game, only five starting players remain from that World Cup campaign in 2005, Mark Schwarzer, Lucas Neill, Luke Wilkshire, Tim Cahill and Mark Bresciano. Other survivors included Josh Kennedy, Archie Thompson and Mark Milligan.
The equation was simple, a win for the Socceroos would assure them a spot in Brazil, anything less Australia’s hopes would be put on the line relying on the result of the final group match between Jordan and Oman.
As for Iraq, they came into the match in bottom spot, having already been eliminated out of the race for a spot in the World Cup by Japan, a 1-0 loss at ‘home’ in Doha, Qatar.
Their ‘home’ away from home in Doha, culminating from years of civil unrest and violence in their homeland.
Socceroo’s skipper Lucas Neill, called upon the fans to come out in force to support their team, and intimidate their opposition.
Further, warning the Australian faithful that Iraq deserved ‘the respect of the Australians’ as they not only play a tough, no-nonsense brand of football under coach, Serbian Vladimir Petrovic, but also had nothing to lose.
Osieck decided to stick with the same team that had brought him two consecutive strong performances against Japan and Jordan, 1-1 in Saitama and 4-0 in Melbourne respectively.
While his counterpart Petrovic, who previously coached China to a victory over the Australians back in 2008, was left without his two most experienced players, Younis Mahmoud and Nashat Akram, due to immediate retirements.
Australia from the outset were hungry searching for an early goal that would give the side confidence to finish the job in front of an 80, 523 strong crowd at Stadium Australia.
Australia’s first major chance came in the third minute when clever exchanges between Tim Cahill and Robbie Kruse, finished with Cahill sending a left foot shot towards Iraqi skipper and goalkeeper, Noor Sabri, who was equally up to the task and deflected the shot valiantly.
As the first half wore on, the Socceroos found that the task at hand was not as easy as their previous outing, a 4-0 thumping of Jordan at the Docklands Stadium a week previous.
To their credit, the brave Iraqis held firm and gave the Socceroos a strong opposition all night long and a great match considering they were playing for nothing except pride in their Iraqi jersey.
They threw everything they had at the Socceroos in attack and left nothing to chance, only to be denied by Socceroos custodian goalkeeper, Mark Schwarzer, when rarely tested. In defence, they had their moments however were too vulnerable to the Australians’ shots for their skipper, Sabri’s, liking.
The teams went into the sheds at half time, nil all.
Following the break, the Socceroos tried to get on a roll, with consistent possessions of the football, which were inconveniently interrupted by breaks in play, as several Iraqi players fell like flies, as if there was a sniper in the crowd.
Osieck summed up the situation post match: ‘It was a tricky game… [the Iraqis] are not an easy team to play… They have a typical style of play… time wasting… if you are not stable then you may lose your patience… thank God that did not happen.’
Skipper Neill, followed up Osieck’s sentiment saying: ‘It wasn’t pretty but we have beaten what was in front of us and… we’ve stuck at it, and showed mental strength’.
Osieck decided to change the tempo of the match on the hour mark, and rung in the substitutions, albeit controversial at the time.
Tommy Rogic replacing workhorse Brett Holman. Archie Thompson replacing livewire Robbie Kruse. Josh Kennedy replacing Socceroo’s stalwart Timmy Cahill.
With the latter, surely unforeseen by the majority of the Australian fans.
As the match wore on into the final ten minutes of normal time, fans around the country grew increasingly nervous waiting for the almighty breakthrough.
Minutes later that divine intervention came.
In the 83rd minute, the Socceroos shifted the ball out to the right, Archie calmed the play down and passed infield to Luke Wilkshire, who found Marco Bresciano bursting onto the ball who sent in a delightful cross, where the man dubbed Josh ‘Jesus’ Kennedy nodded the ball into the back of the net.
Kennedy had previously been on a two year exile from the national team set up due to non-selection and injury.
Kennedy’s header, backed up Osieck’s courageous call to replace Cahill, and sent the 80 523 strong crowd into wild celebrations reminiscent of that fateful moment eight years previous on the same turf of Stadium Australia, provided by John Aloisi.
As Kennedy wandered out to the corner flag, he was mobbed by his team mates, with Cahill being the first to jump on Kennedy, celebrating this colossal moment in Australian footballing folklore.
The crowd stayed in full voice urging their Socceroos to keep a clean sheet for the final minutes of the match, including three stoppage minutes.
As the referee signalled full time, the match finished Australia 1 Iraq 0, and euphoria broke out not just with in the confines of Stadium Australia, Sydney but in households all around the nation.
Joy and jubilation could be seen on all the Socceroos’ players and officials faces, as Australia became only the third team to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil 2014, behind host’s Brazil and fellow Asia member Japan.
Ecstasy and elation among the crowds as the Socceroos qualified for their third consecutive appearance at the World Cup finals, following Germany 2006 and South Africa 2010.
Congratulations to Holger Osieck, skipper Lucas Neill and the Socceroos players and officials for deservedly qualifying for Brazil 2014.
As the late Johnny Warren said, ‘I told you so’.
[roar_cat_gal]
Are you the ultimate team manager? Pick your own superstar team and go head to head with other football fans for glory and cash prizes on Draftstars. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.