Energised by a surprise victory over Turkey, Australian football fans gathered before dawn on Saturday in every capital city to watch the Socceroos take on the United States. Some pulled all-nighters, while others headed home from nightclubs or off to work, all united in their support.
Massive Turnout in Sydney and Melbourne
In Sydney's Darling Harbour, the roar of the crowd echoed across empty city streets ahead of the 5am kickoff. Over 12,000 fans attended, with hundreds watching from nearby hills and balconies after being turned away from the Tumbalong Park live site. Green and gold jerseys, scarves and beanies were everywhere, but not a single US flag was in sight.
Melbourne's Federation Square reached capacity an hour before kickoff, with police reporting 7,500 attendees. Another 8,900 gathered at AAMI Park. Police used horses for crowd control as fans pushed through barriers and lit flares, with no reported injuries.
Flares and Arrests
Close to a dozen flares illuminated Sydney's Tumbalong Park. Police arrested two 20-year-old men for lighting flares early in the second half, while another man, 20, was hit in the face by a flare and taken to St Vincent's Hospital. Teenagers and young men swarmed the barricade at Darling Harbour, chanting "wanker, wanker" as US players appeared on screen.
A calmer mood prevailed further back, where young couples, older fans and families with small children cheered along. Andrew Reis, watching with his wife, three young children and a family friend, described the viewing as "super safe, super chill." He added, "The flares were pretty fun to see. The only bad part is we're down by two."
Fans React to the Loss
Sally and Jodie, who didn't give their surnames, shared Reis's angst at the 2-0 halftime scoreline. "It's pretty tense and pretty frustrating," said Sally. "After last week, I thought maybe we were in for a bit of shock, but maybe this morning not feeling quite so confident." Jodie, a long-time Socceroos fan, remained hopeful after Nestory Irankunda, hero of the Turkey game, took the field. "It's a long way to come back from now," she said, adding she was grateful to swap watching matches in bed at 2am for a crowd in the morning.
Huss and his friends also came after an all-nighter, carrying Australian flags aloft. "Unfortunately we didn't get much of a chance to fly it because there's nothing really much to celebrate," Huss said. "I'm proud of the Aussies, how we brought it back in the second half, it was a tough day. We'll look to come back with Paraguay next week."
Prime Minister Weighs In
The first rays of sun lit the Sydney skyline at 6:30am, just as Irankunda was fouled while leading a comeback attempt. Venue staff and camera crews ducked for cover as outraged fans pelted water bottles at the screen. With little to celebrate, the crowd cheered loudest when US players were finally carded. The loudest boos came as referee Felix Zwayer suffered a cramp, after the German gave the Australians four yellow cards and 15 fouls.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese cheered the players' endurance and patience. "They played out the entire 90 minutes, plus six, plus a little bit extra for the referee getting cramp, something I haven't seen before," Albanese said.
By sunrise at 7am, the game was all but over. Lachlan Rixon, a joiner, left for work on a site near Circular Quay. He had met up with his friend Matthew Kontogiorgis, who had just left a nearby nightclub after a few vodka Red Bulls two hours earlier. "I pull an all-nighter, I say to the boys, 'Alright listen, I'm leaving here early so I can go down to the football,'" Kontogiorgis said.
– with AAP
