Iran nightmare hangs over Cup qualifier

THE Socceroos have had plenty of experience with World Cup playoffs, but one is looming larger than the others before tomorrow night’s decider with Honduras.

Across Australia’s six previous playoffs, only once did the Socceroos open with an away draw.

It was Iran in 1997, and no one in the national team camp needs reminding about how the home leg went.

For the team’s elder statesmen — Tim Cahill and Mark Milligan — it was a formative football memory, and not a happy one.

“I was just a young pup then,” Cahill said. “I remember it was a sad moment.

“We were a fully loaded squad then and it was heartbreaking not to qualify.”

As they aimed to reach the 1998 tournament in France, the Socceroos took a 1-1 draw back from an away leg in Tehran with a FIFA-estimated crowd of 128,000 people.

Goals from Harry Kewell and Aurelio Vidmar in the home leg at the MCG put one Australian foot into the World Cup, only for Iran to score two late goals through Karim Bagheri and Khodadad Azizi.

The final result was 3-3, with Australia’s then 24-year wait to play at the World Cup lengthened by another four years due to the away goals rule. It is a scenario that could play out tomorrow night.

The Socceroos inability to hit the back of the net means a score draw will send Honduras through on away goals.

Milligan — who watched the Iran tie as a 12-year-old — said he did not see Australia as favourite to progress.

“With the away goals, that’s why I say at the moment we’re on an even par with them coming into this match,” he said.

“It’s still up in the air. At nilnil coming back here no one takes too much of an advantage from that.

“We are doing all we can to put it in our advantage obviously with the way we prepare and way we recover.

“We have a lot of systems in place so it is important we stick to that and going into Wednesday knowing it’s do or die.

“We know our history and we know things that have happened previously but we’re paving our own path.”