The facts and figures behind the Socceroos' FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ campaign

Socceroos.com.au 1670215576,1670226578

After Australia's gallant Round of 16 elimination to Argentina, here is a recap of the Socceroos' inspiring FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ campaign which will go down as our most successful to date.

While it was the second instance in qualifying to the Round of 16, Qatar was very much a tournament of firsts for the Green and Gold in our sixth appearance at the Finals.

The Socceroos players can hold their heads high, having represented the country with enormous pride and creating new iconic memories which will live on in Australian football folklore.

Here are some of the key statistics from the World Cup:

Australia won consecutive World Cup matches for the first time, while progressing from the group stages of the competition for just the second time in six tournament appearances (also 2006).
With six points from the group stage it is also the Socceroos highest-ever points tally.
The Socceroos have secured four wins overall at the FIFA World Cup.
Australia became the third team to progress from the first round group stage of the World Cup having both lost and conceded 4+ goals in their opening match of the tournament, after Yugoslavia in 1990 and Ukraine in 2006.
Australia kept a clean sheet in consecutive World Cup matches for the first time. They had kept just one clean sheet in their first 17 matches in the competition before this run, which occurred back in 1974.
Craig Goodwin, Mitch Duke and Mathew Leckie became our seventh, eighth and ninth goal-scorers at the FIFA World Cup respectively.
Australia opened the scoring in all three of its group stage games.
For the first time in its history, Australia scored a goal in each of its matches at the same tournament, with all four goals arriving from open play.
Australia scored their first-ever goal in the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup.
Craig Goodwin's goal against France was Australia's first from open play since the 2014 World Cup.
Australia equalled their longest run of games with a goal in the competition since a run of 4 games from 19th June 2010 to 18th June 2014.
Mathew Leckie and Mathew Ryan became the first Australian players to make 10 appearances in the FIFA World Cup, surpassing Tim Cahill and Mark Bresciano.
Against Tunisia, Graham Arnold became the first Australian to coach the national team to
victory in a FIFA World Cup match. He has since become the first Australian to guide a team to the knockout phase.
Garang Kuol became the second-youngest player to ever play in the FIFA World Cup knockout stage at 18 years and 79 days. Only Pelé has played in the knockout stage at a younger age (17 years and 239 days v. Wales 1958).