Sport

Football

ANZ Stadium to host play-offs as Socceroos call on spirit of '05

Glory boys: John Aloisi charges down the sideline after his famous penalty against Uruguay at ANZ Stadium in 2005.

Almost 12 years after Sydney's ANZ Stadium hosted the most joyous night in the Socceroos' history, Football Federation Australian has again chosen the venue to host the key home matches that will determine Australia's participation at next year's World Cup in Russia.

Cahill baffled by Socceroos' failure

Tim Cahill and Thailand's Pansa Hemviboon go head to head for the ball.

Socceroo captain-for-the-night Tim Cahill – who may now not get the chance to achieve his ambition of scoring at four World Cups – was baffled by Australia's failure to score a bag of goals against Thailand.

European big guns move closer to World Cup berths

Marcus Rashford bounced back to score the winner for England.

England had to come from behind to beat Slovakia 2-1 at Wembley on Monday, while Germany thrashed Norway 6-0 in a one-sided World Cup 2018 qualifier, with both teams closing in on a place in Russia.

The Cockerill columns that defined a football era in Australia

Landmark moment: The Socceroos defeat Uruguay to break their World Cup drought.

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.