Australian national team thread

Mousey · Jun 6, 2009

I don't care anymore. Gonzalez lost last night so my multi is ****ed.

Hybrid · Jun 6, 2009

Speirz said: ↑

Pumped. Only 7 hours to go.
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2 hours to go now. ****ing pumped as now.

Gonzo · Jun 7, 2009

**** work tomorrow, going to be so buggered. 4 hours of sleep will be fine by me if we qualify!

History in the making > sleep.

Hybrid · Jun 7, 2009

AWTA.

45 minutes to go.

Hybrid · Jun 7, 2009

Match starts in 20 minutes. I'm off to watch a bit of the pre-game show.

Hopefully next time I login to CricSim, we will officially be in the World Cup!

Gazza · Jun 7, 2009

What happened?

Colesy · Jun 7, 2009

0-0 draw.

Dire cost me $20.

Now i'm officially broke

MightyPies · Jun 7, 2009

WE ARE THROUGH

MASTERS · Jun 7, 2009

woohhoo, we did not win but were going to the 2010 world cup!!!

Storer · Jun 7, 2009

Aussies!

Mousey · Jun 7, 2009

Colesy said: ↑

0-0 draw.

Dire cost me $20.

Now i'm officially broke
Click to expand...

I put money on the draw but Gonzalez lost the night before in the French Open and ruined my multi.

Hybrid · Jun 7, 2009

YES WE ARE THERE!@!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hybrid · Jun 7, 2009

We are one of the first few teams to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, along with Japan, South Korea and the Netherlands.

stupersteve03 · Jun 7, 2009

now to get into the business of playing some good football that will get us points at the world cup to get another charge at the 16

Hybrid · Jun 7, 2009

Good read...

Aussies Create History Without Fuss

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/newsid=1067749.html#aussies+create+history+without+fuss

Australia are rejoicing after securing qualification for successive FIFA World Cups™ for the first time, even if the response is far more muted than that which greeted the heart-stopping triumph against Uruguay four years ago. A scoreless draw with Qatar in Doha secured the point the Socceroos required for a berth at South Africa 2010, and earned their third appearance on the world stage since an unheralded debut in 1974.

Tim Cahill came closest to winning all three points for the Aussies but the post denied the Everton midfielder, whose stunning bicycle kick would have been a spectacular and apt way to seal a place in South Africa. Nevertheless, had in not been for Japan's win in Uzbekistan a few hours earlier, Australia would have been the first team to qualify for South Africa, a far cry from their drama-charged last-day triumph last time around.

As was the case last cycle, a Dutchman stood at the helm of the Socceroos when qualification was secured, with Pim Verbeek emulating the achievements of his feted countryman Guus Hiddink. Australia now return home to take on firstly Bahrain next Wednesday, and then Japan the following week, in what should be a celebratory party for both teams. Yet unlike in 2005, qualification wasn't quite greeted with scenes of supporters dancing in the streets, partly because the match was played in the middle of the night in Australia.

While the manner of qualification may have been less spectacular this time around, the players and coaching staff are aware of the significance in the context of Australia's history of underachievement on the world stage, with Verbeek naming qualification as the greatest moment of his coaching career. Long-serving goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer was similarly affected by the moment, describing the experience as "very emotional" and "unbelievable."

Over a career long intertwined with Australia's modern FIFA World Cup experiences, the veteran custodian was invariably at the forefront of this campaign achieving a remarkable sixth straight FIFA World Cup clean sheet to extend his own national record. Indeed Australia's current qualifying tilt was built on pragmatism and defensive capabilities, with the team conceding just three goals over 12 matches. "We worked very hard for it over a long campaign, and we deserved it," stated a glassy-eyed Schwarzer minutes after full time.

Captain Lucas Neill described the achievement as a "boyhood dream", with the central defender leading by example throughout. "It's amazing, it hasn't sunk in yet," said Neill. "It's an unbelievable achievement. I'm so proud we have created some history for the country."

Despite the disappointment of failing to score in the decisive match, Australian media have greeted the historic achievement in glowing terms. Sydney's Sunday Telegraph wrote: "It wasn't pretty at times, but who cares. The objective was to reach South Africa 2010 and this proved that the 2006 qualification was no fluke."

Verbeek was also praised for his no-nonsense and successful approach, "Take a bow Pim Verbeek. You have done your job - to get Australia to the World Cup. Verbeek is an Asian expert, with qualification the ultimate justification for the appointment of the previously unheralded Dutchman in the aftermath of the 2007 Asian Cup."

Australia will now compete in South Africa 2010 with a vastly experienced and cohesive line-up, many of whom featured at Germany 2006 when the Socceroos surprised many onlookers by progressing to the knockout stage only to narrowly fall at the hands of eventual champions Italy. Verbeek, meanwhile, who has experienced the last two FIFA World Cups as an assistant with Korea Republic, will be eagerly anticipating experiencing football's greatest show as a head coach. As he said yesterday: "The World Cup is a great, great event and I'm already looking forward to going there."
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Ged · Jun 7, 2009

It was such a ****ing shit game. Reminded me why I ****ing hate soccer.

El Nino · Jun 7, 2009

Cahills scissor would have been immense

Lukic · Jun 7, 2009

Serbia will beat Aus.

Hybrid · Jun 7, 2009

Lukic said: ↑

Serbia will beat Aus.
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Banned.

Hybrid · Jun 7, 2009

Ged said: ↑

It was such a ****ing shit game.
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Yeah the game was pretty poor TSTL. But who gives a shit? We've made it.

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Australian national team thread

Mousey AJ Son

Hybrid A Kolar

Gonzo JP Gonzalez

Hybrid A Kolar

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Gazza GJ Weaver

Colesy BL Hornby

MightyPies DA Alessi

MASTERS S Masters

Storer BA Storer

Mousey AJ Son

Hybrid A Kolar

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stupersteve03 SJ Cambridge

Hybrid A Kolar

Ged GEC King

El Nino J Torres

Lukic L Popovic

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Australian national team thread

Mousey AJ Son

Hybrid A Kolar

Gonzo JP Gonzalez

Hybrid A Kolar

Hybrid A Kolar

Gazza GJ Weaver

Colesy BL Hornby

MightyPies DA Alessi

MASTERS S Masters

Storer BA Storer

Mousey AJ Son

Hybrid A Kolar

Hybrid A Kolar

stupersteve03 SJ Cambridge

Hybrid A Kolar

Ged GEC King

El Nino J Torres

Lukic L Popovic

Hybrid A Kolar

Hybrid A Kolar

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