With the Socceroos’ opening match in Russia drawing ever closer, we’re continuing to count down the ten most memorable moments in the team’s history, moments which brought Australian fans around the globe together.
At number four is a spectacular match played on a sweltering afternoon in Kaiserslautern…
If Socceroos fans thought simply qualifying for 2006 was a mountain to climb, they didn’t reckon with the Betzenberg.
Australia’s 3-1 win over Japan at the Fritz-Walter-Stadion in Kaiserslautern will forever be remembered as one of the best Socceroos moments in history.
But it will be remembered very differently by Socceroos fans who were watching at home on TV compared to those who were inside the ground.
“Neill’s long throw, goalkeeper’s come, hasn’t got there,” began commentator Simon Hill on one of the most unforgettable moments in Australian sport.
“Harry Kewell… and then poked home by Tim Cahill! Australia have done it!
“Six minutes to go and it’s a landmark moment for Australian football.”
No Socceroos fan will ever forget that moment. It’s enough to make the hairs stand on the back of your neck.
And Hill, who said in his autobiography that Cahill thanked him for his immortal “he did have his Weetbix this morning” line, was only just getting started.
“I just wonder whether that extra fitness training that Australia have done may pay dividends in the final moments, especially as they have the impetus,” continued Hill in the 89th minute.
“Aloisi. Cahill. Cahiiiiiillllll!” Hill roared.
“Tim Cahill has done it again! What a goal by Tim Cahill!
“2-1 Australia. Oh, it’s a wonderful moment in Kaiserslautern. And Tim Cahill has come off the bench and maybe won the match for the Socceroos. Magical stuff!”
As far as goals go, Cahill’s long-range strike was one of the best you’ll ever see – and Hill deserves his place among the pantheon of Australia’s finest commentators for his career-best call.
And when John Aloisi came off the bench to score a third in stoppage time and seal one of the greatest comeback wins in Australian sport, he forever seared into our collective consciousness the memory of that fateful day.
But the thing is, fans inside the Fritz-Walter-Stadion on that suffocatingly hot afternoon will no doubt remember the occasion very differently.
Why? The dreaded Betzenberg!
In many ways, hosting games in Kaiserslautern was a strange choice.
It is one of Germany’s great football cities, to be sure, but hemmed in by the Palatinate Forest and with a population of just 100,000, the city was barely large enough to contain the enormous contingent of Australian and Japanese supporters.
With the Socceroos alone having brought an estimated 40,000 fans to Germany – many of whom were staying in major metropolises like Stuttgart and Frankfurt – getting into the Fritz-Walter-Stadion became an unexpected logistical nightmare.
That’s because for Australian fans waiting at the bottom of the Betzenberg – the 285-metre-tall hill atop which the imposing Fritz-Walter-Stadion sits – there were already thousands of supporters standing between them and the stadium.
And the weather didn’t help.
Whoever thinks that Germany doesn’t get hot has clearly never tried to get into the Fritz-Walter-Stadion on a scorching June afternoon.
Confronted with a blazing sun and an official FIFA ticketing system that didn’t always make clear the correct route into the stadium, Socceroos fans suddenly faced a task every bit as daunting as that awaiting Tim Cahill and co.
Okay, maybe not quite. But getting into the stadium was no mean feat.
Once inside, you’ve never seen a more relieved bunch of fans once the green-and-gold-clad contingent realised they were seated on the shaded side of the ground.
Not that many sat. After 32 years of heartbreak, the Socceroos fans inside the stadium produced the sort of vociferous atmosphere more commonly seen and heard in the Bundesliga.
And hopefully it came through loud and clear on TV.
Because whether you’re watching football from the comforts of your lounge room, or you’re one of the lucky Socceroos fans making their way to Russia this June, following the tournament is a shared experienced.
Just like in Kaiserslautern.
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.
Haven’t seen your friends lately? Send them a personal message from Tim Cahill with TIMVITE and get ready to watch the big games.
