Ange knew it was Timmy time for Socceroos

Oct 11, 2017 - 6:32 AM Socceroos saviour Tim Cahill had one clear thought on Tuesday night - there were no more dress rehearsals.

There was also the feeling it was his time, and that coach Ange Postecoglou knew it too.

Less than two months shy of his 38th birthday, Cahill defied age and reason to rescue Australia's World Cup fortunes at ANZ Stadium.

Two trademark headers secured the 2-1 extra-time win over Syria to reach a last qualifying playoff against Honduras.

That he reached a record half-century of international goals in the process was a by-product for the team-first veteran, whose bid to play at a fourth World Cup would have bit the dust without his own heroic intervention.

"We had to win," Cahill said.

"There were no more dress rehearsals.

"There's no more Thailand game where you get another chance - this was it.

"You can't go into this game without conviction and intent or you get left behind."

Cahill, who described his 109th-minute poacher's winner as like waiting for a bus, wasn't the least bit surprised he was still delivering more than 13 years after his Socceroos debut.

"I'm not going to stand here and say I didn't think I'd score," he said.

"I know I'm always going to score when I play for the national team.

"What I've learnt in the last 20 years, playing in the big leagues and World Cups, is I'm not missing a moment."

When Cahill grabbed his moment, it wasn't with both hands but with his world-famous head, the acutely qualified cranium that had proven indispensable time and again in Australia's hour of need.

The other-worldly longevity is something else entirely, with five World Cup goals across the Germany 2006, South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014 showpieces.

Used increasingly off the bench, Cahill couldn't remember his last 90-minute shift for the Socceroos, let alone the 120 he ran out against Syria.

He doesn't get nervous much, but there was a pang of angst every time Postecoglou made a substitution, fearing he'd be replaced before his job was done.

"But I think he really felt this was my time. I felt it too," Cahill said.

"For me it's all mental. There's always another gear. To have something that's worth having, it needs to hurt. It hurt tonight and I got my reward.

"I always tell the boys you have to give everything on the pitch, and that's the way I felt tonight.

"It possibly could have been my last game if things didn't go well, but the journey continues for all of us."

Source: AAP