It is awesome that we are a whisker away from the World Cup, but the challenge now is to improve on Germany 2006, and performances such as the away trips to Japan and Bahrain will not be good enough for us to get out of the group stage. I hope Pim is thinking along the same lines as me. I’m just afraid that we are taking this great qualification campaign for granted.

I proceeded to watch the final half an hour of the match, and was honestly not impressed with what I saw. Passes were constantly misplaced, tackles seemed rash and deadly (especially from the Bahraini number 3), people weren’t going up for headers, the back line didn’t push up after clearing corners, it was almost amateur stuff. Save for flashes of individual brilliance, the match could have looked like my weekend club game.

The Qataris had a great chance to equalise on 70 minutes, after a nice ball through the crowded penalty box led to a shot at the back post, but the striker (forgive me I wasn’t taking notes on their names) tried to pick the keeper’s near post instead of firing across the goal, and his effort was nicely blocked. Besides that brief moment of excitement, the Bahrainis were all over Qatar, and in truth could have gotten one or two more goals.

Coming into the overnight matches, Bahrain, Uzbekistan and Qatar were level on four points from five games, so the win puts Bahrain in the driver’s seat for the race to third place.

Meanwhile, Australia needs one more point from their remaining three games to guarantee qualification. They next face Qatar in Doha, before returning home to play Bahrain in Sydney and the anti-climatic climax against Japan in Melbourne.

57,000 fans braved the atrocious conditions to witness the Socceroos’ stirring second half performance after a cagey and disappointing first half. Two goals midway through the second period, one by giant striker Josh Kennedy, and the other a spot kick by Harry Kewell, settled any home side nerves , and now it will take a collapse of drastic proportions for the Socceroos not to qualify for South Africa. Of course, we may need to look no further than three hours into the future, because if Bahrain and Qatar draw in their match early tomorrow morning then qualification is guaranteed.

Pim Verbeek opted for width with a 4-5-1 formation, with Scott McDonald as the lone striker. The Celtic man was supported by Kewell, Mark Bresciano, Richard Garcia, while Carl Valeri overcame his injury scare to start with Jason Culina as the holding midfielders. Michael Beauchamp was also deemed fit enough to play, and he started alongside skipper Lucas Neill, with Luke Wilkshire and Scott Chipperfield as the wingbacks. Mark Schwarzer, who was barely called on for much of the game, predictably started in goals.

McDonald, who earlier this week revealed his frustration with his duck at international level, attempted to rectify the problem early on with the match’s first meaningful effort on goal. However it was a tame effort which the Uzbek keeper Nesterov had no problems catching.

Credit to the Uzbeks, as they came to Sydney with an attacking mentality which nearly paid dividends barely ten minutes in when their hat trick hero from the recent Qatar match, Farhod Tadjiyev, broke the offside trap only to blow his one on one wide of Schwarzer’s right post.

Bresciano, who had a great game, had the Socceroos’ best chance in the first half, when fifteen minutes in he found himself with space inside the box, only to see his tame effort hit straight at Nesterov again.

The Uzbek keeper would deny the Aussies once more, when midway through the second half Culina let rip with a stinging effort from 30 meters out which Nesterov did brilliantly to tip away.

Josh Kennedy came on for McDonald on the hour mark, and showed why he is such a good impact player when he rose with a bullet header to open the scoring five minutes later. A wonderful turn by Bresciano to escape his marker gave him time and space to whip in a perfect cross from the right, and Kennedy soared to meet the header uncontested, leaving the luckless Nesterov with no chance.

The match was wrapped up five minutes later when Garcia was judged to be brought down in the box by Hayrulla Karimov, and Kewell duly stepped up and slotted home the spot kick. To be fair it was a harsh penalty, as Garcia’s initial touch was heavy and took him well away from goal, only for the Uzbek defender to catch him on the follow through.

The two goal lead allowed the Socceroos to wind down the clock, but not before a scare just prior to the final whistle, when the Uzbeks found the net after a Schwarzer fumble, only to be called for offside.

The win propels the Socceroos to the outright lead in the group with 13 points from five games, and all eyes will be on the Bahrain Qatar game early tomorrow.

I’m hoping for a very sporting 0-0 draw. ..

