Socceroos Mat Ryan and Martin Boyle chasing euphoria of World Cup qualification against Japan
Socceroos captain Mat Ryan struggles to find the words to capture the feeling.
His teammate Martin Boyle is a bit more succinct, regarding it as the best feeling in his life.
And with World Cup qualification on home soil on the line for the Socceroos in Perth on Thursday night, two of Australia's experienced campaigners are impressing the importance of seizing the moment.
Preparations are well underway for the Socceroos ahead of their blockbuster against Japan at Optus Stadium, with an Australian win potentially enough to seal qualification for a sixth World Cup.
Ryan played in qualification play-offs to help the Socceroos reach both the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, with Boyle taking part in the penalty shoot-out win over Peru in the latter.
For goalkeeper Ryan, it is still hard to fully explain what being part of those two successful campaigns meant.
'It's a difficult one to find words to describe the ecstasy of it. As a footballer, there's no more meaningful moment than a World Cup qualification like that,' he said.
'There's a few us boys in here that have tasted that in the past. It feeds your hunger and motivation to want more of it.
'We do our best, for the guys that haven't been to a World Cup before, to story-tell and share experiences, to try and further motivate them and educate them on what it takes to get there.'
Boyle missed out on the 2022 World Cup due to a torn ACL, but travelled with the side to Qatar regardless as the team's unofficial 'chief vibes manager'.
While injury may have dampened his experience of the Socceroos' run to the round of 16, Boyle said helping them earn qualification was a career highlight.
'To this day, it's probably the greatest achievement I've had my career, to qualify for that World Cup,' he said.
'There's no better feeling, just the adrenaline, the buzz, it's the pinnacle of people's careers.
'Being selected for the World Cup could maybe tip that, but qualifying and to know you've done it, to help your nation qualify for a World Cup, it's a special feeling.
'We'll be drilling that into the lads. We have good experience.'
With Japan already qualified for the 2026 tournament, to be held in North America, they have brought an inexperienced squad minus several stars.
But while Ryan said they were not taking the Blue Samurai lightly, it was his firm belief the Socceroos were Asia's strongest team.
'In my eyes, we're the best in Asia. If you don't believe you're the best, then you're failing at the first hurdle,' he said.
'You've got to go out there and believe that you can overcome whatever challenge is in front of you and obviously there's a fine line without being arrogant and being complacent or anything like that.'
The pressure will be on Australia on Thursday, but Boyle could not be more excited.
'These are the games you want to play in, they're massive games.
'These are the games you can be a hero in. Certainly everyone will have an eye on doing that, but most importantly is to qualify for the nation — we know how difficult it'll be.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
Hazlewood helps RCB to IPL title
Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood wins the Indian Premier League title with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Hazlewood helps RCB to IPL title
Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood wins the Indian Premier League title with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Sydney Morning Herald
an hour ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Kyrgios' hopes of Wimbledon comeback dashed
Kasatkina playfully threw her black wristband at Andreeva as they walked to the net after the Russian sixth seed booked her quarter-final spot with a 6-3, 7-5 victory that required her to reel off the final four games to avoid a do-or-die third set. It was a high-quality contest, but Andreeva's extra firepower proved the difference despite Kasatkina's aggression and guile often providing headaches for her younger rival. The two of them are a decade apart in age – Kasatkina, 28, and Andreeva, 18 – but have formed a tight bond. They shared an ice bath after their respective third-round wins two days earlier, practice together regularly, and poked fun at one another pre-match. The wristband moment was Kasatkina's way of lightening the mood. 'It was a very little thing because she's always throwing something at me outside the court,' Kasatkina said. 'It was just a little fun. Of course, I was disappointed after the match, but it's a game. I wanted to do something a little funny after. 'It was a very tough match. I had quite a few chances in the second set [and] also in the first set. When you play a top player like Mirra; everything comes [down to the] details ... those few important points [when] we were battling hard.' Andreeva is the youngest woman to reach consecutive Roland-Garros quarter-finals since Martina Hingis in 1997-98 and next faces fellow young star Coco Gauff as she hunts her maiden major title. Loading 'I'm so happy I won because I hate playing against [Kasatkina],' Andreeva said. 'We practice a lot, and even the practice is a torture for me. Honestly, it was a hell of a match.' Kasatkina's defeat ends Australia's singles involvement after Alexei Popyrin's own fourth-round loss on Sunday. The No.17 seed, who announced in March she was switching allegiances from Russia to Australia, had some rueful moments. There was none more so than the simple overhead she dumped into the net at five-all in the second set to fall 0-30 behind before conceding serve, but on her sole set point she was also too passive returning Andreeva's tame, 115kmh second serve – and the opportunity went begging. Kasatkina still enjoyed a successful tournament overall. She arrived in Paris with only two wins from six matches on clay this year, but beat Katerina Siniakova, local hope Leolia Jeanjean, then Paula Badosa in the third round for her first top-10 victory of the season. Her new status as an Australian remains a talking point, and her comment before the Andreeva showdown that she was willing to 'die on court' to give herself a chance at upsetting the emerging star would likely have endeared her to any new fans. That Kasatkina dug her heels in from a break down in the second set to fight back then serve for it at 5-3 should also earn her respect, even if the result ultimately went against her. She gave the green light afterwards to a journalist who lightheartedly asked whether they could refer to her as 'an Aussie battler'. Kasatkina's grand unveiling as an Australian will not properly occur until she arrives at Melbourne Park next summer, but she revealed during the fortnight that the change had added both pressure and motivation. 'It's been a good result, first of all, but also, I felt super good, honestly, to step on the court as an Australian player,' she said. 'To feel the support from the stands [meant a lot] … also, on social media, I'm getting a lot of support from the Australians that they are so happy to welcome me, and they're happy for me. This is support I honestly didn't have before. Loading 'It's something new to me, but it feels so nice. Of course, there could be a better result – always could be better – but I think it's a good start.' Kasatkina's decision to switch allegiances was a deeply personal one. She has not returned to Russia for almost three years since announcing she was gay, and in a relationship with Olympic figure skater Natalia Zabiiako, in July 2022. Kasatkina also condemned her birth country's invasion of Ukraine at the time.
