The Socceroos have officially embarked on their best winning streak in 20 years, after claiming a sixth consecutive victory in Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup™ qualifying with a 5-1 victory over Chinese Taipei on Tuesday morning (AEST).
The last time the men's national team went on a winning run of this length, Archie Thompson fired 13 goals past American Samoa in a single Socceroos game, and the newly-capped Denis Genreau and Riley McGree and defensive tower Harry Souttar were all nearing their second birthday celebrations.
It's just one of the numerous eye-catching stats which came out of the 5-1 qualifying win over Chinese Taipei.
Read on to for all the key stats from Australia's sixth win on the bounce!
Curtis Good ends seven-year wait to make Socceroos return
For the first time since 2014, Melbourne City defender Curtis Good donned the Green and Gold for an international fixture in the Socceroos' 5-1 win over Chinese Taipei.
Good ended his 2,651-day wait to do so - the biggest break between Socceroos fixtures in decades and the ninth-longest of all-time.
TOP TEN: Longest waits between Socceroos caps
- 8y 312d Bill Rogers 1972–1981
- 8y 74d Ted Drain 1947–1955
- 7y 319d George Weir 1931–1939
- 7y 282d Eddie Krncevic 1981–1989
- 7y 269d Alf White 1939–1947
- 7y 173d Steve Calderan 1981–1989
- 7y 160d Ron Lord 1956–1964
- 7y 141d Alvin Ceccoli 1998–2006
- 7y 94d Curtis Good 2014–2021
- 7y 87d Shaun Murphy 1992–2000
Good collected just his second cap for the Socceroos on Tuesday morning. His wait between cap #1 and #2 was the third longest in Australian men's history.
TOP FIVE: Longest wait between first and second Socceroos cap
- 8y 74d Ted Drain 1947–1955
- 7y 173d Steve Calderan 1981–1989
- 7y 94d Curtis Good 2014–2021
- 5y 315d Brad Maloney 1992–1998
- 5y 302d Bert Walker 1941–1947
MATCH REPORT: Duke strikes double as dominant Socceroos defeat Chinese Taipei
MORE: 'I'm very proud': Graham Arnold lauds impact of inexperienced Socceroos
Socceroos win six on the bounce for first time since 2001
With a 5-1 triumph over Chinese Taipei, the current Socceroos matched a six-game winning streak notched between April and June in 2001.
Four years before the nation's move from the Oceania confederation (OFC) to the Asian confederation (AFC), Australia put on six consecutive wins including a record 31-0 victory over American Samoa.
The Socceroos' current run of wins have all come in the current Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup™ qualifying campaign against Kuwait (two wins), Chinese Taipei (two wins), Jordan and Nepal.
The 5-1 win at Jaber Al-Hamad Stadium in Kuwait City ensured Australia's winning streak away from their territory extended to five games. The Socceroos haven't won more such games in a row since June 2000 (W6).
Souttar scores fifth goal in three games
The Stoke City centre-back is doing his best to endear himself to Socceroos fans after finding the back of the net for the fifth time in just his third appearance for the national side.
The defender scored a header off a Riley McGree corner in the 11th minute of Australia's 5-1 win over Chinese Taipei, adding to the brace he netted against the same opposition in October, 2019 just days after scoring on debut against Nepal.
The latest players to have scored five goals so quickly for the men's national side are Bobby Despotovski and Joel Porter, who both raced to five goals after two games at the 2002 Oceania Nations Cup.
Of all of the Socceroos to have hit the ground running in their first two caps, none had quite the impact of an up-and-coming Thompson in 2001. History beckons once again to that result against American Samoa, in which Thompson scored 13 goals in just his second game to take his tally to 14 for the Socceroos.
READ: Socceroos don black armbands to honour members of Australian football community
MORE: The Socceroos family pay tribute to Myles O'Neill
Chinese Taipei a welcome opponent for dominant Australia
The Socceroos have never lost to Chinese Taipei in men's internationals, and that emphatic record was extended on Tuesday when Graham Arnold's side extended their unbeaten record to 15 games.
Australia have beaten Chinese Taipei 14 times and drawn once when meeting on the international stage.
The 78.2% possession recorded by the Socceroos in the 5-1 win was their highest ratio in a single game in the 2022 Asian World Cup Qualifiers, with only the 36 shots on goal against Nepal in 2019 eclipsing the Socceroos' 29 against Chinese Taipei throughout the current qualifying campaign.
Mitchell Duke was directly involved in 11 shots in today's game (seven shots, four chances), the most for any Australian player in a single game in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
Upcoming Fixtures
Nepal v Australia
Date: Friday, 11 June 2021
Venue: Jaber Al-Hamad Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait
Kick-off: 7pm (local) – 2am Saturday, 12 June 2021 AEST
Broadcast: Live on FOX SPORTS, Kayo Sports, and My Football Live App
Australia v Jordan
Date: Tuesday, 15 June 2021
Venue: TBC
Kick-off: TBC
Broadcast: Live on FOX SPORTS, Kayo Sports, ABC TV, and My Football Live App