A lot has been made about the meteoric growth of football in Australia in the past few years. The enlightened argument is that the government initiated Crawford report of 2003, an in-dept analysis about the infrastructure of the sport here, was the main turning point. Through the Crawford report, the wrongs of the past were highlighted and removed, paving the way for the new and modern age of football which we know today. The stale National Soccer League, dogged by racism and financial mismanagement claims, was disbanded and made way for the highly successful and better marketed A-League. The old regime of Soccer Australia was replaced by a Football Federation Australia (FFA) which had plans and ambition.

However, when all is said and done off the pitch, it was still the actions of those on it who spoke the highest volume. While the Crawford report changed the infrastructure of the game for the better, it was the Socceroos who ultimately did the most for the profile of football in Australia.

The one single defining moment, so deeply entrenched in every Socceroo fan’s mind is of course the night of November 16, 2005, when we leaped the final hurdle and whatever injustice FIFA could throw at us to make it back onto the world’s biggest stage.

The build-up, the anticipation, the events, and ultimately the glory of that perfect spring night will live with me forever.

Cast your eyes back to 2005, and recall the lull Australian sport was in at the time. We had to endure the humiliating loss in the Ashes to England for the first time in nearly two decades, the Wallabies and the Australian teams in the Super 12’s were all struggling, and the league and AFL were dormant in their off-season. The Australian public was for once starved of a champion.

Despite the 0-1 loss in Uruguay in the first leg, there was an air of optimism about the side. The local media finally decided to embrace the game they had shunned for so long, devoting many pages on the Socceroos, while the Sydney Morning Herald even declared that they will forever call the sport by its rightful name of “football” in its pages. Uruguayan superstar Alvaro Recoba’s “divine right” comments prior to the game whipped up a frenzy, as he inadvertently sparked a sense of nationalism never before felt about football in Australia. All eyes were on this single “wog-ball” game. This match united the nation.

While every Socceroo fan will remember this night, personally it was an even more momentous occasion as I, along with seven of my closest mates, was at Stadium Australia to witness the historical occasion.

A quick getaway from work that afternoon saw us crammed on a packed train, full of fans in canary yellow. We chatted with people, chanted the Aussie Aussie Aussie war cry, and stepped into the stadium full of expectation and hope.

We found our seats just as Johnny Warren’s tribute came on, and the respect and love shown by everyone who stood to attention in memory of the great man was touching. The famed words, “Johnny, You’ll Never Walk Alone,” flashed across the scoreboard, a positive omen for what was to come.

Passion is a word often used when talking about football, but what came over me that night was something more. Something pushed me to the point where I was one of those who unashamedly booed the Uruguayans. While I’ve always admired the skills and grace of the players regardless of which team they played for, that night I neglected my love for beautiful football for the love of my country. We spited the Uruguayans, from their national anthem to their every touch.

Masterful tactician Guus had caused the biggest surprised that night by naming Harry Kewell on the bench. This obviously caused some confusion, amongst the Uruguayans as well as the fans, but Guus proved that you should never question genius at work. As the first half an hour dragged on, it was obvious that it was a war of attrition. Australia were flat, and didn’t look like penetrating the Uruguayan defence. Having bottled up Kewell’s adrenalin and emotions by sitting him on the bench all this time, Hiddink finally unleashed the winger onto the Uruguayans.

And now, Harry had a point to prove.

He spent the next 90 minuted baffling the Uruguayan defenders with jinks, step-overs, tricks, dummies and fakes, and I’m sure at one stage he even pulled a deck of cards out of his pocket, offered one to the defender and guessed which card it was. The fans cheered when he bumped chests with the biggest Uruguayan defender after a poor tackle. No one had ever seen Kewell this fired up in a match before. It was good. This was not the lame Harry Kewell who spends all his time on the bench at Liverpool. This was the real deal, the golden child, the flashy Wizard of Oz who was at one time the future of Australian football. Everyone would go on to agree that Kewell played his best ever match in a Socceroos jersey that night in Sydney. Finally the prodigal son had returned.

Indeed, Kewell played a pivotal role in Australia’s goal. Receiving the ball out wide on the left, Kewell played a one-two and cut into the box, ready to tee up a half volley. He let fly with his famous left peg, only to mis-hit it completely, allowing it to roll into the path of Mark Bresciano, who drove the ball high into the net. 1-all, we’re back.

