"I love the state-of-the-art facilities, getting the maximum out of my body.Qatar was a country that I admired the setup," said the player, who did not hang up his boots until he was 39. He said that "probably my biggest relationship with Qatar" was in 2011, when he came to rehabilitate from injury. The metric was we understood now how to outplay Japan technically, not physically."Ĭhange and growth is a dominant theme for Cahill, who sees Qatar and Japan embracing change and putting Asian football in its best possible light. "I think under an era with Ange Postecoglou, we found out literally what football is all about.I remember we lost in Japan (2-0 in 2017) but we had more possession, we dominated the game, and we were happy losing. (Photo courtesy of The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy)(Kyodo) Japan had "players like (Hidetoshi) Nakata, (Keisuke) Honda and (Shinji) Kagawa who could do it consistently" not just against other Asian teams but sides from outside the region, he said.Īustralia, too, are seeking to test European and South American nations, and with an approach that does not just rely on their physicality, he added.Ģ022 World Cup global ambassador Tim Cahill inside Al Bayt Stadium in April 2021. While his name and the Socceroos' physical approach to the game will forever produce traumatic images in the minds of Japan's football fans, Cahill believes the change in his homeland's brand of football in recent years will have a positive effect in the long run. "My nickname is 'the Samurai Killer,' and that is a massive compliment." "For me, probably one of the most magical moments of my career was against Japan and unfortunately my first ever goal in the World Cup, and for Australia in the World Cup, was against your national team," said Cahill, the Socceroos' record scorer with 50 goals. While Japan beat Australia 2-1 at home in October in their latest encounter, Cahill had a smile on his face when he heard about Australian fans at Saitama Stadium displaying a banner that read "Take us back to Kaiserslautern" in reference to the venue of their famous win in Germany 15 years ago. I think people don't realize how well the other nations have caught up, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia." ![]() Even for me in my last two campaigns, qualifying for the World Cup was the hardest. "I'm excited, it's not as easy as what it was. 18 showing 2022 World Cup global ambassador Tim Cahill speaking in a Zoom call from Doha. "The (top) three spots now - Saudi, Australia, Japan - any sort of slip-ups mean that one of those three have to go in the playoffs." "If Australia or Japan don't qualify for the World Cup, it's a massive failure because they've had the monopoly for so many years," Cahill told Kyodo News recently. The top two teams qualify automatically with the third-place side needing to advance through a pair of playoffs. They have advanced to the last three World Cup finals from the same Asian qualifying group, but whether that continues this time around hinges on each team's four games next year.Īfter six Group B games, Japan sit four points behind leaders Saudi Arabia and Australia five points behind. (photo courtesy of The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy)(Kyodo)Ĭahill hit a brace in Australia's late 3-1 comeback win over Japan in their 2006 World Cup opener, which heralded the beginning of a football rivalry between the two nations. ![]() 2022 World Cup global ambassador Tim Cahill at The Pearl-Qatar in April 2021.
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