Despite the jet lag, thousands of Australian supporters gathered in the middle of the night this Wednesday evening in Melbourne, to follow on the giant screen installed in Federal Square, the Socceroos' last match against the Vikings of Denmark, during the Global in Qatar.
Far from being the favorites, the Australians finally created a surprise by beating the Danes 1-0, thanks to an impeccable cross shot from midfielder Mathew Leckie in the 60th minute.
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At this moment, it is the explosion of joy in Melbourne.
The supporters, in fury, had to wait another 30 minutes before releasing the smoke bombs.
At the final whistle, it's 4 am in Federal Square and Melbourne's main square is literally on fire.
Scenes of jubilation worthy of a victory in the World Cup final… Because it had been 16 years since the national team reached an 8th final at a World Cup!
Australia had only known the thrill of knockout matches so far, in 2006. The adventure ended in the eighth round against future world champions Italy (1-0).
This time, the Socceroos will have to outdo themselves against Messi's Argentina this Saturday, to hope to win a ticket for the quarterfinals.
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