These former PSV players from Australia played at the World Cup
1 min readSince Australia’s second participation in the World Cup in 2006, the Oceanian country has been present at every World Cup since. In 2006, Guus Hiddink was national team coach of the Socceroos and Hiddink’s team managed to reach the round of 16, where in stoppage time they lost 1-0 to the eventual world champions, Italy.
At the 2006 World Cup in Germany, former PSV players Jason Culina and Archie Thompson were selected by Hiddink. In the first group match against Japan (3-1), Australia recorded their first-ever victory at the World Cup and Tim Cahill became the first Australian goalscorer ever at a World Cup.
Hiddink’s team went down in the second group match against the reigning world champions Brazil (2-0), but despite that, the Australians managed to qualify for the next round through a 2-2 draw in their final group match against Croatia. In Kaiserslautern, the Socceroos lost after a dubious penalty with 1-0 and so Australia went home.
During the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Jason Culina was the only former PSV player selected by national coach Pim Verbeek. Culina & co. finished due to a lower goal difference compared to Ghana third in the group stage behind Germany and Ghana, which is why the Socceroos were eliminated in the group stage.
During the 2014 World Cup, there were no (former) PSV players represented on behalf of Australia, and in 2018 Trent Sainsbury and Aziz Behich were represented at the World Cup in Russia on behalf of the Socceroos under the leadership of Bert van Marwijk and Mark van Bommel. After the World Cup, in which Australia were eliminated in the group stage, Van Bommel was appointed the new head coach of PSV and Behich and Sainsbury came along with Van Bommel.
At the previous World Cup in Qatar, Behich—also a former PSV player—was represented on behalf of the Socceroos. Under head coach Graham Arnold, Australia finished second in Group D behind France, and as a result they reached the second round.
In the second round, Australia ultimately had to bow 2-1 to the later world champion Argentina. During the World Cup in North America, Behich will again be the only former PSV player in the Socceroos squad.
Comments5
Brussel dat Hiddink dat penalty-moment dubieus vond, daar leefde het echt in 2006. Ik snap dat het om Italië ging, maar als je van 2-2 naar 1-0 moet door zo'n beslissing, dan is het toch zuur 😅
Culina in 2006 en 2010 echt een PSV draadje blijft toch hangen. Tbh die penalty tegen Italië was echt te dubieus, en daarna ben je gewoon klaar... altijd zuur.
2018 was peak voor die PSV boys. Wat een timing dat Van Bommel ze erbij haalde nadat Australië eruit lag, dat contractgedachte gevoel krijg je dan.
Culina in 2010 en dan weer met minder doelsaldo eruit, bruut hoe klein het verschil kan zijn. Maar Qatar is dan weer Behich alleen, wel duidelijk dat die PSV-link blijft bestaan.
Cool detail dat Behich telkens terugkomt. Tbh die overgang van Van Bommel met hem en Sainsbury naar PSV klonk toen meteen als een duidelijke keuze.