Jamie Carragher has predicted that Japan, Australia, Iran, South Korea and Saudi Arabia will all finish bottom of their groups in the World Cup.
Cannot wait for some of these nations to prove that Asian football does not deserve this level of disrespect from European pundits.
Over 75,000 people confirmed at England vs Colombia at Stadium Australia.
Let me rephrase that. 75,000 individuals at a women's football match in Australia not involving an Australian team. This World Cup just continues to amaze me.
#ENGCOL
#FIFAWWC
Forget sport, I can't remember any single THING in general that has united Australia like the Matildas have during this tournament.
What they are doing is truly special. People will never forget this.
#AUSFRA
#FIFAWWC
My sister’s high school (all girls) is literally doing a Matildas day tomorrow where every student has to wear something Matildas related.
I can’t even believe we’re living in this type of reality. The support for the team is now transcending sport itself.
This Australia Cup Final should have been a celebration of Australian football, instead it's tainting it.
The Ustaše symbols and chants, the disrespect to the Welcome to Country and anthem. There's no place for it. Serious talks need to be had before we concretise the NSD.
Is this a dream? This can’t actually be happening.
Worst Socceroos team in history they said. Couldn’t qualify they said. Couldn’t score a goal they said. Couldn’t win a game they said. Well guess what, we’re through to the fucking knockouts!!!
#AUSDEN
Melbourne Victory's passionate active support 'Original Style Melbourne' have announced that they will be staging a walk-out in the 20th minute of this weekend's Melbourne Derby.
This is a massive thing to do. The APL have no idea what they've got themselves into.
No excuses to not support the A-League now. The league’s imprints are all over that Socceroos team which beat Denmark and Tunisia.
Come experience authentic football culture every week. It’s a good standard and most importantly it is OURS.
#AUSDEN
Over 11 million people reached for last night's Matildas match. ELEVEN MILLION. ELEVEN.
No other sport in this country is capable of doing this. Football is special and the Matildas are special. Will never forget the way they've united the country.
#FIFAWWC
That has got to be the closest goal line technology decision I have ever seen in my life.
Football is a game of inches and on this occasion, a game of millimetres. Completely insane.
#SWEUSA
#FIFAWWC
Aaron Mooy has been nothing short of superb since coming on. Passing range, one touch passing, high tempo and getting stuck in when he has to.
The Celtic fans pretending he's not good need to start appreciating this champagne footballer.
The only teams that Australia lost to at the World Cup were the two sides that made the final of the tournament.
That is pretty cool. Representative of just how good the Socceroos were.
Celtic fans everywhere talking about the quality of the A-League and how underrated it is. Some even saying that Sydney (6th in A-L) would be 3rd best in Scotland.
As I always say, our league is held in better regard overseas than here. We have great football in our backyard.
5.54 million Australians reached for last night's Women's World Cup Final between England and Spain.
I think we've become desensitised to it by now, but these numbers for women's football and for games not involving Australia are still just phenomenal.
#FIFAWWC
It's almost baffling that AFC as a region is still underrated.
In 2018, Iran were 1 point off making it through the group with Spain and Portugal. A poor Japan team almost beat Belgium in the knockouts. South Korea also beat Germany.
34,200 people at Allianz Stadium for the Sydney Derby.
That is the largest A-League crowd since the 2018/19 season. Last season was rock bottom for the league, but you better believe we are making a rebound.
#SYDvWSW
The whole world talking about Australia’s win against Tunisia.
The whole world in awe of the scenes in Fed Square, George St and outside the stadium. Not bad for a country without a football culture.
#TUNAUS
The ratings for this game, particularly during the shootout, are going to be as off the charts as it gets.
That is an all-time historic moment in Australian sport. I am still in disbelief.
#AUSFRA
#FIFAWWC
Costa Rica literally scraped through to the World Cup with 33% of the ball against a 10-man New Zealand team yet this guy thinks they're going to finish above Japan💀
So ridiculous honestly.
Australia's reputation as a footballing country has increased massively at this tournament. Not just on the pitch but off it as well.
People who never knew we enjoyed football are now seeing it. The people who said Australia isn't a football country look very silly now.
Australia are out of the World Cup, losing 2-1 to Argentina.
Overwhelming feeling is pride. Every player tried their absolute guts out and we almost equalised towards the end. This is only the beginning for football in Australia. We are back.
