Osasuna 1 vs Athletic Bilbao 1
Estadio San Mamés, Bilbao, May 5, 2002
“That was special because that was my first year in Spain. It was the second to last game in the season and if we got a point we were safe and Athletic Bilbao needed to win to make the UEFA Cup. Bilbao are a big Basque club [a region in northern Spain with its own language and culture] and they have all Basque players in the team and a lot of the players used to play at Osasuna beforehand so it’s a funny kind of rivalry.

It’s a derby – they hate each other the two clubs – and it was at Athletic’s ground, full house with 38,000 people. They were winning 1-0 and I ended up equalising with about five minutes to go.

We had a lot of men in the box near the end of the game and a ball was played in. A team-mate headed it down and I controlled it on the half-turn and then whacked it in. It wasn’t a great goal – just a striker’s goal. Without even looking where the goal was

I knew where it’d be so it was a case of control it and shoot. It was an instinctive strike.

There was so much relief because we were safe and it being my first year at the club made it even more special. The crowd went crazy because there were quite a few away supporters there too. [Laughs] And funnily enough I did the same celebration that I did for the Uruguay penalty because at the time you didn’t get a yellow card if you took off your top. The shirt was off and I was running around.

I was the toast of Pamplona [where Osasuna play] as it was the second year they were in the top flight and they were just trying to build into a good club and going down would’ve set them back. And since then they have grown and grown.

To score a goal that is significant like that, it makes you feel part of the club’s history. To be seen as the player that saved the team that year – even though it didn’t really “save” the team because the whole team played that year and it wasn’t just that one goal – it’s special. People still see you as the saviour. And you form a good relationship with the players and the fans after that.”

Australia 3 vs Germany 4
Confederations Cup, Commerzbank Arena, Frankfurt, June 15, 2005
“This was only about two or three days after the Copa Del Rey [story on next page]. It was in Germany in front of a full house in Frankfurt. It was disappointing to let in four goals but to score three against Germany at home is an achievement.

The first goal that I scored made it 2-2. Josip Skoko received the ball from a throw in and he looked at me as I made a run and he slipped it to me perfectly. I knew where the goal was but I wasn’t facing the goal –

I was running across it from left to right. But without looking I hit it towards the far post and because I hit it low and hard, Oliver Kahn couldn’t get down in time.

In those situations you have to go on instinct. You know where the goal is. If you take a touch you know the keeper will have enough time to come out and close you down so you have to hit it first time.

The second goal was also another Skoko assist. It was another great pass from Josip. I was left one-on-one with Kahn, I tried to get it under him and he saved it but it came back to me and I hit it under him again.”Osasuna 1 vs Real Betis 2 [extra-time]
Copa Del Rey, Vicente Calderón Stadium, Madrid, June 11, 2005
“That game was great because it was the first time the club had ever made a final. It was an unbelievable atmosphere in the stadium because our supporters were just frightening. There were 30,000 of our fans and about 25-30,000 Betis supporters all packed into Athletico Madrid’s ground. It was quite a night.

I scored in the last five minutes again and it was at the side of the Osasuna supporters. It was a cross to the back post and I went around the back stick and headed it down. When I headed it the keeper was right in front of me and he was closing down the angles. By the time the ball got to me there was only really one place to head it and I ended up hitting that spot. When the net moved the crowd just went crazy.

We lost the game 2-1 in extra-time so when you look back you think it doesn’t mean much but to the fans it was so significant. It had the same impact for them as the goal I scored for Australia against Uruguay had for Australian fans.

Do you know how many fans came up to me to talk to me about that goal? I was in pre-season camp with Alaves – not Osasuna – in America and people from Pamplona who lived out there came up to me and said, “Do you know how happy you made me feel that day? You gave us that feeling we could win” and I said, “Yeah but we lost” and they said, “But for one moment there we were crying and so happy…”

And it’s the same feeling I get with people over here when they talk to me about the penalty against Uruguay. That was my last goal for Osasuna before I left for Alaves and I went back there two years later to watch one of their games in the UEFA Cup and the crowd started singing my name. It means a lot to a player to go back to an ex-club and be so well received by the fans.”

Australia 2 vs Argentina 4
Confederations Cup, Frankenstadion, Nuremburg, June 18, 2005
“The game was against Argentina who were playing so well at the time. The first goal was a penalty and it was a good strike but the keeper still got a hand to it. I hit it quite firmly and I think that’s why it went in despite the touch.

The second goal came when they were up a couple of goals and that’s another thing that’s important as a striker: you need to be switched on all the time. If a defender makes a mistake then you have to pounce on it and if you’re not ready for it then chances will pass you by.

The defender got a bit confident and tried to chest the ball back to the keeper from a cross and it didn’t work. It was an easy tap in for me.

I won the Bronze Boot for the tournament having scored four goals. I was equal with Michael Ballack but because he got more assists he was ranked higher than me, which was strange. [Smiles] In the end he played more games so it should go on goal ratio and I’d be second!”

Australia 1 vs Uruguay 0 (4:2 on penalties)
World Cup qualifier second leg, Telstra Stadium, Sydney, November 16, 2005
“I don’t even need to explain that one as I’m sure everyone’s heard it so many times. But yeah, of course that was special!

I was confident as I was going to take the penalty. It was one of those things that you just thought on the night that is was going to go your way. The day before the game we all had a penalty each and then after training I said to Lucas Neill, “Let’s go up this end and practise penalties” because

I knew I was on the bench and thought I would be on if it looks like it’s going to a penalty shoot-out. That was a possibility because Uruguay were good in defence and if we were going to score it wasn’t going to be two or three, it might only be the one.

So it was something in my mind in the days before the match. And you do think about things like that before the match. We were joking around, asking where people’s family was going to be sitting so I knew where to run when I scored the winning goal. Stuff like that. It’s joking around but you’re also thinking that it could happen. So when I was practising those penalties with Lucas it was five in the same corner because I was thinking you have to pick a spot with a penalty and stick with it. If you change your mind that’s when you confuse yourself and you don’t take a good penalty. I hit them all perfectly.

The next day, the only time I really got nervous was when Viduka missed his penalty. I thought, “Shit, this is going to get close now and it might come down to me now as the fifth penalty.” But then Schwarzer saved the next one and the confidence slowly came back and there were no nerves.

There was such a roar when Schwarzy saved it, but if you look at the pictures I was already two or three metres ahead of the rest of the lads making my way to the penalty spot. They’re all smiling and I’ve got this straight face concentrating on what I had to do. I was just walking towards the ball – I didn’t even realise who was around me or hear any noise from the crowd.

I did think, “You’re going to take Australia to the World Cup. Do exactly what you did yesterday and you’ll take Australia to the World Cup.”

When I hit the ball it’s sort of like playing golf, I keep my head down through the motion. Because if you hit the ball and you lift your head at the same time, then it can go anywhere. So I didn’t see where the keeper was diving until I looked up and saw the net move – I didn’t see the ball go into the net, I just saw the net move – and then I saw the keeper on the floor and I knew we’d won. And then everyone knows how I celebrated!”