Kewell's nostalgia for night Socceroos stunned England

The highly anticipated friendly between the Caltex Socceroos and England has brought up some wonderful memories for ex-Australian star Harry Kewell.

Kewell was a part of the Socceroos’ famous win over Sven Goran Eriksson’s England in the last meeting between the two nations back in 2003, scoring the second goal in the 3-1 win in London.

“The goal was an interesting won. Lucas [Neill] won it and he just played it down the line and it was a chase,” Kewell recalled to FFA TV.

“Rio [England defender Rio Ferdinand] over two or three yards, he takes his time but once he gets over that he opens up and he usually wins the race.

“I knew I had to get in there early and it was just a physical challenge. He probably forgot how strong I was and unfortunately for him he bounced off a brick wall.”

What happened after that is still ingrained in the memories of Socceroos fans.

Kewell surged into the box, took the ball around keeper David James and stroked it into an empty net before running off to celebrate in the corner of the Upton Park pitch.

“Even when I’m out coaching now, I tell players once you’re one-on-one to drive at the keeper, make the defender come in, make them make the decision,” he said.

“Me, I like to take it around keepers, always did, because it shows that you have that little bit of composure to mix it up.”