Australia national under-23 football team
Encyclopedia
The Australia Olympic football team, more commonly known as the Olyroos, is controlled by Football Federation Australia
Football Federation Australia
Football Federation Australia is the governing body for the sport of football in Australia. Before 1 January 2005, it was known as the Australian Soccer Association , which succeeded Soccer Australia in this role in 2003...

 and represents Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 at association football in the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

. Australia have qualified consecutively since the 1988
Football at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Final results for the football competition at the 1988 Summer Olympics. The tournament was held from September 17, 1988 to October 1, 1988.-Medal summary:...

 tournament in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...

, featuring at the 1992 edition in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...

, 1996
Football at the 1996 Summer Olympics
The association football competition at the 1996 Summer Olympics was held in Birmingham, Alabama; Washington, D.C; Orlando, Florida; Miami, Florida; and Athens, Georgia....

 in Atlanta, as hosts in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

 in 2000
Football at the 2000 Summer Olympics
The football tournament at the 2000 Summer Olympics was the 20th official Olympic football tournament. A women's tournament was held for the second time.-Medal winners:-Venues:*Olympic Stadium, Sydney*Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney*Bruce Stadium, Canberra...

, 2004
Football at the 2004 Summer Olympics
The football tournament at the 2004 Summer Olympics started on 11 August, , and ended on 28 August.The men's tournament is played by U-23 national teams, with up to three over age players allowed per squad...

 in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

 and 2008
Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics was held in Beijing and several other cities in the People's Republic of China from 6 August to 23 August. Associations affiliated with FIFA were invited to send their full women's national teams and men's U-23 teams to participate...

 in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

.

1956 Melbourne Olympics

A squad coached by Richard Telfer set out to try and win the tournament on home turf where they were drawn against Japan in the round of 16 (as the tournament was held in the knock-out stage format). A goal in each half, a penalty scored by Graham McMillan
Graham McMillan
Graham McMillan is an Australian former football player.McMillan represented Australia at the 1956 Summer Olympics.-References:...

 on 26 minutes and then a goal by Irish born striker Frank Loughran
Frank Loughran
Frank Loughran was a Belfast-born footballer who was considered to be one of the pioneers of the sport in Australia...

 on 61 minutes, was enough to see off Japan. Facing India at the quarter-final stages, two goals from Bruce Morrow
Bruce Morrow (footballer)
Bruce Morrow is an Australian former football player.Morrow represented Australia at the 1956 Summer Olympics.-References:...

 saw Australia equalise twice in the first half (first 1-1 and then 2-2). Locked at 2-2 until the 50th minute, India's Neville D'Souza
Neville D'Souza
Neville Stephen J. D'Souza was an Indian footballer who represented his nation at the 1956 Summer Olympics, where he became the first Asian player to score a hat-trick in an Olympic Games. D'Souza finished the tournament as joint top-scorer, with 4 goals in 3 games...

 put his side ahead before Krishna Kittu would add another on 80 minutes.

1988 Seoul Olympics

The 1988 tournament was held under previous regulations which did not consist of the 'under-23' age restriction. Coach Frank Arok
Frank Arok
Ferenc 'Frank' Arok is a retired Serbian football player and coach of Hungarian descent....

 had comfortably chosen a strong squad, consisting of ex-Nottingham Forrest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...

 defender Alan Davidson
Alan Edward Davidson
Alan Edward Davidson was an Australian football player. His mother is Japanese.-Club career:Davidson began his domestic senior football career in 1976 and 1977, playing for Altona City SC which had been his junior club...

 and Sydney Olympic striker John Kosmina
John Kosmina
Alexander John Kosmina , known as John Kosmina, is a former Australian football player and manager of Polish Australian ethnicity. He was most recently the manager of Sydney FC...

. The squad also included Graham Arnold
Graham Arnold
Graham James Arnold is a former coach of the Australian national football team. He was appointed to work as an assistant to Frank Farina in 2000. The two replaced Raul Blanco, who was the interim coach in charge after Terry Venables decided not to renew his contract with Soccer Australia after...

