Australia Beats Determined South Korea 2-1 to Win 2015 Asian Cup

Asian Cup kick-off

Asian Cup kick-off – TV screenshot


The Socceroos have claimed the 2015 Asian Cup in a tight, closely contested final against South Korea on 31 January. A goal in extra time gave the home side a 2-1 victory in Sydney.

This Melbourne based Global Voices blogger followed the live TV broadcast and the twitter hashtag #ACfinal, concentrating on the Oz twitterverse.

Stadium Australia was sold out as this photo clearly shows:

Many Aussie fans felt that their hopes were in the hands of veteran star Tim Cahill:

The standard of the refereeing was a consistent meme for the night. One-eyed supporters saw what they believed:

However, the Socceroos captain and his team also received some criticism early on:

Their nerves were calmed after the stands erupted for Massimo Luongo’s 44 minute goal:

At the break, some fans were switching to the other big events of the night namely the Queensland State election and the Australian Open Tennis Women’s final:

[Your author joined them briefly switching to Poll Bludger‘s live blog]

Meanwhile, some South Koreans were tweeting their frustrations in English:

Another meme was this photo of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un:

When coach Ange Postecoglou subbed injured Tim Cahill, supporters took a deep breath:

Not everyone was so calm:

These fears were born out as the end of regular time approached:

James Troisi’s goal in the 105th minute proved to be the decider:

Massimo Luongo received the honour of Most Valuable Player for the tournament:

It would not have been football without some controversy. Two days before the final Asian Footaball Confederation president Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa raised moves to “evict” the Socceroos from Asia. Sportsfan quoted him as saying that “the Arabs are not the only ones who are not convinced that Australia's membership in Asia's football is feasible.” The Socceroos success in the World Cup qualifiers is the major reason apparently.

The Aussie response on twitter was predictable. Before the game Ian Watts captured the local feeling:

After Australia became champions, Stephen Fenech underline the importance of the victory:

Australia's success may well increase rather than dampen calls for its removal from the Asian Confederation.

[The featured and thumbnail images were taken as screenshots from ABC TV live coverage of the cup.]

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