Mike Tuckerman
Expert
Hah! Some things are better left unsaid.
Swampy
Guest
I feared for what this article was about to cover. I went to both games at kaiserslautern and the second one is one I don't want to remember.
The Phantom Commissioner
Roar Rookie
No where you expecting a big crowd?, don't think you'll find many willing to make the trek to Austria for a kick about. Australia once again are one top the top nations for ticket buyers for the WC so we'll be well represented when the real stuff begins.
The Phantom Commissioner
Roar Rookie
Cheers Fad
brian drian
Guest
for mine, the aloisi goal is the one that sticks in the memory. i was already delirious and then the way he burst past the defenders and slammed home the goal was magnificent and so emphatic. it sealed the win BUT the manner in which he did it reminded me of so many great strikers, AND he was ours, AND on the biggest stage of all. o fenomenoesque?
Benjamin Conkey
Editor
Thanks for this great read Mike. It certainly was one of the great calls by Simon Hill. It wasn't just a moment for football fans but a moment for Australia like the America's Cup. I watched the game at a university dining hall and was surrounded by rugby boys. As I wrote on the 10-year anniversary of this game: "If the Melbourne Cup stops the nation, that goal by Tim Cahill kickstarted a nation into frenzy. Those same rugby boys who had bemoaned the Socceroos for 83 minutes were now their biggest fans."
Fadida
Guest
Some great stories above that really capture the emotions of so many football fans. Most of us on here weren't alive or old enough to remember '74. As the years went on, and heartbreaking failures to qualify mounted up it felt as though we would never make the finals again, and that the WC was an event only for others. Like many I'd support England due to ancestry and familiarity with English football, and I'd be genuinely disappointed though not devastated when they were eliminated. I can't remember how old I was before I we realised we had a national football team! Once I did it was all heartbreak city. Then Uruguay happened, and here we were, at the biggest show in town. No need to support England any more (and never, ever again) It was surreal and incredibly exciting. We were in and the build up was like a hundred christmases at once. I remember going to a local bar with at least 30 of my club mates, all decked out in out green and gold, excited, nervous, proud beyond belief and a little terrified. My recollections were that we were the better side, but trailing to a incorrectly allowed goal (which it wouldn't have been 9/10 times). The longer the game went, the less we looked like scoring. Like the posters above there was a feeling of "Uruguay happened for this?", because defeat to Japan would be the end before it began. A point gave us a slim chance of progression, but defeat and we were out. After waiting 32 years?! C'mon football gods! I felt sick. And then Neill, Kewell, Cahill and Hill became immortalized. I've never seen such scenes outside a football ground. A pile of bodies that felt as if it stretched to the ceiling. Pure pandemonium, screaming, tears. We unravelled just in time for the "Cahill?, Cahill?!, Tim Cahill's done it again!!!!" moment, the ball taking an eternity to make it's way to and into the goal. Cue pile up again, people running around the room in their own private celebrations, decades of misery suddenly vanquished. Between the Aloisi goal, greeted with exhaustion, elation, relief and tears there was a missed penalty call for Japan (or was it at 1-1?). Either way we'd deserved it. Our light weight winger Andy, our version of Robbie Kruse, who hosted the Croatian match, was also hosting a dinner that night. Realizing the error of his ways, had raced to the bar to celebrate at 2-1, missed the third goal and got there as we were leaving. Greatest night ever Andy! On YouTube there was footage of a bunch of mates, recording themselves watching the game in the lounge. The absolute despair which turned into the greatest celebration ever, is worth watching for those who want to relive the emotions. Oh, and this is why many of us are happy to see Cahill in the WC squad. There is a chance, even if it is so ever so slight, that he has got another Cahill moment in him. His name is simply synonymous with WC magic.
Griffo
Roar Guru
Geez, do you just wait for the score after the match, or go all zen-like and dispassionate during the game? Do we have to ask for a post at regular intervals during the upcoming live blogs?