, Frank Farina
Frank Farina
Frank Farina OAM is a retired Australian football player. He most currently coaches the Papua New Guinea national football team....

 and Charles Yankos. Australia would participate in Group D, where they were drawn against Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

, Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....

 and Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

. 12, 000 spectators in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...

 saw Frank Farina fire past Yugoslavian keeper Dragoje Leković
Dragoje Lekovic
Dragoje Leković is a retired Serbian footballer who played as a goalkeeper.-Club career:Leković was born in Sivac, Serbia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...

 on 48 minutes to claim a 1-0 victory in their opening group stage clash. Australia then took on Brazil which saw a hat-trick from Romario to defeat the Olyroos 3-0. A 76 minute goal from John Kosmina
John Kosmina
Alexander John Kosmina , known as John Kosmina, is a former Australian football player and manager of Polish Australian ethnicity. He was most recently the manager of Sydney FC...

 against Nigeria saw Australia advance to the knock-out stages, where the 1-0 victory saw them finish in second place of their group. Drawn against the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

, after a scoreless first half, Australia were beaten 3-0 thanks to two goals in the space of four minutes from Dynamo Moscow
FC Dynamo Moscow
Dynamo Moscow is a Russian football club based in Moscow, currently playing in the Russian Premier League. Dynamo's traditional kit colours are blue and white...

 midfielder Igor Dobrovolski
Igor Dobrovolski
Igor Ivanovich Dobrovolski is retired footballer in the wide attacking midfielder role. He is currently the manager of Dacia Chişinău.He started his career at Moldavian SSR, then played in Russian SFSR, Spain, Italy, France, Germany before retired in Moldova...

 and another by Dynamo Kiev midfielder Alexei Mikhailichenko
Alexei Mikhailichenko
Oleksiy Oleksandrovych Mykhaylychenko , is a Ukrainian football coach and former professional football player. He currently holds an administrative position in his home club, Dynamo Kyiv, as director of sport...

 on 62 minutes. Australia's David Mitchell saw red on 68 minutes as Australia would be eliminated.

1992 Barcelona Olympics

Arguably Australia's most successful Olympic tournament, the squad coached by Eddie Thomson
Eddie Thomson
Eddie Thomson was a Scottish football player and coach.-Career:Born in Rosewell, Scotland, he played 162 games for Heart of Midlothian F.C. from 1966 to 1973, before moving to Aberdeen F.C. and playing a further 91 games with them...

 contained just two overseas based players: KV Mechelen striker Zlatko Arambasic
Zlatko Arambasic
Zlatko Arambašić is a former Australian football player.-External links:* *...

 and Club Brugge midfielder Paul Okon
Paul Okon
Paul Okon is a former Australian football player who retired after playing with Australian side Newcastle United Jets....

, as the rest of the squad hailed from NSL
NSL
- Business :* Northwestern Shiprepairers Limited, a British shipbuilding and repair company trading as NSL* NSL Buses, a bus operator in London, England, United Kingdom, owned by the NSL Services Group...

 clubs. The squad saw Mark Bosnich
Mark Bosnich
Mark Bosnich is a retired Australian football player and football pundit. He represented Australia 17 times and played for English Premier League clubs Aston Villa, Manchester United and Chelsea.-Manchester United :...

, John Filan, Tony Vidmar
Tony Vidmar
Anthony "Tony" Vidmar is an Australian former professional football player of Slovenian origin. He was a member of the Australian national team, competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona for his native country, and is currently Australia's third highest capped player...

 and Tony Popovic
Tony Popovic
Anthony Popovic is a Croatian Australian former football player. He last played for Sydney FC. He is currently the First Team Coach of Crystal Palace. Popovic grew up in Fairfield, New South Wales.-Early career:...

 take part before commencing their successful careers in Europe. Drawn with Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

 and Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...

, the Olyroos would take on the Africans in Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...

 in their first round fixture. An early goal on 12 minutes by Mohammed Gargo
Mohammed Gargo
Mohammed Gargo is a former Ghanaian footballer.-Club career:Gargo joined Italian side Udinese in 1995. In January 2003 he was loaned to Venezia and in January 2004 sold to Serie B side Genoa along with Vittorio Micolucci, in exchanged for Rodrigue Boisfer and Valon Behrami, all in co-ownership...

 set the tone for Ghana as they held onto that lead until the 83rd minute when it was extended to 2-0 by Kwame Ayew
Kwame Ayew
Kwame Ayew is a retired Ghanaian footballer who played as a striker.During nearly 20 years, in played professionally in six countries, mainly in Portugal, where he appeared for four teams in the 90's.-Club career:...

