Hosting the Asian Cup was one of Australia’s greatest sporting success stories, and winning it was one of the best Socceroos moments in history.

The 2015 Asian Cup had the potential to be a disaster.

A three-week tournament in the hottest month of the year, with the Australian Open tennis and Big Bash League cricket all vying for media attention, contested by 16 nations some Aussie sports fans would struggle to point out on a map?

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It could have been played out in front of empty seats by teams looking to save face and avoid defeat at all costs against historic local rivals.

It was the exact opposite.

From the second the Socceroos ran out to face Kuwait at a packed AAMI Park in Melbourne, it became abundantly clear the tournament would be a huge success.

It helped that Australia overcame a shock early deficit to record a handy 4-1 win.

It also helped – let’s be honest – that tickets were well priced.

Australians know good football when it arrives on our doorstep, and locals were happy to put their hands in their pocket to see many of the region’s best teams on display.



The Socceroos three group-stage games were all well attended – more than 50,000 turned out in Sydney for the 4-0 win over Oman, while close to a full house was on hand at Suncorp Stadium to see South Korea beat Australia 1-0 in the energy-sapping humidity of a hot Brisbane night.

And that 1-0 loss turned out to be rather useful for reasons that would only become apparent later.

Australia’s quarter-final opponent was China – a nation not always accustomed to finding itself on football’s biggest stages – and the huge crowd that turned out in driving rain in Brisbane was treated to a couple of Tim Cahill specials, including a spectacular bicycle kick, that saw the Socceroos prevail 2-0.

Meanwhile, old foes Iran and Iraq played out the game of the tournament in front of an enthralled crowd in Canberra – the Iraqis won 7-6 on penalties after the game finished 3-3 following extra-time – before the Socceroos discovered why their earlier loss to South Korea was actually a blessing in disguise.

That’s because it meant they were on the same side of the draw as Japan – undoubtedly Australia’s fiercest regional rivals.

The only problem for Samurai Blue fans was that the Japanese were dumped out of the tournament on penalties by the United Arab Emirates.

It meant the Socceroos faced the Emiratis in Newcastle – a regional city that couldn’t quite believe its luck at hosting the national team for a vital semi-final.

A nervy 2-0 win set up by early goals to defenders Trent Sainsbury and Jason Davidson booked a place in the final, where a familiar foe awaited.



South Korea had also won its semi-final 2-0 over Iraq, setting up a title decider of gargantuan proportions at ANZ Stadium in Sydney.

Not surprisingly, the game was a sell-out. And why wouldn’t it have been with the Asian Cup on the line?

But this being the Socceroos – one coached by the cavalier Ange Postecoglou – they couldn’t possibly have done things the easy way.

The two sides battered each other like a couple of punch-drunk prize fighters throughout a frenetic first half, with Bayer Leverkusen striker Son Heung-min proving a constant menace.

But it was Massimo Luongo who opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time through a sublime finish, turning onto a pass from Sainsbury before letting fly with a heat-seeking missile that flashed past Kim Jin-hyeon in the Korean goal.

And the Socceroos thought they had won it when – with 76,000 fans already celebrating in the stands – the 90 minute-mark ticked over on the clock.

But Son had other ideas.

South Korea’s golden boy hadn’t come for a holiday, and in the first minute of stoppage time the fleet-footed striker skipped into the box to blast a left-footed drive beyond a despairing Mat Ryan.



Cue delirium from the contingent of Korean fans. And anguish on the face of Ange.

But having come so far, the Socceroos weren’t about to let such an historic opportunity slip.

James Troisi will go down in the record books as the man who tapped home Australia’s historic goal, but it was the persistence of Tomi Juric that set it up.

Postecoglou said later he confidently told his players they would win because the South Koreans were all down on their haunches before extra-time kicked off.

And you could probably have heard the celebrations from the Socceroos fans all the way back in Seoul.

For anyone who grew up with the seemingly constant qualification heartbreak for the Socceroos, becoming Asian champions must have seemed unthinkable.

But Asian champions we are.

It was one of the greatest moments in the history of the Socceroos, and best of all, it was achieved right here in our own backyard.



As we count down the greatest moments in Socceroos history, we want you to tell us what your favourites are. Have your say in the picker below!

Check out the rest of the countdown:

10. Australia’s performances – and Tim Cahill’s goal – in 2014

9. When we almost qualified for USA 94

8. Charlie Yankos’ stunning free-kick against Argentina

7. Beating France and Brazil in 2001

6. England 3, Australia 1: Beating the Poms in their own backyard

5. Knocking Croatia out of Germany in the craziest game in Australian history

4. Australia’s historic 3-1 win over Japan in Kaiserslautern

3. Making our debut on the world stage in 1974

2. Winning the Asian Cup in Australia

1. John Aloisi’s penalty