It is the first big World Cup surprise: Australia has prevailed in Group D with France, Denmark and Tunisia. After the 1-0 win against Denmark, there was great rejoicing at home.
When Mathew Leckie scored the golden goal in the 60th minute of the first World Cup “final”, the fans Down Under turned night into day. Eight hours time difference meant that the game in Australia didn’t start until midnight. The sports-mad Australians were not deterred, thousands flocked to the Fed Square in Melbourne and celebrated the second knockout round in World Cup history with beer, songs and flares.
“Night shift” is worth it
At the World Cup party, it was only very quiet for a short time. When Tunisia took a 1-0 lead against France in the 57th minute in the long-distance duel for second place, the “Socceroos” was eliminated. The answer followed 180 seconds later. Mathew Leckie nibbled on Danish defender Joakim Maehle after a through pass and hit the far corner with his left.
Australia was back on course and would not be deterred. In a dramatic final phase, the team defended victory “with our spirit, with our faith”said match winner Leckie, who played in Germany for many years, including at FC Ingolstadt, Hertha BSC and Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Leckie can hardly find the words
“It’s hard to describe my emotions”says Leckie, “we fought hard for the last 15, 20 minutes. I am so proud. Now it’s time to rest. The next game is coming soon.”
And especially the next party. The last time Australia was in the round of 16 was 16 years ago in Germany, where it was over against eventual world champions Italy. Now the opponents are either Argentina, Poland or Saudi Arabia.
Everything spoke against Australia
Before the tournament, hardly anyone had bet on Australia. They qualified at the last minute, Australia was 39th in the FIFA world rankings published in June 2022 and was therefore the outsider of World Cup Group D. The World Cup in Qatar shows that statistics are sometimes smoke and mirrors.
After the clear opening defeat (1:4) against defending champions France, Australia had already opened the door to the round of 16 with a win against Tunisia (1:0) and celebrated the provisional crowning glory against Denmark.
With team spirit, luck and fans
The round of the top eight has so far been granted to the “Socceroos”. Is it 2022? The team is capable of everything – especially with the support from home.