i have never before screamed at a game of soccer, but i did tonight. three times if i recall correctly.

i’m still not entirely sure i understand what happened at the end there because the australia vs croatia game was on the ‘alternate’ channel, so we cut away to commercials essentially 2 minutes after the whistle blew with no replays. infact, almost as soon as the third australian goal (which didn’t count) hit the back of the net, we went to a closeup shot of the ref handing out more cards, so i didn’t even get to see the celebrations.

i think, and i’m still not sure, that the ref had already called time when the shot was made, hence the goal not counting. i screamed, because i thought we’d scored again to make it a win instead of a draw, then had an immediate letdown as i realised it hadn’t been counted, only to see in a wave of confusion that the match was over. by that time i’d already done my emotional dash. i actually wouldn’t be surprised of most of the australians in the stadium were left without a spontaneous response to our qualification, after the scrum and confusion at the end.

tonight i think we played some of our best football of the competition, particularly in the first half. we got stung yet again in the first few minutes of the game, by a super free kick by kovac. i don’t think there was much that kalac could have done to stop it, and i reckon there’ll be plenty of debate about schwarzer’s ability to have stopped it, but i don’t think he’d have got it either.

it’s almost like if we don’t have a lead to chase, we don’t know exactly what to do with ourselves. we need waking up.

the second half wasn’t quite as good as the first, but i think croatia put more pressure on and that may have contributed. in the first half we seemed to have midfield really nicely controlled, and in the second that seemed to slip a bit. our passes didn’t find their mark as often as in the first and we weren’t able to mount as much pressure as a result.

josh kennedy looks to have turned the game once again, not by getting up above the croatians and scoring goals, but by getting up above them and causing them problems in controlling the high balls as easily as they had done previously. it was his height not long after being sent on that caused croatia difficulties with the ball that was played down for kewell to equalise.

and speaking of, what a perfect time for harry to finally find the back of the net. viduka looked good yet went goalless again and harry looked very much the same. both of them look be lacking touch just a little bit, and end up trying to do too much with the ball before getting off a shot and subsequently losing posession. there was a prime example of harry on an awesome long run straight through the heart of midfield, played himself into an open position, tried a piroet to get himself a bit more space instead of just taking the shot, and ended up leaving the ball behind.

all that was forgotten though at about 78 minutes when he knocked home the equaliser, and i probably frightened our neighbours.

in the last ten minutes we did everything possible in trying to lose ourselves the game, and horrible horrible memories of dying minute collapses came flooding back, and i’m sure not just for me, but this time it was different. the football gods were on our side for a change and this time, somehow, we managed to keep the ball out despite some truly ineffective clearing and eventually get it up the other end where the last minute whirlwind of ‘what the hell?’ happened.

overall the refereeing was pretty good, although i’m still mystified by a few decisions and there was a very obvious second handball (by the same guy who committed the first i think) which was missed. the last few minutes degenerated though, which given the pace of the first 80, could almost be forgiven. bad news for australia is that brett emerton, who had a great game on the right flank, will miss the next game after picking up further yellow cards, both of which i think were a bit silly. emerton was looking amazingly pacey in the second half, breaking free a number of times up the right with the only problem i think being that nobody could keep up with him in support.

and so we’re through, with the job to do against italy next. whilst not setting the tournament on fire so far, italy have looked pretty solid and more attacking than we have come to expect under what i believe is a new(ish) coach. again i’ve got to say, if we go down to an early goal to italy, we’re going to be in trouble.

australia seems to be growing with every game, and i see no reason that we can’t take the game to italy. i hope like hell that we do, and i forsee more yelling at the television in my immediate future.

i think i need to go and have a lie down now.