Spirit of the Socceroos

Australia captain Lucas Neillrevealed how a pre-match speech before the Ghana game called on his team-mates to rise to the occasion and create history for the Socceroos in Rustenburg.

Neill, speaking after the 1-1 draw with Ghana, also claimed Australia can no longer be considered a minnow on the world stage and paid tribute to the fans who had supported the team.

“We got the guys together before the game and told them the Ghana match was a defining moment in Australian football history, in the World Cup,” Neill said.

“We said that the day could determine a successful or failed campaign. We asked for spirit and we got it in abundance. We got it from the national anthem and from the fans.

“It is my job as captain to give the speech before the game. The words will stay within the team but I got the reaction that I wanted and as a captain, as a fan, anywhere in the world, you can’t ask for more from a player than to go out and give a performance like that.

“OK, we made mistakes, OK, we gave the ball away, but the reaction and the spirit epitomises what it is to be Australian.”

Although FIFA announced on Sunday it is investigating crowd safety issues after bottles were allegedly thrown onto the pitch by some spectators, Neill paid tribute to Australia’s support.

“For two games in a row (in South Africa) we have had a phenomenal amount of Australian supporters in the crowd,” Neill said.

“Australia might only be 20 million people but you can’t call us minnows when it comes to football now. We bring seas of fans anywhere in the world.

“We are mixing it with the best in the world, apart from the Germany game, you can’t say we were ever outplayed in a game. We are no longer a small team in the world of football and people need to recognise it.”

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/socceroos/news/1009689/Spirit-of-the-Socceroos