It seems that miracles do happen ! In a packed stadium over twelve thousand kilometres from home an Australian Soccer club with just three years of history since it's formation won the Asian Champions League Title - a world event !
Western Sydney Wanderers has delivered surprises since the first day it's players walked onto a playing pitch. Soccer is not the prominent football game played in this country and the big crowds are drawn to Rugby League and Australian Rules, but right from day one the Wanderers drew record crowds to their games - and they started winning right from scratch !
Twice they were contenders at grand finals - and twice they narrowly missed out, but they steadily fought their way up the challenge for the Asian League - and against all predictions - beat Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal in their Sydney contest - before a record crowd of cheering fans. Now the final outcome would depend on the result of the return match - in Saudi Arabia before a partisan crowd of Arab supporters in the capital, Riyadh.
Once again this match seemed a very uneven contest. The King Fahd International stadium was packed to the rafters with excited Saudi men. The Australian cheer squad comprised just fourteen people - and one of them was a twenty year old girl. It had required special permission to allow a woman to watch what in the Middle East is regarded as a "male only "sport.
The game was a classic contest that kept the crowd on it's feet. Chances came - and went. Umpiring decisions were sometimes questionable. Australian goalkeeper Ante Covic performed at his miraculous best - and turned away several dangerous shots at goal. Some fans shone lasers in his eyes to distract him, and at one stage emotions spilt over and a Saudi spat at an Australian player - but when the final whistle blew the scores were a nil all draw - and Australia had won on aggregate due to the Australian game result.
Soccer is a world game and it commands huge sums of money. Each country has many clubs, but a chosen few manage to reach the pinnacle of fame that makes them a household name whenever world fans think of Soccer. Arsenal. Manchester United. Juventus. Real Madrid. Barcelona. Elite players are traded like commodities between these clubs for figures that rival the GDP of many small countries. It seems that our Wanderers are on the cusp of drawing world attention - and Soccer Australia now has a real chance of challenging League and Australian Rules for the football crown in this country.
The sticking point seems to be the questionable ethics of FIFA, the governing body of world Soccer. It operates behind a veil of secrecy and many of it's recent decisions have been mired in controversy. There have been suggestions of bribery to select the destinations for world events and the need for rule changes to clean up controversial umpiring decisions have been either delayed - or ignored. It is obvious that all is not well within the games ruling body.
Provided FIFA can be prevented from tarnishing the world game, there seeems no reason that the Wanderers can not continue to grow and becoming the outstanding club of this country - and eventually rise to world prominence - with a value that runs into billions.
This win in Riyah has certainly been a great leap forward for the game in Australia !
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