Asian Cup final: as Socceroos prepare to make history, we look at their finest achievements

LIFTING the Asian Cup would be one of the Socceroos greatest achievements, but where would it rank? This spine-tingling video will get you in the mood.

NEWS: Socceroos players celebrate after John Aloisi kicked winning penalty goal as Australia defeated Uruguay 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out at Tesltra Stadium, Olympic Park, Homebush in Sydney to qualify for 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.

BARRING a few cups harking back to old our Oceania days, the Socceroos trophy cabinet — which is actually more like a lock-up garage in Sydney — is rather bare.

That could change on Saturday with Australia just 90 minutes away from being crowned Asia’s best football nation, nine years and three attempts after joining the confederation.

A win against Korea Republic will go down as one of our national team’s greatest accomplishments, no mean feat considering the host of World Cup memories we’ve been spoiled with in recent times.

So as Ange Postecoglou’s side prepare to add another chapter to our ever-growing history, we look back at the Socceroos biggest moments.

MAKING OUR WORLD CUP BOW IN 1974

The Socceroos were supposedly on a hiding to nothing when they travelled to West Germany for the 1974 World Cup in what was our first ever appearance in world football’s showpiece event. Australia’s maiden qualification was secured by a Jimmy Mackay goal against South Korea in an eight-month campaign against sides from Oceania and Asia.

The ‘74 Socceroos line up for the World Cup debut.

In the tournament proper, coached by Rale Rasic and skippered by Peter Wilson, Australia’s amateurs took on the planet’s biggest stars — Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Muller among others — and while they didn’t win a game or score a goal, they came back with their heads held high and to a nation full of admiration.

Losses to East Germany (2-0) and eventual champions West Germany (3-0) were followed by our first ever World Cup point — a 0-0 draw with Chile. Not that they knew it at the time, but it would be another 32 years before the Socceroos reached the final again.

Craig Moore gives Wayne Rooney no space in a classic England-Australia encounter.

EMBARRASSING THE OLD ENEMY ON THEIR PATCH

Australia holds the football Ashes over old enemy England courtesy of a famous friendly victory at Upton Park back in 2003. Sven Goran Eriksson’s side that night featured no shortage of world-class talent — defender Rio Ferdinand, midfielders Rio Ferdinand, David Beckham, Frank Lampard and strikers Michael Owen and debutant Wayne Rooney — someone forgot to tell Frank Farina’s Socceroos the script though.

The Sun leaves no room for misunderstanding in its assessment of England’s performance.

Goals to Tony Popovic and the unplayable Harry Kewell set the Roos on their way in the first half and Brett Emerton’s late sealer put the Three Lions to bed after Francis Jeffers pulled one back in the second period. “Kanga Poo: stinking England dumped on by Aussies” is how one newspaper put it. It might have been 12 years ago and a friendly, but the sheer memory of the game still brings a smile to our faces.

The Socceroos react after John Aloisi’s penalty, while Harry Kewell soaks it all up.

2005 IN SYDNEY … OUR FINEST HOUR

It’s hard to believe that famous night in Sydney, where the Socceroos ended their 32-year World Cup drought — happened 10 years ago, such are the vivid memories that come flooding back when the names of Mark Schwarzer and John Aloisi are evoked.

With a place in the 2006 finals on the line, a goal down from Uruguay’s first leg win in Montevideo, and played in front of an electrifying crowd of 82,000, Mark Bresciano levelled the tie and with extra time unable to produce a winner, it would go to penalties.

The topless run no Australian football fan will ever forget.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Or make that men. Mark Schwarzer stood tall in the shootout, his giant mitts twice denying the South Americans. Mark Viduka’s miss ensured the tensest possible situation, but that didn’t bother John Aloisi, the striker calmly stepping up with the rest history. The image of a shirtless Aloisi haring down the touchline, his teammates in tow, remains indelible as the moment football announced its remergence in Australia. After three decades and seven World Cups in the wilderness, the Socceroos were finally back among the big boys.

Tim Cahill treats the world to his famous celebration after scoring Australia’s first World Cup goal.

TIMMY BREAKS GOALSCORING DROUGHT

After being drawn alongside Brazil, Croatia and Japan at the ’06 Cup in Germany, it looked as if the Socceroos return to the tournament would be a short one. That view was only enhanced after 83 painstaking moments in the opener against Japan as Guus Hiddink’s men trailed the Samurai Blue in Kaiserslautern.

That was until one Tim Cahill took centre stage. The substitute’s prodded goal from Lucas Neil was beautifully ugly, Australia had its first ever World Cup goal. The bleary eyes watching on back home were gone, replaced by lounge room euphoria, and minutes later Timmy struck again, lashing an unstoppable shot home from outside. That man again, John Aloisi, then sealed our maiden Cup win with a third in injury time.

It’s Cahill again, bagging his second in the Socceroos’ comeback over Japan.

Australia was awash with World Cup fever, and it would get ever better, despite a 2-0 loss in the second group game against Brazil. That meant we needed a point against Croatia in Stuttgart to reach the round of 16, and this time it was Harry Kewell delivering in another famous comeback.

The Socceroos were forced to twice come from behind and only booked their place via Kewell’s ice-cold finish in the 79th minute. The dream run ended in the round of 16 to eventual champions Italy in controversial circumstances, but despite the disappointment, the Socceroos had taken football another giant step forward in Australia.

Brett Holman scored a cracker as the Socceroos put up a brave fight against Serbia.

SUPERB AGAINST SERBIA

Four years later the Socceroos were at it again in the 2010 World Cup, and though they failed to get out of the group stage in South Africa, they created more special memories against heavyweights Serbia.

Despite being outplayed for much of the Nelspruit contest, a trademark towering Tim Cahill header and a long-range pop from Brett Holman was enough to get Pim Verbeek’s men home, though with Germany failing to put a big score on Ghana, the Africans nabbed second spot courtesy of their superior goal difference. It was hard to swallow at the time, but out of the 13 World Cup games the Socceroos have played, we’ve only won two, this being one of them.

Boom! Does it get any better than Tim Cahill’s goal against the Netherlands?

‘TIM CAHILL HAS DONE IT AGAIN!’

You just can’t keep that man Tim Cahill out of the action. In Brazil last year the Socceroos record marksman became just the eighth player in history to score in three World Cups when he powered home a header against Chile. That was special, but it would get even better days later against the Dutch in Porto Alegre.

With the Socceroos licking their wounds from Arjen Robben’s opener, Cahill saw his moment and didn’t he seize it. From the kick-off, Ryan McGowan punted the ball upfield, and with one violent swing of his left peg, the striker produced his goal of the year candidate (it was nominated for the 2014 Puskas award) and yet another highlight to his impressive Socceroos show reel.

The Socceroos dared to dream when Mile Jedinak put them in the lead from the penalty spot, but again came up just short against world class opposition. Months later, you can’t help but feel goosebumps when a replay of Timmy’s stunner comes on, and you feel it will be that way for some time.

Originally published as Asian Cup final: as Socceroos prepare to make history, we look at their finest achievements