The pandemonium that broke out was insatiable. Cheers, yells, fist pumps, chest bumps, high fives, hugs with randoms, it was all there – an absolute eruption of emotion. Whatever everyone was feeling, they should bottle it because this stuff could end wars. The fresh tray of drinks which had just been purchased went sprawling, but the bourbon-and-coke drenched group in front of us didn’t seem to mind. Instead, they gave us a hug.

The rest of the game progressed along, with the usual ups and downs of a football match. Twice we nearly went ahead, and twice they had open headers to steal it. But none connected and finally the dreaded penalty shootout came.

The ultimate lottery on the sporting field, a penalty shootout is a combination of luck, nerves and luck. However, it’s a great spectacle to watch on TV, and the fact that the game ended in such dramatic circumstances again drew many fans to the game. Those who hate football because “no one scores” now saw guys take uncontested shots from 11 meters out against just the goalkeeper. There’s not much in the Australian sporting world which quite compares to a penalty shootout. No, there’s nothing that compares to a shootout in cricket, AFL, or any of the rugby codes. Which was why so many watched it at home. Here it was, prime time television slot, and one of the most exciting events in Australian sporting history was taking place.

The shoot-out took place at the goals nearest us, and we all rushed to the fence. Arms linked with those next to us, we formed a ring around the field, praying to which ever football god was listening to smile upon us.

Harry Kewell stepped up and blasted the first shot into the net and we erupted with joy. Then the brilliant Schwarzer, unfazed by Rodriguez’s mind games, palmed away the Uruguayans’ first effort and suddenly the dream was becoming very real. As the two teams exchanged successful attempts, the grip we had on each other tightened, with the knowledge that as long as we kept scoring our penalties we were through. Then Viduka guided his shot wide of the goal, and we all suddenly gasped and swore. But to the credit of those around me, we collected ourselves, put our arms around each other again, and continued to believe. In a true roller coaster of emotions, our despair at Viduka’s miss was quickly forgotten as Schwarzer came up big again, denying Zalayeta in what has been described as the biggest save in Australian football history.

Then came Aloisi. With one kick to go, with the weight of the nation on his shoulders, he smashed it calmly into the net, and set off in the now famous celebratory run across the pitch.

While the rest of the crowd was going nuts beside me, I sat back, took a deep breath, and smiled. I love Australia. I love football. I love Australian football, and like any loving relationship you had to take the good with the bad. I’ve sat through three prior unsuccessful campaigns, each time consoling myself that next time would be it. But I didn’t need to anymore. It was time to embrace the joy of the moment. We were going to the World Cup.

History would go on to say that we performed above expectations in Germany, that we lost narrowly to the eventual champions Italy, and that we won many admirers along the way. Our game has since improved on all levels, we have a new football federation who has money as well as a plan, and player registrations for local clubs have increased dramatically since 2006.

Granted, many fans who watched the Uruguay game and the subsequent World Cup are now back off the bandwagon, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that even if not everyone enjoys the game, at least now they respect it.

With qualification to the next World Cup so imminent, it was good to go down memory lane and recapture the great night that was November 16, 2005. It was the night when football in Australia changed forever, and any success in the future of Australian football needs to acknowledge the heroes who guided us to victory that night.

As commentator Simon Hill, no doubt high on jubilation, so delightfully declared after Aloisi’s penalty: “Now, belatedly, wonderfully, joyously, Australia is back on the biggest stage.” Just like Johnny said we would.

The World Game reports that the Dynamo Kyiv striker will miss the crucial match due to sickness, and won’t even be on the plane for Sydney. This is obviously a massive blow for the visitors, as they had just looked to be hitting top gear with a convincing 4-0 win over Qatar on Saturday night to give themselves an outside chance of qualification.

The World Game also reports that fellow dangerman Server Djeparov, who caused us so much concern the last time the two teams faced off, is also suffering from an injury sustained in the Qatar match. However, he is expected to recover and take the field on Wednesday night.

With two of their big names struggling, the rest of the Uzbek side will need to lift as a loss against the Socceroos will severely jeopardise their road to 2010. With the third place play-off spot looking as their best chance at qualification, the Uzbeks still must oust Bahrain and Qatar, with all three teams sitting on four points from five games.

