If Wednesday’s game concludes in similar circumstances to 2005, Irvine may not be the man to re-produce a John Aloisi moment.

“I don’t even know if I was watching to be honest,” he said.

“I was probably crouching on the ground with my head in my hands. I get so nervous watching penalties.

“Wherever you were watching that game remembers it.

“That’s the kind of moment we have the chance to recreate, where people will remember where they were.”

Irvine’s current club boss, Leonid Slutsky, is a former Russia national team boss who is a native of the country which will host next year’s World Cup.

The Socceroo said he hadn’t chatted with Slutsky about Russia with a view to the World Cup just yet.

“Not at all. I spoke to him briefly after the Confederations Cup, having been in Russia during that time,” Irvine said.

“He’d actually watched a couple of my games, which is part of the reason he signed me!

“We’re fully focused on this game first of all. Obviously it’s a long road ahead after that. We fully believe we’re good enough to get ourselves through the game.”