It's incumbent on the likes of Robbie Kruse, Apo Giannou and Rogic to seize that opportunity. The Socceroos have 10 qualifiers, starting with the next step on the road to Russia in September, to learn from the master of self-belief. If that level of confidence is manifest throughout the squad, even after Cahill's inevitable retirement post-2018, then the success of the Asian Cup should be followed by much more. That should be enjoyed for the remainder of his career rather than fretted upon.Ĭahill's true legacy on the pitch, though, needs to be a transmission of this attitude to his fellow Socceroos. He is clutch, which is such a rare trait. His ability to sniff out an opportunity at a critical moment makes him an ideal international player. That belief is a precious commodity, particularly for a nation which only won their first major international tournament last year.įor now, there is no shame in Cahill remaining Australia's most potent striker. Of all Cahill's attributes, the one which is therefore irreplaceable for the national team is his swagger. In other words, not only does he add value by scoring himself, the sheer threat he poses creates opportunities for others to contribute more than they otherwise would. If Cahill played in the NBA, he would be given untold kudos for "spreading the floor" - freeing up teammates as the defence collapses on him. This demonstrates Cahill's remarkable durability and also the impact his reputation and leadership has on the rest of the team. When he plays, he is thereabouts nearly every time the green and gold score. During games for which he has been available for selection, the former Everton frontman has been on the pitch for an extraordinary 79 percent of Australia's goals since the 2014 World Cup.
Where Cahill deserves more credit, though, is for his influence on his teammates. Surely no more proof is needed that Australia can succeed in international football without Cahill needing to carry the entire goal-scoring burden alone. The reality is that since then 15 goal scorers have been tallied for the Socceroos, including Massimo Luongo and James Troisi, who found the back of the net in the watershed 2015 Asian Cup final triumph against South Korea. Since before he scored with that unforgettable strike against the Dutch, many wondered which other players in the Socceroos' squad could possibly find the back of the net. However, it's easy to get distracted by thoughts of over-reliance on the goals of a 36-year-old striker. Given Australia's upcoming opponents featuring Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Thailand, Cahill's qualities will obviously be of importance as the Socceroos aim to qualify for a fourth consecutive World Cup. He has eight in qualification ahead of the third round of qualifiers, double that of his nearest compatriots Mile Jedinak and Tom Rogic. Since that 2014 World Cup, in which the Socceroos ultimately went winless despite their impressive efforts, Australia have played a total of 24 games, scoring 52 goals - the majority of which came in the most recent round of qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup - with the Socceroos comfortably topping a group containing Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Bangladesh.Ĭahill has netted 13 of the team's 52 goals. And it took place on the world's biggest stage as Australia was beginning to rediscover their identity as a football-playing nation.Įxactly two years on, and the effects of that wonder goal are still being felt, while the question around a permanent replacement for Cahill lingers. It was the greatest goal ever scored by an Aussie in an international fixture.
Parity had been restored and, with it, so too faith.
Cahill met the cross with a full-blooded volley just inside the penalty area, the ball kissing the underside of the bar from his swinging left foot. The enthusiasm gained under recently-appointed boss Ange Postecoglou had quickly waned.īut, not a minute later, a hopeful cross from right-back Ryan McGowan helped remove doubts around the Australian national team's new direction. Having succumbed to a highly fancied Chile side 3-1 in their first Group B game of that tournament, the Socceroos' prospects appeared bleak when they conceded an early goal to the Netherlands in Game 2, courtesy of a swift Arjen Robben counterattack. Belief, quite simply, cannot be underestimated as a mechanism of this success. One strike with conviction at the 2014 World Cup was enough for Tim Cahill to set Australia on a revolutionary new path toward unprecedented achievement.
#Words of wonder level 68 upgrade
You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserĪustralia still feeling the effects of Tim Cahill's goal vs.
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