Meanwhile, Socceroo striker Scotty McDonald is expected to lead the line for the home side on Wednesday, with an interview on The World Game confirming that neither he nor Josh Kennedy are the two mysterious injured attackers. Bruce Djite, called up last week in light of the injury concerns, remains in the 23 man squad.

Of course, as mentioned by several readers of this blog (and now reminded emphatically by Fox Sports during every single ad break) a win for the Green and Gold coupled with a draw between Bahrain and Qatar will cement our spot at South Africa 2010.

Come on boys. Go the Socceroos.

Should Scott McDonald start against Uzbekistan?
( surveys)

Japan’s mercurial playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura broke a vigilant Bahraini defence early in the second half – albeit with a deflected free kick – to send the Blue Samurai to the top of the group with 11 points from five games. Again, the same criticism of the Japanese game rang true, with the home side producing some brilliant build up play but constantly lacking that final incisive ball.

Meanwhile in Tashkent, Uzbekistan fired off a warning to the Socceroos ahead of Wednesday night’s encounter in Sydney with an emphatic 4-0 drubbing of Qatar. Despite a disappointing campaign so far – where they went into the game as cellar dwellers with only one point – the home side came out of the blocks against a shell-shocked Qatar side, and took full advantage when the visitors had a man sent off midway through the first half. Dangerman Farhod Tadjiyev scored a hat trick, and will need to be closely monitored by Neill and Co. on Wednesday along with their other game breakers Sever Djeparov and Maksim Shatskikh.

The two results means that Japan are the new group leaders, with the Socceroos sitting second on ten points and with a game in hand. The remaining three teams now all have four points, having played five games each. Since each team only plays eight matches, this means that the bottom three can (mathematically) only get another 9 points, which will give them 13 points. However, only one of the three will potentially reach this 13 point target, as they still need to play each other. All this means that a Socceroos victory on Wednesday will give us 13 points (plus an advantageous goal-difference), and so anything we get after that will guarantee us a spot as at least runners up in the group.

1 Jap 5 3 2 0 8 3 5 11
2 Aus 4 3 1 0 6 0 6 10
3 Uzb 5 1 1 3 5 6 -1 4
4 Bah 5 1 1 3 4 6 -2 4
5 Qat 5 1 1 3 4 12 -8 4

With barely a week to go till the game, reports coming from camp are that two un-named attackers have broken down with injuries, and Pim has therefore sent an SOS to the Genclerberligi front man.

Djite has had a good start to his Turkish adventure, scoring six goals in twenty games, and is now in line to play his first Socceroos match since September last year when he came on as a sub against the Uzbeks in Tashkent.

Earlier this week, Pim had hinted at playing Scott McDonald up front by himself, although it has not been revealed whether McDonald is one of the injured players.

With 10 points from their first four games, the Socceroos are in prime position to book an early ticket to South Africa. A win in Sydney against the struggling Uzbeks will all but secure qualification, hopefully allowing Pim to concentrate on getting our disastrous Asian Cup process back on track.

Verbeek’s mission tonight was to come away with a point and consolidate our two point buffer over the hosts, and his troops did not fail to disappoint, repelling wave after wave of Japanese attack in the second half. While it definitely wasn’t pretty, the result is a very satisfying and vital point.

Verbeek played his hand early on by naming a starting eleven which sided on the defensive. Strikers Josh Kennedy and Scott McDonald were both left on the bench, and Everton’s Timmy Cahill was asked to lead the attack as the sole striker. Vinnie Grella and Scott Chipperfield overcame their respective injury concerns to start the game, while Brett Holman got another baffling cap under his belt. Why Pim continually chooses to play Holman is beyond me, but then again I’m not getting paid millions of dollars to coach the national side.

Japan were clearly the more technically sound side, with delicate short passes which constantly caused us concerns. They played with desperation in all aspects of the game, and looked full of energy from the first whistle. The Japanese’s intelligent running off the ball, especially the duo of Keiji Tamada and Tatsuya Tanaka, caused our wingbacks plenty of grief.

However, for all their possession and beautiful play, the Blue Samurais’ final ball was lacking, and in truth Mark Schwarzer had a fairly quiet first half. The only real moments of panic came as the hosts won several free-kicks within shooting range which the famed paring of Shunsuke Nakamura and Yasuhito Endo duly ballooned over.

