At one to the World Cup

I have been traipsing around my homeland, the land known as Australia. I thought that I had come back for a friend's wedding and to visit friends and family. But I realise now that I had come back for something much more important. I came back to to witness Australia qualify for the World Cup with my fellow Australians.

So on the second night that I came back, still slightly knocked out by jet-lag, I groped for something to do. Nick and Ben, the two guys I was staying with told me that they were going down to the pub to watch the second leg of the final qualifier for the World Cup. This was epic stuff. Australia, being the winner of the Oceania group in FIFA, were obliged to play a knock-off return-leg with Urguary, the fifth placed South American team.

Now four years ago, it was the same situation. Then, the first leg was won 1-0 by Australia courtesy of a penalty. The second leg, in Montevedo, Urguary, involved people spitting on the Australian team at the airport, and coins thrown on the players. Uruaguay thrashed Australia 3-0.

This time it was different, better players, a team of millionaires. The newly appointed coach, Guus Hiddink, had world class pedagory. It was a mature and measured approach compared to the hurly-whirly bluster of yesteryear. So the second leg was played at Olympic park in Sydney, the geographic center of Sydney, way out west in the burbs.

We, Nick and Ben and I, watched the first half at home, eating a Thai takeaway. And when the goal was scored, a beautiful flowing movement involving 6 players, 3 flicks, a cuffed shot, and a predatory rocket finish - we three jumped for joy, and immediately headed down to the pub. The scores at this point was locked 1-0 from the previous game to Uruaguay, and now 0-1 in our favor.

At the pub, we watched a nail biting hour and a half including extra time. And the deadlock was not broken. However, it was with pride watching the Australian team dominate the Uruguays, as the Australian talsiman, Harry Kewell, wove his spells all over the Urguayan defence.

And then we got to the penalty shootout - perhaps the most nailbiting thing ever invented in modern sport. A team game is suddenly reduced to a series of one-v-ones. The Australian keeper produced two remarkable saves. And the moment that John Aloisi scored the goal, Australians all were united through the television erupted in joy as we were accepted into the holy pantheon of 32 nations who had clawed their way into the last 32 of the nations. We jumped and screamed and hugged. It was cathartic and realised there and then that, even though I am now a citizen of the world, I will always be 'straylin.