Simon Hill rates his call of Australia’s historic 2006 World Cup win over Japan above the dramatic qualifying victory over Uruguay in 2005.
Hill delivered an iconic call of Tim Cahill's brace in the Socceroos' 3-1 victory against the Japanese in Kaiserslautern - Australia's maiden World Cup triumph.
“When I listen to that call, I prefer that a lot more to the Uruguay game, but I think there was genuine notes of astonishment in in my voice,” Hill told SEN's This Is Your Sporting Life thanks to Tobin Brothers Funerals.
The respected football broadcaster called the penalty shoot-out win over Uruguay alongside former Socceroo Craig Foster who was riding every pass and tackle throughout the night.
“At one point I had to actually hold his (Foster’s) hands together to stop him from clapping every good pass from a Socceroos player. He was so emotionally invested in it because he’d been through something similar himself in 1997 with the Iran game,” Hill said.
“It’s probably only when the full time whistle blew and I actually walked out of the commentary box into the maelstrom of 83,500 people celebrating that I fully comprehended the sheer relief of people and it was like weight being lifted off so many people’s shoulders. I understood it, I got it.
"But during that 120 minutes it was very difficult for me because I was trying to call the action as professionally as I could and I wasn’t only having to keep an eye on the action and call the names correctly but I was having to keep my co-commentator in tow.”