English
It was a defining moment in Australian history.
"Here's John Aloisi for a spot in the World Cup... he scores! Australia have got this!"
That was the night of November 16, 2005, when Socceroos member John Aloisi scored a penalty against Uruguay in front of more than 83,000 fans packed into Sydney's Olympic Stadium.
Others watched around the country, including around 8000 fans in Melbourne's Federation Square, hoping to witness the historic moment.
"Yay!!!"
20 years later, this match remains the most watched event in SBS history.
And some of the key players of the night, including Aloisi, Mark Schwarzer and Josip Skoko, have reunited in Melbourne to reflect on the night that forever changed Australian football.
John Aloisi says that night is a good memory for him.
"The whole evening just had that belief and confidence that we are going to the qualifier for some reasons, just had that aurora about it, and taking that penalty, as I said, I never took a penalty so for that kind of my first penalty, was extra special and I still take it the same day same way today.”
The former Socceroos star has been coaching A-League club Western United for the past three years.
While his coaching career remains uncertain, Aloisi says he's watching many young players making their best kicks on the field.
"We've got a number of players who I think in 2023 [were] knocking on the door and not too far away, and we give them that belief that from that encouragement to go, you know, play their game, play their football, and they've been really good in the past year with us. And yeah, that's what they are thriving for, they want to play for the Socceroos and the World Cup around the corner makes it extra bit, em, important for them."
Another hero in the game against Uruguay was Mark Schwarzer, whose penalty saves set the stage for Australia to win the penalty shootout.
He admits that sometimes when he watches the footage, he still gets goosebumps.
"We all knew... We were talking about that moment so many times, how important that moment was gonna be one day if we have a qualifier for World Cup, then obviously, when you accomplish it, the realisation of satisfaction and the overwhelming sense of like relief that football was on the map and people were taking it seriously."
The watershed moment on November 16, 2005, ignited a golden era.
Next year's tournament in North America will mark the Socceroos' sixth consecutive World Cup finals appearance.
Schwarzer meanwhile is preparing for another career highlight, as one of seven people inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in Melbourne.
Mark Schwarzer says he's relieved that following the victory in 2005, football has become an important sport in Australia.
"You know look at the momentum since then, we qualified every single World Cup since then; football is, has gained lots of respect, and I believe that people hold in the right kind of place that it deserves to be, and certainly in a country like Australia that's so rich and incredible with sports. I'm a firm believer that football doesn't need to overtake anyone, doesn't need to be better than anyone, it just needs to be alongside some of the other great codes in this country.”
Italian
È stato un momento decisivo nella storia australiana.
"Here's John Aloisi for a spot in the World Cup... he scores! Australia have got this!"
Era la notte del 16 novembre 2005, quando John Aloisi, calciatore dei Socceroos, segnò un rigore contro l'Uruguay davanti a oltre 83.000 tifosi che affollavano lo Stadio Olimpico di Sydney.
Altri guardavano la partita in tutto il Paese, compresi circa 8000 tifosi a Federation Square a Melbourne, sperando di assistere a quel momento storico.
"Yay!!!"
A distanza di 20 anni, questa partita rimane l'evento più seguito nella storia di SBS.
Alcuni dei protagonisti di quella serata, tra cui Aloisi, Mark Schwarzer e Josip Skoko, si sono riuniti a Melbourne per riflettere sulla notte che ha cambiato per sempre il calcio australiano.
Per John Aloisi quella serata è ancora un bel ricordo.
"The whole evening just had that belief and confidence that we are going to the qualifier for some reasons, just had that aurora about it, and taking that penalty, as I said, I never took a penalty so for that kind of my first penalty, was extra special and I still take it the same day same way today.”
Il grande calciatore dei Socceroos ha allenato negli ultimi tre anni il club Western United, ma dopo l'espulsione del club dalla A-League, la sua situazione rimane in sospeso.
Mentre la sua carriera di allenatore rimane incerta, Aloisi ha affermato di stare osservando molti giovani giocatori che danno il meglio di sé sul campo.
"We've got a number of players who I think in 2023 [were] knocking on the door and not too far away, and we give them that belief that from that encouragement to go, you know, play their game, play their football, and they've been really good in the past year with us. And yeah, that's what they are thriving for, they want to play for the Socceroos and the World Cup around the corner makes it extra important for them."
Un altro eroe nella partita contro l'Uruguay è stato Mark Schwarzer, le cui parate ai rigori hanno permesso all'Australia di vincere la partita.
Schwarzer ha ammesso che a volte, quando guarda il filmato, gli viene ancora la pelle d'oca.
"We all knew... We were talking about that moment so many times, how important that moment was going to be one day if we have a qualifier for [the] World Cup. Then obviously, when you accomplish it, the realisation of satisfaction and the overwhelming sense of like relief that football was on the map and people were taking it seriously."
Quel momento decisivo del 16 novembre 2005 ha segnato l'inizio di un'era d'oro.
Il torneo del prossimo anno in Nord America segnerà la sesta partecipazione consecutiva dei Socceroos alle fasi finali dei Mondiali.
Nel frattempo, Schwarzer si sta preparando per un altro momento decisivo della sua carriera, essendo una delle sette persone inserite nella Sport Australia Hall of Fame di Melbourne.
Mark Schwarzer ha detto di essere contento del fatto che, dopo la vittoria del 2005, il calcio sia diventato uno sport importante in Australia.
"You know, look at the momentum since then, we qualified every single World Cup since then; football has gained lots of respect, and I believe that people hold in the right kind of place that it deserves to be, and certainly in a country like Australia that's so rich and incredible with sports. I'm a firm believer that football doesn't need to overtake anyone, doesn't need to be better than anyone, it just needs to be alongside some of the other great codes in this country.”