#ARGAUS
An absolutely disgrace. Embarrassing as a host of this tournament. One of the worst results for an Australian national team in recent times.
#AUSvNGA
#FIFAWWC
Following their victory against Denmark, Australia have climbed to 27th in the world on the live FIFA World Rankings.
This is the highest that the Socceroos have been in the rankings since they were ranked 25th in September 2012. Insane.
Australians love Aboriginal people until they dare raise their voices about social injustice.
Adam Goodes was racially abused into retirement for daring to speak up. It's okay to be Aboriginal until you want to use your voice.
Danny Vuković has a save percentage of 36% in the A-League this season. That is by far the lowest of any goalkeeper in the league this season.
For context, Mitch Langerak's save percentage was 72% last season in J1. Joe Gauci's is 71% this season.
"I’m passionate about football, I loved it, but I happened to live in a country where they didn't share that…I’ve been craving this my whole life, this is where I want to be and this is what I want to be a part of".
That resonates so much with any football fans in Australia.
Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou reflects on winning the cinch Premiership and looks ahead to the future! 💚
P.s watch out for THAT tackle from a security guard🤣
🚨I understand that Melbourne Victory are close to securing an agreement to sign former Manchester United star and Portuguese international Nani on a marquee deal ahead of the upcoming season.
A huge coup for the club and the A-Leagues as a whole.
It’s important to recognise the cultural barriers that the Matildas are breaking down with their performances.
Young girls have so many heroes to look up to. But young boys are fully invested in watching the country’s best female athletes. It’s revolutionary and great to see.
Via
@Copa90
on Instagram📸
The moment that Australia made it through to the knockout stage of a World Cup for the first time since 2006. The best moment of my entire life.
#AUSDEN
This was an article that I didn’t want to have to write. But it’s necessary.
Last night’s behaviour tarnished Australian football and it must inform future discussions about the NSD, particularly given the context that surrounds support for the Ustaše.
Just clocked that it's actually 2023. Which means it's actually the year that we will be hosting a World Cup on home soil.
Make no mistake, the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup is the biggest sporting event held in Australia since the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
There’s going to be European clubs circling for a number of our players after this tournament.
Souttar of course, but I’d like to think Baccus and Rowles can make the next step up too.
#ARGAUS
I just want to crawl into a ball and cry to be honest.
I never thought I would ever be embarrassed to call myself a football fan and a staunch supporter of the game in Australia. But I am. I am absolutely embarrassed.
#MelbDerby
It is absolutely farcical that a sport with the participation numbers of football does not receive the funding that matches that of sports with far less participation numbers.
I'm not sure if there's a legitimate reason for this or whether it is, in fact, merely prejudice.
Footage shows that a flare was thrown at Tom Glover. Not just towards the pitch, but actually at the Melbourne City goalkeeper.
Absolutely disgusting. There is a serious problem with a group of Melbourne Victory fans who continue to think doing things like that is okay.
Ange Postecoglou being nominated for Best FIFA Men’s Manager is absolutely insane.
We’ve been desensitised to it, but what he’s done in the last 5-10 years is nothing short of incredible. Unprecedented for an Australian, in fact.
Genuinely one of the best national team performances in recent memory.
Under so much pressure and every single player delivered with aplomb. Foord and Catley exceptional on the left. Hunt rock solid at the back and Cooney-Cross so tidy in midfield.
#CANvAUS
#FIFAWWC
Why is it that when football fans do mildly wrong things, it's always framed as a disgrace and an excuse to cancel Fed Square etc?
When fans of other codes get into brawls at games it's reported as it should be. Dumb people doing dumb things. Where's that attitude for football?
Gallese saved the first penalty and guessed the right way on the second one. After Redmayne yeeted the bottle over the fence, Gallese only picked the right way once.
Pure unadulterated genius that played a seminal role in our qualification for the World Cup.
Genuinely amazes me that people will go out of their way to proudly parade their ignorance and lack of knowledge.
Not knowing the Matildas players isn't something to be proud of. There's been wall to wall coverage of the team for weeks. You clearly just dont care.
#FIFAWWC
After watching almost every group stage game either in the ground or on the tele, this would probably be my World Cup Team of the Group Stage.
Some ridiculously hard decisions and some players who've performed incredibly well have been left out. I think this is fair though.