Nick Symonds
Guest
I'll never forget Kaiserslautern. The first goal made my heart go faster, the second a bit more and then the third sent me to hospital. Surprisingly, the man in the bed next to me just happened to be someone who used to work with Harry Kewell's dad. I still have heart problems to this day because of that match. Nothing too serious, just an almost constant sinus tachycardia (fast heart rate) and my doctor has officially diagnosed me as being "exercise intolerant" because of it. Looking forward to Russia.
Griffo
Roar Guru
It's a pity Simon Hill left SBS after that, although not lost to football commentating on FoxSports...
tommo
Guest
Was the game on the weekend behind closer gates? No crowd. Or very few
Griffo
Roar Guru
...and now a recollection of a German mate who had lived here for close for two years but was back in Germany leading up to the World Cup. If his wife wasn't home sick, they would have been Aussie citizens by now - they still love Australia that much and the Socceroos are their second team in everything after Germany. Anyway on the train home from work that day and the game is on in the train. All those around him were saying how Australia wasn't going to win it, but he spoke up and said not to underestimate Aussies, they don't give up. They will win this game, just wait and see. At 0-1 he got off the train and in the time between that and arriving home, Australia won the game 3-1. He had a knowing smile as the kids broke the news excitedly to him when he walked in. He fielded a lot of questions the next day on the train ;-)
Fadida
Guest
Brilliant post PC
pete4
Guest
I agree Simon Hill's call of that match is stuff of legend and simply unforgettable
Doran Smith
Roar Guru
Hopefully Timmy can do it again in Russia!
Lamby
Roar Rookie
A number of great memories from the day: - We were driving to the stadium and had no idea what to expect. We were stopped at a traffic light with the windows open and our scarves hanging out. A train came past, obviously full of Aussies, went bananas waving and cheering us as they went by. We knew then that the day would be pretty special. - Getting to the main square of Kaiserslautern. Down Under was playing. A sea of Gold was singing, jumping with dozens of inflatable balls/kangaroos/crocodiles/beer being flung into the air. There was such joy and excitement just to finally be at a world cup again. - 1 nil down, with about 15 minutes to go. One mate says 'we are gone'. Another says to us 'No, it is Timmy time'. 15 minutes later is history.
Sports Prophet
Roar Pro
Was watching this match in a beer garden in UK with only the hardened football supporters caring to give it a watch along with my UK uni mates and I. The short of it is, when the third goal went in and I pulled my shirt over my head, danicing in the beer garden, all cheering as one (I was the only one cheering), a plucky Scotsman called out in a thick accent: “Who gives a shite Aussie?”, I responded “At least my country is playing!”
The Phantom Commissioner
Roar Rookie
Watched the game in The Walkabout( i know the shame) in Brighton UK. Just remember vividly the feeling of despair as the clock counted down, 3 decades we'd waited for this and it looks like we're gonna lose to a goal that shouldnt have stood in the first place. To make things worse a group of English lads behind my group where to be heard gloating, taking much joy out of seeing the Aussies suffering such a monumental sporting misery....and then from an innocuous throw in from Lucas Neill Kewells blocked shot falls to the feet of Cahill and bang!.....BEDLAM! From there things are a blur of of Green and Gold. Bodies flying everywhere, people on the bar...people on the floor, explosions of beer drenching you. I don't recall the second goal going in and i dont know how i ended up a good 50 meters from where i was when the first went in, but i remember the third and how i made a special effort to make my way to that group of English lads to give them a piece of my mind. What a day, perfect really and the perfect start to an amazing ride to come. Then off me and my partner went to take over Munich with thousands upon thousands of other Aussies, was in my mid 20's with the love of my life following the other love of my life.....it just doesn't get any better.
The Phantom Commissioner
Roar Rookie
I know the feeling, was 15 seconds away from winning a big sum of money on a 2-1 result for Victory against Sydney FC in the semi...then Antonis goes and scores an own goal to make it 2-2. Gutted
JamesH
Roar Guru
XD