AUSTRALIA 3 – 1 JAPAN…one year on

It was the night that changed football in this country forever. It was June 12, 2006, Kaiserlautern, Germany. Australia goes into its first World Cup finals match in 32 years. The game was described by Guus Hiddink as a ‘must not lose’ game. With 80 minutes gone, and Japan 1-0 up due to some horrible refereeing, Australia was stunned. Nobody could have envisaged what was to happen next. Enter Tim Cahill and John Aloisi. These two men would forever be part of Australian footballing folklore. They hadn’t even started the game, yet were going to finish it in grand style. Eighty four minutes had passed, and, much to our relief, Cahill scored the first ever goal for Australia at a World Cup. Five minutes later he ensured that Australia would have its first ever win, with an absolute stunner from outside the box, sending the entire nation into raptures. Aloisi put the icing on the cake deep into stoppage time, and history was made. What an unforgettable night! I’ve made a video paying tribute to arguably, the greatest ever win in Australian football: