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Wollongong Wolves had won the NSL grand final on penalties against Perth Glory three months earlier, Manchester City had just returned to the Premier League and the memorable opening ceremony was still two days away when the Olyroos began their campaign at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, 15 years ago this week.
Four years earlier, Eddie Thomson almost steered the young Aussies to what would have been a famous win over then-defending champions Spain at Atlanta 1996. But in their final match of the group stage, the Olyroos threw away a 2-0 lead and a late Raul winner sent the Spanish through to the quarter-finals instead.
This time around wouldn’t be any easier. Group A featured 1996 winners Nigeria, Honduras and Marco Tardelli’s Italy – with Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso, Gianluca Zambrotta and Massimo Ambrosini in their ranks.
Former Socceroos boss Raul Blanco was in charge of the Olyroos, who endured a hasty warm-up to the Games.
Their bid was expected to hinge largely on Harry Kewell, who had been named the PFA Player of the Year a few months earlier after a standout season with Leeds. But injury scuppered that plan.
The Yorkshire club almost delivered a double whammy, with United chairman Peter Ridsdale doing his best to prevent new signing Mark Viduka from travelling to Australia.
It led Blanco to tell the ABC’s 7:30 Report: “There’s no other sport who have to face constantly the incredible selfishness and arrogance of clubs in Europe. They treat us always like we were second-class citizens. ‘Don’t worry about them’.”
Viduka was eventually cleared to join the Olyroos, with Josip Skoko and Stan Lazaridis the other senior players included.
Paul Okon and Joey Didulica were also sidelined through injury, but there was plenty of promise in the squad, with Brett Emerton, Lucas Neill, Vince Grella, Mark Bresciano and Jason Culina in the mix.
Danny Milosevic was the subsequent inclusion between the sticks, with Marks Schwarzer and Bosnich overlooked as over-age picks. Soon-to-be Bachelorette contestant Michael Turnbull was selected as Milosevic’s back-up.
First up before a packed MCG was the Azzurri. 90,000-plus onlookers a sign that football’s shift into mainstream culture had legs.
The Olyroos had the Italians’ measure for much of the match, Emerton and Simon Colosimo among those to step up to the occasion.
A 0-0 draw looked a fair result, then a lapse in concentration from Hayden Foxe provided the decisive moment.
The defender was dispossessed by Massimo Margiotta – later a Venezuela international – who fed in Pirlo for the only goal of the match to hand Blanco’s men a harrowing 1-0 defeat.
It meant they needed a result against Nigeria in Sydney three days later to keep themselves afloat.
There was certainly no room for sentiment from the Africans, who took a 2-0 lead just over 20 minutes in – the first a mistake from Vince Grella in the middle of the park, the second a wonderful chip from the backflip king Julius Aghahowa.
The Olyroos looked to be buried, but Foxe atoned for his error against Italy with a deflected free-kick that the Nigerian goalkeeper knew nothing about, before Kasey Wehrman levelled things up on the stroke of half-time.
Wehrman’s goal was all class; a brilliant flick to Michael Curcija, who chipped to Viduka in the box and the striker stroked the ball back to the rampaging midfielder to bury home.
The turning point came when stand-in skipper Emerton was sent off following a scuffle that saw most players on the pitch get involved. Then-Chelsea man Celestine Babayaro was also given his marching orders and it became a matter of which team could deal best with the loss of their key man.
That would be Nigeria. Yet another defensive error decided the result as Colosimo’s weak header back to Milosevic was intercepted by Victor Agali for the winner. Italy’s win over Honduras meant the Olyroos were eliminated at the first hurdle.
It was a tournament of near misses, as the dead rubber against Honduras proved.
Just three minutes had passed when Honduras pounced on a loose pass in the middle and streaked away to score the opener.
Viduka was ever present, as was Foxe from set pieces, but the equaliser came courtesy of Honduras. A Curcija airswing from Wehrman’s cross did the trick as Jaime Rosales bundled home an own goal.
A scruffy-haired Bresciano threatened to make an impact off the bench, but Australia’s luckless run continued as Suazo’s scuffed shot slipped under Milosevic and dribbled in to make it 2-1.
A third straight defeat ended a disappointing campaign results wise, particular with football on a public recruitment drive for fans. But the class of 2000 certainly showed plenty of potential and largely lived up to that, with Neil, Emerton, Grella, Bresciano, Culina and overaged trio Viduka, Skoko and Lazaridis all present at Germany 2006.
After failing to qualify for London 2012, things are looking much brighter this time around for the Olyroos as they vie to secure their place at Rio 2016.
The United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Vietnam await in their group at next year’s AFC Under-23 Asian Cup, with the finalists and third place finishers qualifying for the Games.
Aurelio Vidmar’s youngsters look well and truly up to the challenge with a number of fringe Socceroos in the midst determined to make an impression.
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