. Ayew grabbed another on 89 minutes before Tony Vidmar
Tony Vidmar
Anthony "Tony" Vidmar is an Australian former professional football player of Slovenian origin. He was a member of the Australian national team, competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona for his native country, and is currently Australia's third highest capped player...

 scored a consulation goal for Australia on 91 minutes to bring the score to 3-1. Two days later in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...

, Zlatko Arambasic
Zlatko Arambasic
Zlatko Arambašić is a former Australian football player.-External links:* *...

 opened the scoring after 20 minutes as Australia lead Mexico 1-0 until the 63rd minute when Jorge Castañeda
Jorge Castañeda (footballer)
Jorge "Tote" Castañeda Reyes is a retired professional footballer from Mexico, who played as a midfielder during his career. He was the captain of the Mexico national football team competing at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.In 1987, when he was eighteen, Castañeda signed with Club...

 leveled the tie at 1-1, the game would finish this way which meant that Australia would need to win their last group stage game to proceed to the knock-out stages. The Olyroos put in a solid performance, scoring 3-0 goals against Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

 to book a spot in the quarter-finals. The game saw one first half goal by John Markovski
John Markovski
John Markovski is an Australian football coach and former player.Markovski played in the National Soccer League for Sunshine George Cross, Preston Lions , Morwell Falcons, Canberra Cosmos, Auckland Kingz, Carlton SC, Melbourne Knights and Perth Glory FC and was known Australia wide for his...

 and two second half goals thanks to Damian Mori
Damian Mori
Damian Mori is an Australian football player who is the top scorer for the Socceroos...

 and Tony Vidmar
Tony Vidmar
Anthony "Tony" Vidmar is an Australian former professional football player of Slovenian origin. He was a member of the Australian national team, competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona for his native country, and is currently Australia's third highest capped player...

. Australia and Ghana progressed to the knock-out stages where Australia were tied to play against Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 in Barcelona. In front of 30, 000 spectators at the Camp Nou
Camp Nou
Camp Nou , sometimes called "the Nou Camp" in English, is a football stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The stadium, located in the west of the city, has been the home of FC Barcelona since its construction in 1957....

, John Markovski put Australia ahead after 30 minutes. A 53rd minute strike by Shaun Murphy
Shaun Murphy (footballer)
Shaun Peter Murphy is an Australian football player. Shaun currently lives in Perth, Western Australia with his family....

 put the Olyroos 2-0 up until Patrik Andersson scored one back for Sweden on 62 minutes. The game stayed at 2-1 and the result sent the Olyroos to the semi-finals where they would face Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

. At the Camp Nou in front of 45, 000 spectators, Poland struck on 27 minutes, taking the lead after a goal from Wojciech Kowalczyk
Wojciech Kowalczyk
Wojciech Kowalczyk is a retired Polish footballer who played as a striker.The bulk of his professional career was spent with hometown's Legia Warsaw and in Spain...

. Australia, however, hit back on 35 minutes when Adelaide City
Adelaide City
Adelaide City is a football club in Adelaide, South Australia. They are also known as The Zebras. They played in the National Soccer League for 27 Seasons but withdrew just prior to the 2003/2004 season. They now play in the South Australian Super League. City won the inaugural Super League...

 striker Carl Veart
Carl Veart
Carl Veart is a former Australian football player who last played as a striker for Adelaide United.-Club career:...

 equalised. Poland were there transformed in the second period, scoring 5 goals, which saw a hat-trick from Andrzej Juskowiak
Andrzej Juskowiak
Andrzej Mieczysław Juskowiak is a former Polish football striker, who played for Polish national team.-National team:Nicknamed "Jusko", he was a participant at the 1992 Summer Olympics, where Poland won the silver medal...

 and an own goal from Shaun Murphy, to take out the game at 6-1. In the Bronze Medal game, Australia would meet up with group stage outfit Ghana, who took the lead when Isaac Asare
Isaac Asare
Isaac Asare is a football player from Ghana, who was a member of the Men's National Team that won the bronze medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. In 2006, Asare obtained Belgian nationality....

 scored after 19 minutes and eventually winning the game 1-0, the result left the Olyroos to claim fourth spot at the tournament, as Spain would finish in first place after beating Poland 3-2.