Tim Cahill provide Australia’s only shot on goal in the dying moments of the first half with a powerfully struck drive which went straight at the Japanese goal keeper Ryota Tsuzuki.

Japanese coach Takeshi Okada must have lit a fire under his team during half time, because the home side came out and attacked with intent. After an initial cagey start, the Blue Samurai came to life and had a solid twenty minute spell which had the Australians scrambling.

The Japanese twice had chances to take the lead, firstly when Tamada headed over from close range from a beautifully delivered ball from Yuto Nagatomo. They came closer still five minutes from full time when Makoto Hasebe’s shot at the back post was unluckily deflected out by team mate Yoshito Okubu with Schwarzer well beaten.

With only a handful of minutes to go, Verbeek finally brought Kennedy on, and his impact was nearly instant when he met a vicious ball from Culina only to be well defended by the masterful Tulio Tanaka. One has to wonder what sort of damage Kennedy would have dealt if he played a larger role in the match.

All in all, a very good result from a Soccceroos’ point of view. We’ve come to the home turf of our biggest Asian rivals and came away with what we needed. The team selections were a little strange, but then again, Pim always knew what he wanted from this game and he delivered.

Pragmatic as always.

GP W D L GF GA Pts
Australia 4 3 1 0 6 0 10
Japan 4 2 2 0 7 3 8
Qatar 4 1 1 2 4 8 4
Bahrain 4 1 1 2 4 5 4
Uzbekistan 4 0 1 3 1 6 1

Upcoming Socceroos WCQ matches:
Vs Uzbekistan April 1st, Sydney
Vs Qatar June 6th, Doha
Vs Bahrain June 10th, Sydney
Vs Japan June 17, Melbourne

What did you think about the game? Was it a good performance? Did Pim make the right choices with team selections? Are we guranteed a place in South Africa now?

March 26, 2008. China 0 – Australia 0.
Giant hearted goal-keeper Mark Schwarzer amplified his prowess against penalty takers with a save in the 88th minute of this crucial 1st stage World Cup Qualifier. After a fairly drab match where chances for both sides were few and far between, an innocuous long ball in the dying minutes caught our defence asleep, allowing Chinese striker Qu Bo to race into the area. Schwarzer came out to meet the pacey forward, and stood his ground as Qu tried to round him, resulting in a clash between the two. The referee pointed immediately to the spot, and it looked as if our road to 2010 would suddenly start with a stumble. But the big Aussie keeper had something to say about that, and reproduced the magic he conjured against the Uruguayans in 2005. In truth it was a poor penalty by Jiayi Shao, a timid effort right down the middle which Schwarz blocked with his legs, but the magnitude of the save made it such a memorable moment of 2008.

September 6, 2008. Netherlands 1 – Australia 2.
Despite being “just” a friendly, the win was important as it gave the boys the self belief that they can match it against top quality opposition. Facing a full strength Dutch team, it was not expected to be an easy night out for the Socceroos, and this pressure was compounded barely six minutes in, when Klass-Jan Huntelaar scored for the home side. However, the Socceroos gave a good display, creating several chances, before a horrendous back pass by Dutch right back Johnny Heitinga left Jesus with a one on one. The Orangemen’s keeper Martin Stekelenburg charged out to meet the striker and clipped him, resulting in a penalty and a red card. Harry Kewell smashed home the spot kick, and then the Socceroos found the winner mid way through the second half when a Luke Wiltshire cross was met by Jesus again, who tucked his header neatly into the corner. It was our first ever win against the Dutch, and a deserved one at that.

September 10, 2008. Uzbekistan 0 – Australia 1.
This was the first game of the second phase of the World Cup Qualifying campaign, and one of the gutsiest efforts I’ve ever seen from any Socceroos side. The Uzbeks were seen as the dark horses of the group, as coming into the game they hadn’t lost at home in over 18 months of qualifiers. A stomach bug had ripped through the Socceroos squad, resulting in the starting line-up to be somewhat different from the one which defeated the Dutch just days earlier. Yet, it mattered little as midway throughthe first half, Scott Chipperfield rose high to nod home a Wiltshire cross, sending the away team up one nil. While the Uzbeks were quiet in the first half, they came out and threw the kitchen sink at us after the break. Wave after wave of attack tested our defence, culminating to Wiltshire clearing off the line. The defence was marshalled brilliantly by Lucas Neill, and Chris Coyne exemplified our heart and determination when he took two solid hits after committing himself into challenges bravely. After a 35 minute onslaught, the heat finally took its toll on both teams as the match dribbled out to a quiet end. I know it’s a big call, but the way we defended against the Uzbek pressure in the second half was a joy to behold, making this match my favourite Socceroos moment of 2008.