Pretty cool that Harry Souttar has walked his way straight into the Leicester starting XI.
Even better that he’s actually playing a key role in making the side stronger as well. Good performance in a 4-1 victory against Spurs overnight.
Like clockwork, the anti-football media jumps off the bandwagon as quick as they jumped on and look to bring the sport down with them.
Here's a novel idea: how about we just celebrate the Matildas and the once in a lifetime tournament that this country has hosted?
Japan just finished top of Group E ahead of Spain and Germany. Australia made it through Group D ahead of Denmark.
Asian football needs to get the respect it deserves. Over the past few years, the confederation has improved massively and the discourse deserves to reflect that.
Jamie Carragher has predicted that Japan, Australia, Iran, South Korea and Saudi Arabia will all finish bottom of their groups in the World Cup.
Cannot wait for some of these nations to prove that Asian football does not deserve this level of disrespect from European pundits.
Absolutely disgusting that media organisations are now attempting to besmirch A-League fan groups after fans flocked to Fed Square to celebrate the Matildas.
Melbourne has some of the most passionate football fans in the country and yet the media treats the sport with contempt.
Say whatever you want about Graham Arnold, but his heart truly bleeds for this country and this team.
You can tell how much it means to him. It's beautiful.
#AUSvPER
I know everyone else has been saying it as well but seriously just fund the fucking sport now.
Yes, fund Women’s sport but prioritise football. Let’s remember that it’s a football team that has united the country, and the funding should reflect that.
#AUSENG
#FIFAWWC
A total of THREE (!!) AFC nations make it through to the Round of 16 while only Brazil and Argentina made it through from CONMEBOL.
Peru also failed to beat Australia to qualify. Maybe CONMEBOL should be stripped of World Cup slots in favour of more AFC countries😉
The APL is doubling down on the A-League GF being held in Sydney. Honestly feel like they have to read the room a bit better.
Fans are beyond mad, they are apoplectic at this decision. The A-League thrives on a small number of hardcore fans, we cannot afford to lose them.
Since I was a kid, I dreamed of going on a football trip at the end of Yr12. COVID ruined that. The logical next step was to plan for the World Cup.
At times during the tough lockdown, I thought that'd get ruined as well. Tonight I'm flying to Qatar for the World Cup. Buzzing.
Mainstream media embarking on an A-League witch-hunt for something completely trivial as they seek to take the shine off an incredible weekend for the league.
If there wasn't already enough evidence that the A-League is back, here it is.
Moore Park's memorial footbridge has been damaged after fighting fans spilled from the stands into the streets around Allianz Stadium.
Police were forced to break up the angry crowds who turned on each other after the Sydney Derby.
@SophieUpcroft
#9News
"One of the reasons of me being here is to try bring more quality to the league and more experience," said Nani.
"[I will] try to help the young talents improve their quality and their mentality as well."
He's here for the right reasons.
Harry Souttar on Instagram:
“Hopefully now the proper funding will be put in place for grassroots levels to make football accessible for all no matter what the background”.
Well said by one of the pillars of the World Cup campaign. Need to put pressure on these decision makers.
I'm so gutted. All of the effort we all put in to grow the game in this country just goes away with stuff like this.
This gives people the opportunity to reinforce antiquated stereotypes about our game and its fans. Just so disappointing.
#MelbDerby
According to Oztam data, last night’s
#Matildas
game was Seven’s biggest program so far in 2023.
Safe to say that the Matildas have captured the hearts of the wider Australian public, and not just diehard football fans.
Last night's Matildas match reached 6.54 million people across the country with an average audience of 3.56 million.
For context, last year's AFL Grand Final reached 5.76 million with an average audience of 3.06 million. I think they call this football fever.
#AUSDEN
#FIFAWWC
Was just chatting to a Tunisian who said Australia doesn’t have a football culture and that they’ll win 2-0.
Games like this on the world stage give us an opportunity to show everyone across the world what we’re about.
#TUNAUS
Socceroos absolutely dominating the front page of the Herald Sun in Melbourne.
Honestly never thought I’d see the day. As I’ve said, the Socceroos unite Australia better than anything else. Would be the country’s biggest ever sporting achievement if we beat Argentina.
Honestly, that's probably the ugliest thing I've ever seen happen in football.
