John Aloisi’s penalty to secure the Socceroos’ passage to the 2006 FIFA World Cup will go down as one of the most iconic moments in Australian sport
Aloisi showed nerves of steel to convert the winning spot kick in a tense penalty shoot-out win over Uruguay that ended Australia’s 32-year wait to qualify for a World Cup.
“As I hit it, I looked up and I can just see the ball going into the net,” Aloisi told SEN's This Is Your Sporting Life thanks to Tobin Brothers Funerals.
“I’m pretty sure it’s a goal but I’m not 100 per cent sure, so I ran off to start celebrating but my face was a little bit stunned.
“Until probably half a second later I’ve seen the net move and then the crowd just erupt, that’s when I knew it was definitely in.
“And then all the emotions came out.
“Ripping off my top wasn’t something planned but where I was running to was planned because I knew where my family and the families of my teammates were sitting.
“That was a special moment, too.”
Aloisi scored in a memorable 3-1 win over Japan in Australia's opening group stage match - the country's maiden World Cup victory.
The Socceroos went on to make the Round of 16 for the first time under Dutch coach Guus Hiddink.