What are your thoughts? What were your favourite Socceroos moments of 2008?

Finally, Merry Christmas everyone, and if I’m too drunk to post before, then have an awesome New Year and see you all again in 2009.

Goalkeepers:

Adam Federici (Reading)
Michael Petkovic (Sivasspor)
Mark Schwarzer (Fulham)

Defenders:

Chris Coyne (Colchester Utd, Centre Back)
Craig Moore (Queensland Roar, Centre Back)
Lucas Neill (West Ham, Centre Back/Right Back)
Matthew Spiranovic (Nurnberg, Centre Back)
Shane Stefanutto (Lyn Oslo, Left Back)
Luke Wilkshire (Dynamo Moscow, Right Back)

Midfielders:

Mark Bresciano (Palermo, Attacking Midfielder/Right/Left Winger)
Jacob Burns (Unirea, Central Midfielder)
Tim Cahill (Everton, Attacking Midfielder)
David Carney (Sheffield Utd, Left Winger/Left Back)
Jason Culina (PSV Eindhoven, Central Midfielder)
Brett Emerton (Blackburn Rovers, Right Winger/Right Back)
Richard Garcia (Hull City, Right Winger/Striker)
Vincenzo Grella (Blackburn Rovers, Defensive Midfielder)
Brett Holman (AZ Alkmaar, Attacking Midfielder/Striker)
Harry Kewell (Galatasaray, Left Winger/Attacking Midfielder)
Mile Sterjovski (Derby County, Attacking Midfielder/Right Winger)
Carl Valeri (Grosseto, Defensive Midfielder)

Strikers:

Bruce Djite (Genclerbirligi)
Josh Kennedy (Karlsruhe)
Scott McDonald (Celtic)

As ever, I’m pleased to see Spiranovic in the squad, though I expect he’s there as the team’s emergency backup central defender, in case something should happen to both Neill and Moore. I assume Chipperfield is injured. At any rate, I expect to see a four-man defence as usual, and probably two strikers. Grella is now certain to miss out through an injury sustained playing against Chelsea, so the lineup I might expect is this:

- – - – - – Schwarzer – - – - – - -
Wilkshire – Neill – Moore – Carney
Bresciano – Culina – Cahill – Kewell
- – - – McDonald – Kennedy – - – - -

The midfield positions are fairly open, and it’s always possible that we could even see a slightly different formation, but I’m inclined to think this is the most likely one. Valeri has played in Grella’s place a few times in the past, but I think Culina has tended to be an automatic inclusion in many Australia squads, and not selecting Cahill is like throwing away goals.

Kewell’s fitness isn’t absolutely certain, but it’s hoped that he can play. The team is fairly short on left-sided players, so if Kewell can’t play, we could possibly see Carney on the wing with Stefanutto in at left back, or, perhaps more likely, Bresciano switching to the right and Sterjovski or Emerton coming in on the right.

McDonald and Kennedy seem to be Verbeek’s preferred choices up front, and with McDonald in good form after scoring a very nice goal against Manchester United, we could hope to finally see an international goal out of him. Pim is also, we should remember, no stranger to playing Holman and/or Kewell up front if it suits his plans, though I doubt Kewell will play there in a team with so few left wingers available.

I know little about the Bahrain team aside from the fact that they have four players suspended and that Verbeek says he plans to beat them rather than play for a draw. I think, with the strength of this squad, we should do so comfortably.

Update: Grella is definitely ruled out. Spiranovic picked up an ankle injury in training at Nurnberg and is ruled out also. Craig Moore has been diagnosed with testicular cancer (!) and has also withdrawn.

As a result, Mile Jedinak has been called up to sit on the bench in midfield, and Jade North and Mark Milligan can do likewise in the centre of defence. We can presumably expect the now-familiar Neill-Coyne pairing at centre-back.