It is quickly becoming a caricature. Since Guus Hiddink took charge of Australia in July 2005,
wholesale jerseys from china, every competitive fixture he has been involved in has been labelled as one of the ‘most important games in the country's footballing history'.
After his initial ice-breakers against the Solomon Islands came the play-off matches with Uruguay. The rest is history. Following a tense penalty shoot-out in Sydney's Telstra Stadium, Hiddink's charges ended their 32-year absence from the world football's showpiece event.
Go to the Australia team page
Their first FIFA World Cup match since 1974 ended in delight. After going behind to a Shunsuke Nakamura strike, three second-half goals in eight minutes saw Australia triumph 3-1 . Hiddink's status as a tactical genius was further enhanced. Not only did the game witness Australia's first win in a FIFA World Cup, it also saw their first goals.
An expected, yet deeply disappointing, defeat to reigning world champions Brazil followed in Munich. Try as the Socceroos might, and did, they fell to goals from Adriano and Fred to leave their qualification hopes in the balance.
On Thursday, the next ‘most important game in the country's footballing history' takes place in Stuttgart. A win would see Australia through to the Round of 16, a draw may also be good enough,
cheap nfl jerseys, providing that Japan fail to beat Brazil in Dortmund. The fact that Hiddink and his squad are thinking in these terms represents a significant turnaround from the time the Final Draw was made.
Back in December 2005, many people thought that Australia would be certain to leave after the group stage, but in doing so, they grossly underestimated the talents of Hiddink and his committed group of players. Their endeavours have made such dreams attainable.
The Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion is the venue where the Australians will decide their fate. But the match is about much more than three points,
wholesale jerseys free shipping, in many respects it represents an emotional meeting between two teams with a shared past.
Seven members of the Australian squad - captain Mark Viduka, Jason Culina, Tony Popovic, Josip Skoko, Ante Covic, Zeljko Kalac and Marco Bresciano - were born in Australia but have Croatian roots. Meanwhile, three of the Croatians, Josip Simunic, Joe Didulica and Anthony Seric, were born and raised in Australia, but chose to play for the land where their parents were born.
"It's going to be a very emotional game for a lot of people," Australia's assistant coach Graham Arnold said. "There are a lot of Croatian-Australian people living in Australia who,
wholesale jerseys cheap, if we weren't playing each other, would be supporting Australia very much. There will be a lot of supporters who will be happy no matter which way the result goes.
"The Vidukas and the Kalacs, and the Croatian players as well, all know what it means to them and their families," Arnold said. "It's a big game for them, it's a big game for everybody,
wholesale nfl jerseys, but they're all professionals and once they get on the field, the only thing that matters is winning. I think it's going to be a cracking game."
Another on-field reunion sees defender Craig Moore come up against former team-mate Dado Prso ,
wholesale jerseys, Croatia's No.9. Although Croatia have failed to find the target in this edition of the FIFA World Cup so far, Moore is well aware of the threat his former colleague will pose.
"I played with Prso at Rangers and know what he can do," said Moore. "He is a big, awkward type of player. He is difficult to mark and he knows how to score goals. His record speaks for itself. He has been a success at Rangers and at Monaco before that and he has also done it at international level. He, more than anyone, will be looking to get his name on the scoresheet and we must try and make sure it doesn't happen.
"They need to beat us, so they will have to push men forward at some stage. It goes without saying that we want to get the right result. Our target from the start was to reach the knockout phase and we are so close to getting there. But Croatia are a very good side and we will achieve nothing if we are not prepared for a very tough game."
"The key thing about Thursday is that the whole situation is in our own hands. I guess when the draw was made; we always knew it would come down to this game. But we could not really have asked for any more than to be in this position."
The fact that Australia are still in with a shout of the knockout stage may be a surprise to some, but not the Socceroos themselves. With a target of the Round of 16 at least in their sights, few should doubt their ability to achieve their goal.
Read an interview with Croatia's Joey Didulica
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