If only the Socceroos bandwagon wouldn’t keep rolling away

Jackson Irvine was a fanatical Socceroos fan before he was a player, and he still is. When shown footage of the euphoria in Federation Square immediately after Australia’s 1-0 triumph over Tunisia on Saturday, his eyes widened.

“Jesus Christ. It’s hard even to ... I wish I was there as well. I wish I could do both,” he said. “That just looks absolutely incredible. And I hope every single one of them has had a night they’ll remember for the rest of their lives like I’ve had as a fan. Special.″⁣

A group hug for the Socceroos and for the nation. Credit:AP

Elsewhere in the Al Janoub stadium, Socceroos coach Graham Arnold was recalling his pre-match address. “I said to the boys, let’s put a smile on the nation’s face,” he said. “There’s two teams that bring the nation together, and that’s the Socceroos and the Matildas. When the Socceroos play at World Cups, AFL fans, rugby league fans, cricket fans, they all become football fans.″⁣

They certainly do. And they all had smiles on their faces on Saturday night as bright as the flares in Fed Square. We were all Socceroos. But the perennial challenge for Australian soccer is to harness this outpouring of love. It’s as tricky as ever.

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