1996 Atlanta Olympics

Eddie Thomson
Eddie Thomson
Eddie Thomson was a Scottish football player and coach.-Career:Born in Rosewell, Scotland, he played 162 games for Heart of Midlothian F.C. from 1966 to 1973, before moving to Aberdeen F.C. and playing a further 91 games with them...

 took a young squad to the United States, which included Aurelio Vidmar
Aurelio Vidmar
Aurelio Vidmar is an Australian football player and former captain of the Australian national team. He is currently not tied to any A-league club...

 and Steve Horvat as the overaged players, the squad was combined of 7 overseas players out of the 18 men squad. A young Mark Viduka
Mark Viduka
Mark Anthony Viduka is a former Australian soccer player who played as a centre forward. He captained the Australian national team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany to the last 16.-Melbourne Croatia:...

 was in his second year at Dinamo Zagreb
Dinamo Zagreb
GNK Dinamo Zagreb, commonly referred to as Dinamo Zagreb , or by their nickname Modri are a Croatian football club based in Zagreb. They play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Croatian football, having won thirteen Croatian championship titles, ten...

 in Croatia and Kevin Muscat
Kevin Muscat
Kevin Muscat is an Australian football player who currently plays for Victorian State League Division 1 side Sunshine George Cross and is assistant coach of Melbourne Victory...

 had just signed with English Premier League club Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...

. Drawn into Group B with European heavy weights Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, as well as Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...

, the Olyroos would lose 2-0 to France in their opening clash thanks to goals from Robert Pires
Robert Pirès
Robert Emmanuel Pirès is a former French international footballer. He is perhaps best known for his time with Arsenal, with whom he won three FA Cups and two FA Premier League titles including the club's famous unbeaten season of 2003–04...

 and Florian Maurice
Florian Maurice
Florian Maurice is a French retired footballer. He played as a striker, and most notably won the 1998 Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue with French team Paris Saint-Germain...

, as Australia's Danny Tiatto
Danny Tiatto
Daniele Amadeo "Danny" Tiatto is an Australian professional football player who plays for St Albans Saints in the Victorian Premier League.-Early years:...

 saw a red card just after 24 minutes. A 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia earnt the Olyroos their first 3 points of the campaign. Peter Tsekenis scored after just 12 minutes before the Saudis were able to draw level through Mohammed Al Khilaiwi on 37 minutes. On 63 minutes Mark Viduka put Australia in front as Australia came out winners at 2-1. After leading Spain 2-0 courtesy of two early goals from Aurelio Vidmar
Aurelio Vidmar
Aurelio Vidmar is an Australian football player and former captain of the Australian national team. He is currently not tied to any A-league club...

, Raúl González
Raúl González
Raúl González Blanco , known simply as Raúl, is a Spanish footballer who plays as a striker. He currently plays for German club Schalke 04....

 scored one on 40 minutes, Santiago Denia
Santiago Denia
Santiago Denia Sánchez , aka Santi, is a retired Spanish footballer, who played as a central defender...

 added after 86 minutes to level the tie. Shortly after, the deadlock was broken as Raúl
Raúl González
Raúl González Blanco , known simply as Raúl, is a Spanish footballer who plays as a striker. He currently plays for German club Schalke 04....

 netted on the 90th minute to seal victory for Spain. The result had eliminated Australia from tournament as Spain and France progressed to the knock-out stages.

2000 Sydney Olympics

In a full-strength side, which included Stan Lazaridis
Stan Lazaridis
Stanley "Stan" Lazaridis is a former football player. He was predominantly a left winger though he had been known to perform at left-back...

