Australia national football (soccer) team season 2005

The 2005 season saw the Australian national football team playing twelve senior matches, in what proved to be a difinitive season for the recent history of the men's senior national side. The games included participating in the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup in Germany, and a dramatic end to a 34 year absence from the FIFA World Cup, by qualifying via penalty shoot-out for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

After six years in charge of the Australian side, a disappointing 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup campaign saw coach Frank Farina replaced by the more experienced Dutchman Guus Hiddink, who was appointed to try to see Australia qualify for the World Cup finals, and take them through that campaign should they succeed.

Australia v South Africa

Australia kicked off their 2005 season with an away friendly against southern hemisphere rivals South Africa. Coach Frank Farina said he wanted the team to treat it as an away FIFA World Cup qualifier, to get a feel for the campaign later in the year. Once again, European based stars such as Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka were absent.

The match was disappointing and interrupted by a severe electrical storm which forced both sides to try and play a long ball game, and the match soon stagnated into a stalemate.

footballbox|date = February 9, 2005
19:45

team1 = fb-rt|AUS |score = 1 – 1|team2 = fb|RSA |goals1 =Chipperfield goal|71 |goals2 = McCarthy goal|12 |stadium = ABSA Stadium, Durban, South Africa
Attendance:
Referee: Lin Kee Chong

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Australia v Iraq

footballbox|date = March 26, 2005
19:45

team1 = fb-rt|AUS |score = 3 – 1|team2 = fb|IRQ |goals1 =Bresciano goal|22
Elrich goal|72 |goals2 = Nasir goal|11 |stadium = Telstra Stadium, Sydney, Australia
Attendance: 30,258
Referee: Peter O'Leary NZ

----

Australia v Indonesia

footballbox|date = March 29, 2005
19:45

team1 = fb-rt|AUS |score = 3 – 0|team2 = fb|INA |goals1 =Milicic goal|24,57
Zdrillic goal|85 |goals2 = |stadium = Subiaco Oval, Perth, Australia
Attendance: 13,719
Referee: Hirofumi Yamanishi JPN ----

Australia v New Zealand

footballbox|date = June 9, 2005
19:45

team1 = fb-rt|AUS |score = 1 – 0|team2 = fb|NZ |goals1 =Colosimo goal|87
Moore yel|? |goals2 = |stadium = Craven Cottage, London, England
Attendance: 9,023
Referee: Mike Dean ENG

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2005 FIFA Confederations Cup

GROUP A

footballbox|date = June 15, 2005
21:00

team1 = fb-rt|GER |score = 4 – 3|team2 = fb|AUS |goals1 =Kurányi goal|17 Mertesacker goal|23 Ballack goal|60|pen. Podolski goal|88|goals2 = Skoko goal|21 Aloisi goal|31 goal|90+2|stadium = Waldstadion, Frankfurt, Germany
Attendance: 46,466
Referee: Carlos Amarilla PAR

footballbox|date = June 18, 2005
20:45

team1 = fb-rt|AUS |score = 2 – 4|team2 = fb|ARG |goals1 =Aloisi goal|61|pen. goal|70|goals2 = Figueroa goal|12 goal|53 goal|89 Riquelme goal|31|pen. |stadium = Frankenstadion, Nuremberg, Germany
Attendance: 25,218
Referee: Shamsul Maidin SIN

footballbox|date = June 21, 2005
20:45

team1 = fb-rt|AUS |score = 0 – 2|team2 = fb|TUN |goals1 =|goals2 =Santos goal|26 goal|70 |stadium = Zentralstadion, Leipzig, Germany
Attendance: 44,337
Referee: Carlos Chandía CHI

"Brazil won the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup."----

2006 FIFA World Cup Qualification

FIRST ROUNDfootballbox|date=September 3, 2005
19:30 |team1=fb-rt|AUS |score=7–0 |team2=fb|SOL |goals1=Culina 20'
Viduka 36', 43'
Cahill 57'
Chipperfield 64'
Thompson 68'
Emerton 89'|goals2=|stadium=Telstra Stadium, Sydney, Australia
Attendance: 16,000
Referee: Mohd Salleh MAS |report= [http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/t/mr/mr38581.html (Report)]

footballbox|date=September 6, 2005
13:00 |team1=fb-rt|SOL |score=1–2 |team2=fb|AUS |goals1=Fa'arodo 49'|goals2=Thompson 19'
Emerton 58'|stadium=Lawson Tama, Honiara, Solomon Islands
Attendance: 16,000
Referee: Maidin SIN |report= [http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/t/mr/mr38582.html (Report)]

"fb|AUS won 9-1 on aggregate and advanced to the Oceania-CONMEBOL playoff against fb|URU."----

Australia v Jamaica

footballbox|date = October 9, 2005
19:45

team1 = fb-rt|AUS |score = 5 – 0|team2 = fb|JAM |goals1 =Bresciano goal|3
Thompson goal|29
Viduka goal|48
J.Aloisigoal|58
Griffithsgoal|85 |goals2 = |stadium = Craven Cottage, London, England
Attendance: 6,570
Referee: Mike Riley ENG ----

2006 FIFA World Cup Qualification

SECOND ROUNDfootballbox
date = November 12, 2005
team1 = fb-rt|URU
score = 1–0
report = [http://fifaworldcupgermany2006.blogspot.com/2005_11_13_archive.html (Report)]
team2 = fb|AUS
goals1 = D.Rodríguez Goal|37
goals2 =
stadium = Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay
Attendance: 55,000
Referee: Larsen DEN

footballbox
date = November 16, 2005
team1 = fb-rt|AUS
score = 1–0 (AET)
(4–2 PSO)
report = [http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/futbol/match?id=190062 (Report)]
team2 = fb|URU
goals1 = M.Bresciano Goal|35
goals2 =
stadium = Telstra Stadium, Sydney, Australia
Attendance: 82,698
Referee: Medina Cantalejo ESP

penshootoutbox
penalties1 =
H.Kewell: scored pengoal

L.Neill: scored pengoal

T.Vidmar: scored pengoal

M.Viduka: missed penmiss

J.Aloisi: scored pengoal

penaltyscore = 4–2
penalties2 = penmiss D.Rodríguez: saved
pengoal G.Varela: scored
pengoal F.Estoyanoff: scored

"Australia qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup."