Australia’s Tim Cahill is pumped up and ready to go when their side faces off against Serbia in Nelspruit on Wednesday.
After serving his one-game suspension, Cahill promises to unleash all of his pent-up energy on the opposing team.
Cahill’s return couldn’t come at a better time especially since Australia’s previous match-winner, Harry Kewell, will not be suiting up for the Socceroos after he was sent off during the 1-1 draw with Ghana.
"This whole week I've kept myself really fresh... I'm really excited and ready to go. I'm sharp, I've made sure the manager can see I'm edgy to still be in the selection," Cahill told reporters.
Last Sunday, Cahill trained with teammates who didn't see action against Ghana—and looked mighty sharp. During the session, Cahill kept banging away plenty of goals, looking exactly like the feared goal-scorer of the Everton club.
Cahill admitted that his sending off frustrated him, thinking that his World Cup experience may be over. Australia suffered a lopsided defeat at the hands of the Germans, but held Ghana to a 1-1 draw to keep the Socceroos’ chances—and Cahill’s, alive and well.
Cahill spoke about the way the 10-man Socceroos fought their hearts out despite his absence and Kewell’s sending off, and will draw inspiration from that heading into their do-or-die match.
"The effort and commitment they put in that 10-man game was unbelievable," said Cahill. "We've got to be proud. We've got a great group of lads that worked really hard for each other. I can't see many teams at this World Cup going out to have a crack at them the way we did with 10 men - we showed we could do it.
"It shows how good we are, how close we are. I feel the togetherness as a team. There's still another opportunity, we've still got one more game," added the Everton skipper.
Australia’s spirit of steel ought to be lauded. Coming back from a 4-0 rout is never easy. Even a football heavyweight’s confidence can be greatly dented after a loss like that. But Australia captain Lucas Neill never doubted his side’s fighting spirit, and showed how a pre-match speech before the Ghana game spurred his team-mates to beat the odds and rise to the occasion.
“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,” said Neill.
“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,” added the charismatic captain.
And now, Neill asked his Socceroos to play for its banned stars once again: This time, for Harry Kewell and Craig Moore.
Neill believes that Cahill will deliver the goods for Australia.
This is Tim Cahill’s chance to give back. The Socceroos fought hard for him, and he vows to fight even harder for them in their final group stage match.
Not to worry, he says, as Cahill has been preparing for the most important match of his career.
Australia indeed is in a fight comes Wednesday. Whether they advance or not, it’s up for Cahill to carry the weight of his country’s World Cup hope.
So heat up the barbie, folks. This is going to be intense.
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