, Josip Skoko
Josip Skoko
Josip Skoko is a former Australian football player who last played as a Central Midfielder for A-League club Melbourne Heart.-Early career:...

 and Mark Viduka
Mark Viduka
Mark Anthony Viduka is a former Australian soccer player who played as a centre forward. He captained the Australian national team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany to the last 16.-Melbourne Croatia:...

 as over aged players, under coach Raul Blanco
Raul Blanco
Raul Blanco is an Argentine-born Australia Association football coach. He is well known for coaching the Socceroos from March 1998 to June 1999. He was also coaching the Olyroos at the same time, and coached them during the 2000 Summer Olympics...

 the Olyroos were drawn against Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

 and Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...

 in Group A. In front of 93, 252 spectators at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...

, Australia were defeated 1-0 by an Italian Andrea Pirlo
Andrea Pirlo
Andrea Pirlo, Ufficiale OMRI , is an Italian World Cup winning footballer who currently plays for Serie A club Juventus, and for the Italian national team. He is usually deployed as a deep-lying playmaker for both Juventus and Italy and is regarded as one of best players in this position...

 goal after 81 minutes. At the Sydney Football Stadium, Australia's second group stage fixture saw them down 2-0 against Nigeria after just 22 minutes. Two goals in the space of just four minutes from Hayden Foxe
Hayden Foxe
Hayden Vernon Foxe is a former Australian football player. He last played with A-League club Sydney FC.-Europe:...

 and Kasey Wehrman
Kasey Wehrman
Kasey Wehrman is an Australian football midfielder who currently plays for the Newcastle Jets in Australia's Hyundai A-League. Wehrman is an Indigenous Australian...

 saw Australia draw level just before half time. The second half saw the explusion of both Brett Emerton
Brett Emerton
Brett Michael Emerton is an Australian football player who plays for Sydney FC and the Australia national team...

 and Celestine Babayaro
Celestine Babayaro
Celestine Hycieth Babayaro is a former Nigerian footballer.-Club career:Babayaro began his playing career at Nigerian side Plateau United, before moving to Belgium club Anderlecht in 1994, and eventually would make a name for himself, quickly gaining first-choice status although still a...

 ten minutes after play had commenced. On 64 minutes, Victor Agali's
Victor Agali
Victor Okechukwu Agali is a Nigerian footballer who last played for Jiangsu Sainty.-Career:At the age of 17, Agali was the top goalscorer in the Nigerian second division, and was picked up by French club Olympique Marseille. Finding it hard to establish a first team place, he played for Toulon,...

 goal was enough to see Nigeria take out the game at 3-2. The result meant that Australia had been knocked out of the tournament with one match remaining. In Sydney, Honduras sealed a 2-1 victory after a brace by Cagliari
Cagliari Calcio
Cagliari Calcio is an Italian football club based in Cagliari, Sardinia. The club was formed in 1920 and currently plays in Italian Serie A, having spent a large part of recent years mainly in Serie A and Serie B....

 striker David Suazo
David Suazo
Óscar David Suazo Velázquez is a Honduran football striker who currently plays for Calcio Catania in the Italian Serie A. He is also a member of the Honduran national team.-Early career:...

. Hondouras would finish in third place, Nigeria and Italy finished in the top two positions whereas the hosts finished in bottom spot on 0 points, much to the disappointment of the local media and then-active Australian Soccer Association.

2004 Athens Olympics

Frank Farina
Frank Farina
Frank Farina OAM is a retired Australian football player. He most currently coaches the Papua New Guinea national football team....

 took an 18-man squad which included Milwall's
Millwall
Millwall is an area in London, on the western side of the Isle of Dogs, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the south of the developments at West India Docks, including Canary Wharf.-History:...

 Tim Cahill
Tim Cahill
Timothy Filiga "Tim" Cahill is an football player of Australian nationality who plays for Everton and the Australian national football team...

