This Sporting Life

Well as Margie has so kindly alluded to in her post, this long weekend was a bumper one for sports fans. It all started Friday night with the opening ceremony and opening game of the Football World Cup in Germany. This is the biggest sporting event in the world and the Germans put on a thankfully short and to the point ceremony before getting into the football (yes I am calling it football so you 'Everyone else calls it football' evangelists won't bother me).

The Germans couldn't have asked for a better start to the Cup as they conquered Costa Rico in a 4-2 goal-a-thon. Then on Saturday there was the swans game that left me and others a little moist, and eventhough Sydney lost, they came quite close and nearly made up for 3 poor quarters with one good one. Later on in the evening England beat Paraguay 1-0 in a relativly poor match decided by an own goal.

Sunday brought the Rugby international that Australian Rugby fans have been anticipating since the very dissappointing tour of England last year. That tour resulted in the coach being summarily sacked and replaced. That tour also saw the Australian scrum decimated by a traditionally very strong English pack, and all eyes on Sunday were watching to see if it would happen again. It didn't, and although the game wasn't the most beautiful flowing affair, the result was satisfying, Australia thrashing the Poms 34-3. My favourite moment was seeing 130kg prop and debutante Rodney Blake (below) pushing his large frame over the line (and through a pom) for a try.



And on to Monday, the most important night of the sporting weekend, when Australia would appear the World Cup Finals for the first time since 1974. There was much apprehension among fans and observers as the Australians faced Japan, the Asian Champions in the first Group E match of the tournament and I was among them. The Australians had not previously scored a single solitary goal in a World Cup Finals and were looking for a draw at least against a team who many saw as the weakest opponent in the group.

Well Japan scored first and it was a shocker. Two Japanese attackers were seen to obviously obstruct the Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer while the strike from Nakamura sailed into the goal. This was a blatantly illegal goal, but the Egyptian Referee saw it differently and awarded the goal in the 25th minute. Australian players and fans were deflated but not defeated as there was plenty of time for an equaliser or - hope of hopes - victory.



As time ticked by the Australian attackers were repelled time and time again by the scrambling Japanese defence. Less than ten minutes to go and... GOAL!!!! Sweet releif as replacement Striker Tim Cahil managed to find passage between Australian and Japanese bodies for an equaliser. At least we had a draw and one precious competition point. But then, it happened again! Tim Cahill finds the back of the net once more and Australia are in front! At this point the Australians in the crowd are going beserk and so was I, silently air punching alone in the living room. And then one more cherry on the icing on the cake, as Aloisi, the hero of Sydney, makes a devestating run into the box and slots home a brilliant goal. I couldn't help yelling at this point (sorry Bron and Matt) as the Aussies put the final nail in Japan's coffin and acheived the best result of any Australian football team ever in a World Cup.




Bring on Brazil!