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Why three defeats in Brazil should be included in the pantheon of Australia’s greatest footballing moments

Tim Cahill: scorer of one of the best goals in Socceroos history. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
Expert
21st May, 2018
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With the clock ticking steadily towards Russia, we’re counting down a list of the ten best moments in Socceroos history.

Only ten? Where do we draw the line? And what constitutes a best moment anyway?

For me, it’s a moment in time that made us change the way we think about the Socceroos. And it doesn’t just have to be one moment, or even a single game.

It’s simply a point that made people sit up and take notice that Australians could play football. And not just Socceroos fans, but the rest of the world as well.

Let’s get the ball rolling then.

Can three straight defeats and a goal difference of minus six really be counted as one of the best moments in Socceroos history?

‘So near yet so far’ would make a great title for a biography of the Socceroos.

And that was certainly the case in 2014, when Ange Postecoglou took his hastily prepared side to Brazil to face the might of Chile, the Netherlands and Spain.

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As the second-lowest ranked team – only Cameroon sat below Australia in the official FIFA rankings going into the tournament – the Socceroos were always destined to land a tough draw.

But surely even Postecoglou – never a huge respecter of reputations – groaned a sigh of disbelief at the sight of three of the world’s best sides being drawn in Australia’s group.

True to form, Australia got off to the worst possible start when some calamitous defending allowed Chile’s star man Alexis Sanchez to sidefoot home some 12 minutes into the Socceroos’ group stage opener in Cuiaba.

And things turned from bad to worse when an unmarked Jorge Valdivia smashed home a piledriver barely two minutes later.

But then something strange happened. The Socceroos, perhaps now unburdened by the weight of any expectation, started to play.

Ivan Franjic won a ball back and midfield and played a one-two with Mat Leckie before swinging over a cross for Tim Cahill – who else? – to head home.

Then Cahill, followed by the ubiquitous Leckie, forced Chile’s captain and goalkeeper Claudio Bravo into a couple of important saves.

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And when Mark Bresciano forced Bravo to smother from close range deep into the second half, the Chileans were clearly on the ropes.

But then, as is so often the case when one team is chasing the game, Chile launched a quick-fire counter-attack in stoppage time finished off by Jean Beausejour, and that was that.

Except it wasn’t. If the Chile game taught Postecoglou and his team anything, it was that they could match it with the best sides in the world.

And they did precisely that in their second group stage game against the Netherlands in Porto Alegre.

If we had to pick one moment that summed up the best and the worst of the Socceroos, let’s make it Tim Cahill’s stunning goal against the Netherlands.

His running volley was one of the best such goals ever seen international football – reminiscent of Marco van Basten’s over-the-shoulder effort against the USSR in the final of Euro 88.

And it came, of course, just a minute after Arjen Robben had opened the scoring.

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That Cahill’s incredible strike came against a Netherlands that knows a thing or two about spectacular goals helped it go viral around the world.

But the fact it came in a losing performance – despite the Socceroos taking a 2-1 lead early in the second half – marked it out as a typically Australian goal.

So near yet so far? It’s always the way with the Socceroos.

Australia would go on to lose 3-0 to defending champions Spain in a dead rubber in Curitiba to finish bottom of the group.

But it was the all-out attacking displays against Chile and the Netherlands that left Socceroos fans brimming with optimism.

They helped fuel the belief that the Socceroos could take the game to any opponent in world football – no matter their reputation.

That’s something Bert van Marwijk will hope to use to good effect when Australia kicks off their Russian campaign against France.

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As we count down the greatest moments in Socceroos history, we want you to tell us what your favourites are. Have your say in the picker below!

Check out the rest of the countdown:
10. Australia’s performances – and Tim Cahill’s goal – in 2014
9. When we almost qualified for USA 94
8. Charlie Yankos’ stunning free-kick against Argentina
7. Beating France and Brazil in 2001
6. England 3, Australia 1: Beating the Poms in their own backyard
5. Knocking Croatia out of Germany in the craziest game in Australian history
4. Australia’s historic 3-1 win over Japan in Kaiserslautern
3. Making our debut on the world stage in 1974
2. Winning the Asian Cup in Australia
1. John Aloisi’s penalty

The Australian men’s football team is sure to produce some more memorable moments in Russia this year. Catch all the action in the best way possible by coming together with your friends and family and watching it on an epic big screen Samsung QLED TV. Explore the big-screen range.

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