![Job done: Belgium's Romelu Lukaku celebrates at the end of the World Cup group H match against Greece.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170904035956im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/y/a/1/9/6/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.gya174.png/1504476263266.jpg)
Belgium into World Cup, Dutch hopes stay alive
Belgium qualified for next year's World Cup with two games to spare when they won 2-1 away to Greece.
Belgium qualified for next year's World Cup with two games to spare when they won 2-1 away to Greece.
Socceroos midfielder Jackson Irvine says Australia won't leave anything to chance against Thailand.
There is no margin for error for Australia when it hosts Thailand on Tuesday night at AAMI Park.
A couple of years ago, he couldn't secure a place in the squad Ange Postecoglou chose for the Asian Cup.
Two brilliant strikes from Isco and a late goal from Alvaro Morata gave Spain a 3-0 win over Italy, to move into the driving seat for automatic qualification to the 2018 World Cup.
The Matildas will play Brazil in front of a bumper crowd of about 17,000 people this month after their clash at Penrith was announced as a sellout.
It's crunch time in the battle for a place at next year's World Cup and the Socceroos are battling on at least two fronts.
Before we all panic about Tuesday night and Australia's crucial World Cup qualifier against Thailand, let's stop, take a deep breath and remember.
Disgruntled critics suggest the man who has masterminded the national team for almost four years might now be past his sell by date.
Wayne Rooney has been charged with drink-driving after he was stopped behind the wheel of a Volks-wagen Beetle near his ??6 million home early yesterday (Friday) morning.
If columns could take the field with a black armband, one would be worn here for the late Mike Cockerill. By way of tribute, all we can do is echo one of that fine man's passionate themes.
If ever there was a moment to seize the day, make a huge statement and defy the odds, it is at hand for the Socceroos.
In over 30 years of covering football for the Herald, Mike Cockerill filed hundreds of columns encompassing the full spectrum from NSW state league to World Cups. Below are extracts from five of the most memorable pieces Cockerill wrote over his distinguished career.
Fairfax Media sports writer Michael Cockerill has died, aged 56.
Canberra United 'best friends' re-sign with the W-League club to launch their careers.
Defending A-League champions Sydney FC have added another of Graham Arnold's former charges to the ranks, signing teenage midfielder Anthony Kalik on loan from Hadjuk Split.
And so it now all comes down to this. Ninety minutes in Melbourne, next Tuesday night at a raucous AAMI Park when Australia tries to rekindle their World Cup dream against a Thailand team that has nothing to play for save pride.
Fairfax Media football columnist Michael Cockerill has died aged 56.
Australia's World Cup dream hangs by a thread after the Socceroos went down 2-0 in Tokyo to a Japanese side that booked their place in Russia thanks to their victory in front of a packed and passionate home crowd.
After Australia's loss to Japan on Thursday night, the path to Russia in 2018 just became all that much murkier.
Awful, awful result for Australia. Japan are off to Russia, and the Socceroos now need to regroup and set their sites on Melbourne next week where they'll play Thailand.
Tim Cahill's Socceroos renaissance looks set to continue with a starting role in Saitama if striker Tomi Juric is ruled out of the World Cup qualifier against Japan.
City have already begun the international search to find an injury replacement for star striker Bruno Fornaroli, the club's top goalscorer for the past two seasons.
Newcastle Jets' veteran Nikolai Topor-Stanley says his hometown Canberra deserves more A-League action.
Melbourne City's star striker Bruno Fornaroli is set to miss the start of the A-League season and there are fears he may be sidelined for two months after injuring an ankle in the club's 3-2 FFA Cup final win over Hakoah Sydney.
Tom Rogic and Aaron Mooy are capable of bringing their best club form to the Socceroos at the same time, but coach Ange Postecoglou has warned it's easier said than done.
Sam Kerr, a nominee for the Best FIFA Women's Player of the Year award, is one of the headline acts in a strong Matildas squad named by coach Alen Stajic for the upcoming two-match series against Brazil.
Giant-killers Heidelberg United are looking to build on that reputation when they host Adelaide United in the FFA Cup quarter-final in mid-September.
The United Arab Emirates have inflicted a hammer blow to Saudi Arabia's World Cup hopes in a Group B result that would see Australia qualify with victory over Japan on Wednesday in Tokyo.
Melbourne City took a big step in the defence of their FFA Cup title with a 3-2 victory over Hakoah Sydney, while Western Sydney eased into the last eight with a comfortable 4-0 victory over Bentleigh Greens as the final set of round of 16 games took place on Tuesday night.
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