There's going to be way more fans that walk away from the league as a result of that than the debacle the APL caused earlier this week. We just can't have nice things can we.
#MelbDerby
One thing that I'd like to see in wake of the Socceroos World Cup campaign is more focus on getting younger kids (13-18) to become A-League fans.
A lot of people in this bracket support the PL and watch the World Cup. Offer them free tickets, run clinics at schools. Would work.
The AFL and the NRL have cultures of fans of other teams attending the GF even if their team isn't playing.
I understand that the APL is probably trying to build that, but the fact is that culture does not exist in the A-League. Fans won't attend if their team isn't playing.
I don’t know who needs to hear this and I don’t care if he’s washed up, but if an A-League club signed Luis Suárez it’d be the biggest signing in the league’s history.
He is one of the best attackers of the last 15 years. Not sure if it’s possible, but would be game changing.
The next 12 months in Australian football:
⚽️World Cup in summer without AFL + NRL
🍻Friendly kick-off times
🔥Chance of making it through the group
🗣️Asian Cup in June 2023
✅Hosting a Women's World Cup
This is set to be the biggest year that Australian football has ever had.
I don't think I've seen something like this before. We've got fans all across the country decrying the decision as well as some of the most high-profile ALM and ALW players.
There's surely no way this decision can survive backlash as vociferous as this. The fans will win.
This Tunisia game is going to be ridiculous back home. 9pm kick-off, Fed Square pumping, pubs rammed and millions of people watching across the country.
Massive opportunity for the Socceroos to re-instil some optimism into Australian football. Hopefully we keep the dream alive.
A lot of players getting plaudits and rightfully so, but I’d like to single out Keanu Baccus.
Played in multiple positions when he came onto the pitch and his energy, composure and tenacity was crucial to us winning the game.
#AUSDEN
I feel crazy. I actually think we have a chance of getting a result against France in a few days.
World Cups give us a chance to dare to dream after all. A win against Les Bleus would send Sokkah Twitter into the biggest meltdown of all time.
Eyes glued to the screen across the country. Boys and girls. Young and old. All holding their breathe as Cortnee Vine steps up to send us to the World Cup semi-final.
Australia is a football nation and don't ever fucking tell me that it is not ever again.
#AUSFRA
#FIFAWWC
I'm an Indigenous person and like most other Indigenous people, I will be voting YES in the referendum.
Aboriginal voices matter and deserve to be heard, particularly on issues concerning Aboriginal people. This is quite literally what this referendum will achieve.
#Yes23
Too many individual errors tonight unfortunately. Carpenter for the 2nd goal and Gorry for the 3rd goal.
When the stakes are high, errors like these get punished with ease.
#AUSENG
#FIFAWWC
When Aaron Mooy signed for Celtic, I remember saying that he has the ability to be the best player in the league when fit.
There's no more eyebrows being raised anymore. Since the World Cup, he has been the best player in Scotland. Just superb week after week.
Nobody really knows what the Aussie DNA is.
But I’ll tell you what, if the Aussie DNA is rocking up in front of a raucous Tunisia crowd and winning our first World Cup in 12 years then I’m pretty fucking proud to have a piece of that Aussie DNA.
#TUNAUS
A couple of idiots completely ruin the entire purpose of the protest.
Just so dumb. The reaction to this is going to be shocking and as it should be to be honest.
#MelbDerby
All the Asian teams are officially out of the World Cup. What a tournament it has been for the AFC though. Reflective of the progress made by Asian football in recent years.
The 2024 Asian Cup is the next hurdle for the Socceroos and we must do everything to compete for that.
Domestic football in Australia will be so much better when clubs realise the incentive of developing their own talent and creating a pathway for them to play in the first team.
Adelaide continue to do that and continue to reap the rewards financially and with crowds.
Socceroos front and centre of every media organisation that I can think of right now.
Redmayne’s reaction and Arnold’s substitution making waves worldwide. This is football. And this is how it should be.
#AUSvPER
Hate to say it, but Australia actually gave Argentina a better fight than the Netherlands have.
Van Gaal's side have genuinely struggled to carve out any meaningful opportunities for the entire game.
#NEDARG
Clearly, there is enough love for football in this country to sustain the sport well into the future. You can see the passion and love at all the live sites.
The next step and the hardest one, is attempting to convert these people into fans of the A-League and domestic football.