6 Matildas beat Brazil, De Vanna scores stunning volley

‘Matildas fever’ hit Penrith and Newcastle in September when the Aussie girls played two high-profile friendlies against the mighty Brazil, representing an opportunity to exact some revenge for their Rio Olympics defeat. The matches also came shortly after the Matildas’ Tournament of Nations triumph, meaning crowds of 15,089 and 16,829 attended. The Matildas won both matches, with Lisa De Vanna scoring a stunning volley in the opener.

5 Mooy clinches EPL promotion with plucky Huddersfield with clutch penalty

Socceroo Aaron Mooy enjoyed a remarkable 12 months in English football over the calendar year, winning a host of individual accolades such as his club's Player of the Year gong, but his biggest achievement was playing a leading role in Huddersfield’s unlikely promotion to the Premier League (marking their first time in the top flight since 1972) via the play-offs. Mooy was ice cool in the play-offs against Sheffield Wednesday and Reading, nailing spotkicks in both games which went down to penalty shootouts.

4 Cahill’s double in extra-time World Cup play-off win over Syria

Australia’s passage to the 2018 World Cup was a long one. The longest ever actually, with the side playing 22 matches. It may have ended on October 10 though, when the Socceroos took on Syria had it not been for then-37-year-old Tim Cahill who scored an heroic double, including an extra-time winner after the match ended 1-1 after 90 minutes.

Cahill’s 109th minute header was pivotal, but Syria came within centimetres of pinching progression when Omar Al Soma’s free-kick hit the post in the 120th minute. Cahill’s header was the big moment but the latter shouldn’t be forgotten.