The final game against Croatia in Stuttgart was a wonderful night. What are your memories of qualifying for the knock-out stages?
That night felt like a victory, but it was actually a draw. It should have been a 3-2 victory but Graham Poll blew the whistle a second before we scored at the end. However, we knew a draw would be enough to take us through. It was a real rollercoaster ride for the 95 minutes of the game. We conceded an early goal through a fantastic free-kick before I equalised from the penalty spot.

Describe your emotions at scoring such a crucial goal?
I knew it was a big moment because it meant we would go in at half-time all level and gain the momentum to get the result we needed. I wasn’t nervous when I stepped up to the penalty spot; I knew I wanted to make good contact, and then the goalkeeper made it easier for me by diving so early, so I put it down the middle. As soon as I struck it I knew it was in, and seeing it hit the back of the net was a fantastic moment. It was extra special scoring in front of the Australian fans who were wonderful throughout the whole tournament. We were back in the game and though we conceded again, we got the draw we needed with Harry’s goal. The truth is if we hadn’t have got out of the group stage, our tournament would have been considered a failure. It was a relief to avoid that.

How did it feel qualifying for the knock-out stages?
It was a brilliant, brilliant moment. We came out after the final whistle for a lap of honour to thank our fans, who were a different class in Germany. Walking around with all the Australian songs like Men At Work and AC/DC playing will live with me forever. That was one of the best moments of my career.

A few days later you experienced that agonising defeat to Italy...
We were extremely positive throughout the whole tournament, but when Italy went down to 10 men with 35 minutes remaining we didn’t ask enough questions of their defence. The Italians love to defend, they are the best in the world, and we couldn’t get them. It wasn’t immediately after the game but a few weeks later that I sat back and thought that we had such an amazing opportunity to progress in the World Cup. We were still feeling pretty confident in the last minute with the score at 0-0, but then the Italians won that penalty. I was devastated when the referee pointed at the spot.

How would you sum up the whole experience in Germany?
I am just tremendously proud about it, and have so many great memories. I loved it from the moment we arrived to the moment we left. OK, it wasn’t our time, but we came away from the tournament with the world knowing we had a good side who could really play the game. We put ourselves on the map. I came away with a few souvenirs; I got Gennaro Gattuso’s shirt from the Italy game, and Dado Prso’s shirt from the Croatia game because I played with both of them for Rangers. I’ve also still got my Australian jersey from the Croatia game, which was signed by all the guys. I intend to get it framed and stick it on the wall. Looking at it will always bring back good memories.