GREEN AND GOAL! - AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE!

Outstanding, unbelievable. Miracles do happen.

I rounded up Thao and Jarryd tonight to attend Australia's premier world cup against match favourite, Japan.

Jarryd and i was Aussie (this was Jarryd's first World Cup) and Thao went for Japan.
We arrived at the Glen Waverley TAB just a touch past 10pm, the match started at 11 yet it was already full.

All teh seats were taken so we settled to stand up and watch it on the big screen.

First half went with the ball having a lot of close calls, Japan attacked (and defended) fiercly with a controvertial goal rewarded to Japan; the footage in slow motion revealed that the attackers forcefully stopped the goalie from doing his job and this should've been a red card but Austrlia fought on.

The TAB's morale was dropping, half time past and Australia is on 0-1. Second half Austrlia picked up speed and make many shots at goal, with shootouts stopped by Japan's goalie.

Even i felt this was futile, i tohught to myself "well they made it into the World Cup at least..." as i ate my hotdog.
78 minutes in, Thao was smiling but was disappointed at Japan started getting sluggish.

Cahill was subbed in at 58 minutes, the tiny TAB swelled up with pride. It was good to see a lot of Asians that night wearing Green and Gold but our hopes felt dimished. 78 minutes gave Australia a shot at goal by Austrlian captain, Mark Viduka.

A save by the goalie and with less than 10 minutes on the clock, everyone was praying for an equilizer.

My thoughts were "well, we'd only lose by 1, that's okay..."

Then minutes later, GOAL!!!! The TAB cheered and Australians tasted their first World Cup goal after decades of disappointment. A tremendous effort by Tim Cahill. Cahill moments later scored the second goal minutes later from a shot in the outer box putting Austrlia to the lead by 2-1.

At this point there was magic in the air, for the last 5 minutes Australia has come from being the compelte underdog to the most likely winner of this match.

Half the audience chanted "DEFEND!!!" and i was one of them. Just keep it steady for a few more minutes!
Before we could even recover Aloisi brought it home at 93 minutes.

The TAB was in a complete uproar, all of us cheering and screaming as loud as we can, chanting "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie" "OI OI OI!" followed by our national anthem.

Everyone was awstruck, the impossible happend. The most exciting World Cup match i have watched in years. 3 goals in less than 13 minutes. That moment in the TAB, with the crowd all cheering with all of our pride and respect for our Nation, i felt at that moment we were whole. Greeks wearing their home scarves with the Socceroo intertwined, middle eastern people wearing their "Kewell" jerseys, Asians... for 10 minutes of cheer i felt that was as close to world peace i could ever feel in my lifetime.

Unbelievable... words cannot describe what took place tonight. I'm so proud to be Australian.

-Jay