Part One | Socceroos at the SFS

With the Socceroos set to take on Costa Rica at Allianz Stadium later this month, we take a look at ten of the greatest Socceroos matches to have taken place at the venue.

With the Socceroos set to take on Costa Rica at Allianz Stadium later this month, we take a look at ten of the greatest Socceroos matches to have taken place at the venue.

Australia 3 - 1 New Zealand 13th March, 1988

Any time the Aussies beat the Kiwis is a sporting moment to treasure, so this win on home soil was definitely one to savour as it was also an Olympic qualifying match. Under the guidance of Frank Arok, the Socceroos had gone through their campaign undefeated and made no mistake in front of their home fans. Goals from Jimmy Patikas, Frank Farina and Oscar Crino ensured the Socceroos were rarely threatened. Meanwhile New Zealand were able to get themselves on the board through Michael McGarry. The Socceroos would go on to finish their qualifiers unbeaten, cementing a place at the Olympic Games that were staged later that year in Seoul.

Australia 2 - 1 Canada 15th August, 1993

Football fans in Sydney were treated to a couple of pulsating contests in 1993, as the Socceroos attempted to qualify for the USA 1994 World Cup. The first of these was the second leg of our tie against Canada, in which the visitors held a slender 2-1 advantage from their home clash. Australia went ahead on aggregate thanks to a spectacular Frank Farina bicycle-kick goal straight after half time. However the Canadians restored their advantage through Lyndon Hooper soon after. Desperate for another goal, Mehmet Durakovic came to the rescue on 77 minutes with a thumping header but that-s where the scores would remain and extra-time ensued. With the sides still unable to be separated penalties were needed to decide the tie. The moment would signal the arrival of Mark Schwarzer on the international stage, with the 20-year-old Aussie goalkeeper covering himself in glory by saving two of Canada-s penalties. The Socceroos won the shoot-out 4-1 to advance from the play-off.

Australia 1 - 1 Argentina 31st October, 1993

The last hurdle for the Socceroos World Cup qualification was a home and away tie against Argentina for the final spot at USA 1994. Australia hosted the first leg, in front a sold-out and then ground record 43,967 fans. The Socceroos were raging underdogs against an Argentina side that boasted the likes of Maradona, Redondo and Batistuta. However with Bosnich, Wade, Slater, Arnold, Zelic, Tobin and the Vidmar brothers in our line-up, the Socceroos were certainly not overawed by the occasion. The Aussies fell behind via an Abel Balbo header, the Argentine getting on the end of a perfectly weighted cross to send the ball past an outstretched Bosnich. However the Socceroos didn-t let their heads drop and soon found themselves back on level terms through a beautifully worked team goal. Zelic picked out Tony Vidmar with a pinpoint pass who fed the ball across goal for his brother Aurelio to fire home and send the crowd into raptures. The scores would remain level and unfortunately the Socceroos would go on to suffer a heart-breaking 1-0 loss in the away leg to miss out on the World Cup.

Australia 1 - 0 Paraguay 9th October, 2010

The last time the Socceroos played at the Sydney Football Stadium was when they hosted Paraguay in 2010, in what was their first match on home soil following their World Cup campaign in South Africa. There were a host of familiar names in the squad with Cahill, Carney, Jedinak, Kennedy, McKay, Wilkshire and Vidosic the current surviving members of the squad. The Socceroos also featured a host of A-League talent which included Alex Brosque, Jason Culina, Eugene Galekovic, Matt McKay, Jade North and Michael Thwaite, in a sign of how far the domestic league had developed in a relatively short space of time. Despite the Aussies peppering the Paraguayan defense throughout the contest, there was only one goal in this one. David Carney lashing the ball home with his powerful left foot in the second half to ensure the Aussies were victorious.

Australia 0 - 0 Manchester United 26th May 1984

The Australian Soccer Federation as it was known in those days organised a “World Series” to take place on our shores in mid-1984. Inviting some of the most glamorous clubs around Europe to compete, Australia played the likes of Manchester United, Glasgow Rangers, Nottingham Forrest, Iraklis and Juventus in a series of “B-Internationals”. The first match of the tournament was against the Red Devils, and actually took place just next door to the SFS at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Manchester United had three guest players in Tommy Hutchinson, Frank Worthington and Peter Barnes for this match, while their side also boasted the prolific Mark Hughes. Unfortunately there were no goals in this one and the more recent edition of Manchester United taking on our A-League All Stars was no doubt a more entertaining affair. However this initiative was a great success in boosting the profile of our national team and providing some quality opposition on our shores that brought football to the masses.

Upcoming Match Details

Socceroos v Costa Rica Tuesday 19 November 2013 Allianz Stadium, Sydney, Australia Kick-off: 7.30pm AEDT

The match between the Socceroos and Costa Rica will be broadcast live and exclusive on FOX SPORTS.

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