, Osasuna's striker John Aloisi
John Aloisi
John Aloisi is a retired Australian football player who played as a striker, and the current youth team manager at Melbourne Heart....

 and Rangers'
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...

 defender Craig Moore
Craig Moore
Craig Andrew Moore , is a retired Australian soccer defender.Moore is best known for his two spells with Scottish Premier Division / Scottish Premier League club Rangers...

 as over aged players. The squad proved to good enough to reach the final itself, drawing 1-1 with Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...

 thanks to an Aloisi equaliser and beating Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro was a country in southeastern Europe, formed from two former republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia : Serbia and Montenegro. Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, it was established in 1992 as a federation called the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...

 in a 5-1 thrashing which saw a brace from Aloisi, Ahmad Elrich and a goal by Cahill. Australia would lose 1-0 to Argentina when Andrés D'Alessandro
Andrés D'Alessandro
Andrés Nicolás D'Alessandro is a left-footed Argentine footballer who currently plays for Sport Club Internacional in Brazil. He is best known for his dribbling and his short passing ability.-Early career:...

 scored after 9 minutes in their final group stage game as both teams went on to qualify for the knock out stages. Australia would meet Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

 at the quarter-final stage where Emad Mohammed
Emad Mohammed
Emad Mohammed Ridha is an Iraqi football striker who currently plays for Sepahan in Iran Pro League and the Iraq national football team. Emad Mohammed has been a regular starter for Iraq ever since he played for the youth national team...

 scored after 64 minutes, sending Iraq through to the semi-finals as they won the game 1-0.

Qualification

The Olyroos' first qualifying game for the 2008 Beijing Olympics
Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics was held in Beijing and several other cities in the People's Republic of China from 6 August to 23 August. Associations affiliated with FIFA were invited to send their full women's national teams and men's U-23 teams to participate...

 was held on 7 February 2007, when Australia hosted Taiwan
Chinese Taipei national football team
The Chinese Taipei national football team is the official name given by FIFA to the national association football team of the Republic of China ....

 in Adelaide
Hindmarsh Stadium
Hindmarsh Stadium is a rectangular stadium located in Adelaide, South Australia. It is the home of the Australian A-League team, Adelaide United....

. Midfielder Kristian Sarkies
Kristian Sarkies
Kristian Sarkies is an Australian football player who currently plays for Melbourne Heart...

 became the first player to score a hat-trick for the Under-23's in the Asian competition and Australia won the home tie 11–0. They then travelled to Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...

 and narrowly edged out the home side 1–0 in difficult conditions to advance to the second stage of the qualifications. In February 2007 the Olyroos played Iran
Iran national under-23 football team
Iran national under-23 football team represents Iran in international football competitions in Olympic Games and Asian Games, as well as any other under-23 international football tournaments...

 in the first game of the second round, which resulted in a 0–0 draw. In the second game of the round, against Jordan
Jordan national football team
The Jordan national football team is the national team of Jordan and is controlled by the Jordan Football Association...

 in Adelaide, they drew 1–1. This result left Australia in second spot, four points behind leaders Saudi Arabia. Against Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia national football team
Saudi Arabia national football team is the national team of Saudi Arabia and is controlled by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation...

, Australia won the first leg 2–0 and lost 2–1 in the second. In May 2007 they defeated Iran 3–1. Australia qualified for the third and final round of the Asian qualifications after beating Jordan 4–0 in their final game in June 2007. The Olyroos met Iraq
Iraq national football team
The Iraqi national football team represents Iraq in international football and is controlled by the Iraq Football Association. They won the 2007 Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup tournament.-The Golden Generation:...

, Korea DPR
Korea DPR national football team
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea national football team represents the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in international association football and is controlled by the DPR Korea Football Association, the governing body for football in North Korea.North Korea surprised with a...

 and Lebanon
Lebanon national football team
The Lebanon national football team represents the Republic of Lebanon in international association football. Their official nickname is The Cedars...

 at the final round (August till November 2007). Australia started their campaign with a scoreless draw against Iraq in Doha. Then the Olyroos went on to win their home games against North Korea (1–0) and Lebanon (3–0). After another scoreless draw against Lebanon in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...

, Australia was behind Iraq with both eight points but Iraq leading because of the better goal difference. The decisive match was held in Gosford on 17 November 2007 and saw the Olyroos emerging as 2–0 winners thanks to goal from Adrian Leijer and Mark Milligan. The following 1–1 draw against North Korea in Pyongyang sealed Australia's qualification for Beijing, as they finished as group winners with 12 points, one more than Iraq.

