Australia's World Cup Victory Celebrated by Thousands in Melbourne

Australia’s first match of the World Cup is in added time – and thousands of kilometres away in Melbourne, the crowd at Federation Square is holding its collective breath.

Fans have come in their thousands – a sea of green and gold – to watch Australia face off against Turkey in Vancouver on the big screen. There are groups of friends and families with small children.

Many of them are decked out in football paraphernalia, waving flags and eagerly anticipating what’s to come. There’s even one pair on stilts.

“There is something special about the World Cup, Australia playing,” Socceroos supporter, Michael Odicho, says before the match has started. “It just brings everyone together, it doesn’t matter what nationality you are. We all come as Australians together, one group, to celebrate.”

The energy is crazy, Shivneil Mudaliar says. “For us as a country to be a part of it is just special.”

“We don’t want to just participate, we want to win it,” he adds. “So let’s go. Let’s win it.”

Craig Foster, former Socceroo, is up front and centre of the crowd. Thirteen minutes into the match, he says Australia is looking “comfortable”.

“If the game was only 14 minutes long, we’d be absolutely laughing. Unfortunately there’s a lot of torture to go.”

Not long after, 27 minutes into the game, Australia’s Nestory Irankunda scores the first goal of the match.

People begin cheering and drumming and colourful flares go off. “I have not been happier in my 17, no, 18, years of life!” one young man yells.

Despite the 1-0 score, by half-time the Turkey fans in the crowd aren’t too down.

“When your nation’s in it, it’s the best feeling,” one supporter, Sam, says, before being drowned out by good spirited fans decked out in red yelling “Champions! Champions!”

As the second half starts, drumming resumes.

Konstandinos Iaspas is in a bright green jacket, drum strapped across his shoulders, holding a replica World Cup trophy. “Hopefully we’ve got a few more goals to go for today. I look forward to lifting up this thing,” he says.

The World Cup holds special meaning for fans, he says. “Sometimes you’re kicking the ball from an early age, before you even know the English word. People are living and breathing the sport. It brings people together from different diverse backgrounds.

“The drum is giving the people a bit of enthusiasm, and once we score we will probably go a little bit louder.”

It’s not too long before there’s another goal. At 75 minutes, Connor Metcalfe scores again for Australia. Cue flailing limbs to match the wild scenes in Vancouver.

“What a goal!” Mugdha Das exclaims. “I was not expecting that at all! Turkey had all the possession, but that’s what we do! We defend and we counterattack … We are winning the World Cup, we are winning the World Cup!”

Foster, too, is amazed.

“My god, what a game. It’s unbelievable.” He’s interrupted by another save from the Australia goalkeeper Patrick Beach. “That’s unbelievable! My God!”

“I mean, we’ve only won four games before in the World Cup. This is our 21st game. Any win is like a diamond!”

As we get closer to the final whistle, and Australia’s win looks safer, a contagious vibration passes through the crowd. People are grinning, joyous. Confetti streams through the air.

Then the whistle sounds and the crowd lets out a deafening cheer. The Socceroos have defeated Turkey 2-0.

“Irankunda, have my children!” bellows one ecstatic fan, as the people around him go crazy. “This is the greatest day in Australian history!”

As they stream out of the square, people chant

“Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi”.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Levi Hughes says.

“Four years of waiting for something like that – what an amazing win.”

Golce Kucuk is a dual citizen – she jokes “technically I can’t lose!”

“I was secretly hoping Turkey would win, I was hoping to have a bit of a surprise.”

But she lost hope after the second goal.

“The Turkish fans were really lively, a lot of energy. The Australian fans kept looking back at us like, thereof guys OK? It was a lot of fun. In Turkey ... they say you have two religions – football and Islam.”

After the match, Michael Odicho has the biggest grin on his face.