2008 Beijing Olympics Men's Football Tournament

When the eventual tournament took place in August 2008, the Olyroos were drawn against Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

, Ivory Coast and Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

 where coach Graham Arnold
Graham Arnold
Graham James Arnold is a former coach of the Australian national football team. He was appointed to work as an assistant to Frank Farina in 2000. The two replaced Raul Blanco, who was the interim coach in charge after Terry Venables decided not to renew his contract with Soccer Australia after...

 had controversially left out overseas based players Nathan Burns
Nathan Burns
Nathan Burns is an Australian international football player currently playing as a right winger for AEK Athens F.C. in the Greek Super League.-Adelaide United:He formerly played for Parramatta Eagles and trained at the AIS....

 and Bruce Djite
Bruce Djite
Bruce José Djite is an American-born Australian football striker who currently plays for Adelaide United F.C. in the A-League.-Club career:...

, which left half of the squad including domestic players. A hopeful squad looked upon by the public which included Nuremberg's Matthew Spiranovic
Matthew Spiranovic
Matthew Thomas Špiranović is an Australian football player who currently plays for J. League club Urawa Red Diamonds.-Career:...

 and Gençlerbirliği's James Troisi
James Troisi
James Troisi is an Australian football midfielder. He is currently playing for Turkish club Kayserispor.-Club career:...

, the experience of Archie Thompson
Archie Thompson
Archibald Gerald Thompson is a New Zealand-born Australian professional football player, currently playing for Melbourne Victory in the Hyundai A-League, where he holds the League all time scoring record...

 and Jade North
Jade North
Jade Bronson North is an Indigenous Australian association football player. He played as a centre back or full back for the FC Tokyo in the J. League Division 2...

 were included as the over aged players. Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...

 was the venue of Australia's first group stage clash against Serbia, which saw them go infont after 69 minutes thanks to a Ruben Zadkovich
Ruben Zadkovich
Ruben Zadkovich is an Australian football player who attended Woonona High School in Wollongong NSW and currently plays for the Newcastle United Jets in the Hyundai A-League.-Club career:...

 goal. Slobodan Rajković
Slobodan Rajkovic
Slobodan Rajković is a Serbian footballer who plays as a Centre back for Hamburger SV.-Club career:...

 however leveled the scores after 78 minutes to end the game at 1-1. Argentina, who had beaten Ivory Coast 2-1 in their opening clash, would then take on Australia. The Olyroos held the Albiceleste at 0-0 until Napoli's Ezequiel Lavezzi
Ezequiel Lavezzi
Ezequiel Iván Lavezzi , nicknamed "El Pocho", is an Argentine football striker of Italian descent, who currently plays for Italian Serie A club Napoli and the Argentine national team.-Atlético Estudiantes:...

 latched on to a cross to score after 76 minutes. The full strength Argentina side, a team that included Roman Riquelme, Sergio Agüero
Sergio Agüero
Sergio Leonel "Kun" Agüero del Castillo is an Argentine footballer who plays as a striker for Manchester City in England's Premier League and the Argentine national team....

 and Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi is an Argentine footballer who plays for FC Barcelona and captains the Argentina national team, mainly as a striker. Messi received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21, and won in 2009 and 2010...

, took out the game at 1-0 which left Australia in a must win situation against the Ivory Coast. An 81st minute Salomon Kalou
Salomon Kalou
Salomon Armand Magloire Kalou is an Ivorian footballer who plays as a striker for Chelsea in the Premier League.He is often used on the wings at Chelsea. He has a preference for playing on the left wing as this gives him opportunities to cut inside and take shots with his favoured right foot...

 strike saw Ivory Coast proceed to the knock out stages at the expense of Australia who had just claimed one point.

Qualification

Under coach Aurelio Vidmar
Aurelio Vidmar
Aurelio Vidmar is an Australian football player and former captain of the Australian national team. He is currently not tied to any A-league club...

, Australia's 2012 Olympics qualifiers will commence on 19–23 June 2011 where which they will face Yemen on 19 June at Central Coast Stadium in Gosford
Gosford, New South Wales
Gosford is a city located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, approximately 76 km north of the Sydney central business district...

 and on 23 June at Newcastle International Sports Centre in Newcastle, New South Wales
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...

 in the first round of qualifiers where Australia won 7-0 on aggregate. On 7 July 2011 the draw for the third round of the qualifiers
Football at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's Asian Qualifiers Preliminary Round 3
This page provides the summaries of the matches of the group stage of the Asian football qualifiers for 2012 Olympics. The group stage draw is scheduled for July 7 at AFC House....

 was held at the AFC House. Australia were drawn into Group B with Iraq, Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates, with the group's fixtures commencing in September 2011 and concluding in March 2012.

Olympic Football Tournament

Olympics record
Football at the Summer Olympics
Association football, usually known simply as football or soccer, has been included in every Olympiad except 1896 and 1932 as a men's competition sport. Women's football was added to the official programme in 1996.-Early history:...

Year Round Position
1900
Football at the 1900 Summer Olympics
At the 1900 Summer Olympics, a football tournament was contested for the first time. Only two demonstration matches were held between the three club sides, and no medals were awarded...

 – 1952
Football at the 1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Olympic football tournament signalled the arrival of the 'Golden Team'; the 'Magical Magyars': Hungary. Ferenc Puskás, the great Hungarian known as the 'Galloping Major' for his military title, said of the 1952 competition: "It was during the Olympics that our football first started to...

Did not participate
1956
Football at the 1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Olympic Games football tournament with just 11 competing nations suffered from cancellations. It was an undistinguished tournament that featured mis-matches and walkovers.-Background:...

Quarter-final 2 1 0 1 4 4
1960
Football at the 1960 Summer Olympics
The football tournament at the 1960 Summer Olympics was held from 26 August to 10 September in 1960 throughout Italy.-Venues:-Medalists:-Group A:---------------------Group B:---------------------Group C:--------...

Withdrew
1964
Football at the 1964 Summer Olympics
The football competition at the 1964 Summer Olympics started on October 11 and ended on October 23. Only one event, the men's tournament, was contested...

 to 1984
Football at the 1984 Summer Olympics
The football tournament at the 1984 Summer Olympics started on July 29 and ended on August 11. It featured only a men's tournament, as women's football had yet to become an Olympic event. It was the first Olympic football competition in which professionals were allowed...

Did not enter
1988
Football at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Final results for the football competition at the 1988 Summer Olympics. The tournament was held from September 17, 1988 to October 1, 1988.-Medal summary:...

Quarter final 7th 4 2 0 2 2 6
1992 Semi-final 4th 6 2 1 3 8 12
1996
Football at the 1996 Summer Olympics
The association football competition at the 1996 Summer Olympics was held in Birmingham, Alabama; Washington, D.C; Orlando, Florida; Miami, Florida; and Athens, Georgia....

Group stage 13th 3 1 0 2 4 6
2000
Football at the 2000 Summer Olympics
The football tournament at the 2000 Summer Olympics was the 20th official Olympic football tournament. A women's tournament was held for the second time.-Medal winners:-Venues:*Olympic Stadium, Sydney*Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney*Bruce Stadium, Canberra...

Group stage 15th 3 0 0 3 3 6
2004
Football at the 2004 Summer Olympics
The football tournament at the 2004 Summer Olympics started on 11 August, , and ended on 28 August.The men's tournament is played by U-23 national teams, with up to three over age players allowed per squad...

Quarter final 4 1 1 2 6 4
2008
Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics was held in Beijing and several other cities in the People's Republic of China from 6 August to 23 August. Associations affiliated with FIFA were invited to send their full women's national teams and men's U-23 teams to participate...

Group stage 3 0 1 2 1 3
Total 7/25 24 7 3 14 28 40

Matches

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Current squad

The following players were named for the Asian Qualifiers against Iraq and Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan national under-23 football team
The Uzbekistan national U-23 football team represents Uzbekistan in international U-23 football competitions. It is controlled by the Uzbekistan Football Federation and is a member of the Asian Football Confederation.-U-22:...

 for the 2012 London Olympics
Football at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Football at the 2012 Summer Olympics is scheduled to be held in London and several other cities in the United Kingdom, from 25 July to 11 August. The finals will be played at Wembley Stadium. Associations affiliated with FIFA are invited to send their full women's national teams and men's U-23...

 which will be played in November 2011.
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Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up within the last 12 months.

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External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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