The qualifying stage for the Weltmeisterschaft in Germany is over but it will not be forgotten.
There were upsets, turnarounds, incidents and refereeing slips aplenty: Australia waited for 32 years until Germany got the chance to host another final...Togo and Angola created upsets in the African zone...an inept referee influenced the results in Asia.
Brazil reign supreme, everybody knows that. The only country to have qualified for all previous final stages have won that right for the 18th time, although by old rules they would have qualified automatically as current world champs. In the decider, Brazil beat Chile by 5-0 with three goals from the "Emperor", Inter Milan's Adriano.
It is a false statement that few people in the USA love soccer. The truth is that a small percentage of Anglo-Saxons love soccer, whereas Latinos, Italians and Irish are crazy about the sport just as those living in their countries of origin.
After thrilling their fans with the scintillating display in Japan and Korea, the USA have reached their fifth consecutive World Cup finals as group winners ahead of Mexico and Costa Rica. No mean feat, although the national media sometimes fail to give their team due credit.
The African qualifying zone produced a couple of shockers. Traditional powerhouses Cameroon, Nigeria, Algiers, Morocco and Senegal all failed to qualify, allowing Angola, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Togo to go through for the first time. The only successful favourite were Tunisia, returning to a World Cup final stage for the third consecutive time.
The most dramatic was that of Cameroon, who only needed to beat already eliminated Egypt at home in order to qualify ahead of Ivory Coast.
In added time, tied at 1-1, Pierre Womé had a unique chance at eternal glory after a doubtful penalty was awarded to the hosts. Womé sent the ball to the post, while at the same time Ivory Coast beat Sudan by 3-1 and claimed the top spot.
The fans went on to wreck Womé's car and pelted with stones his relative's house in Yaoundé. Luckily, the "culprit" was already back in Europe.
The Asian playoffs between Uzbekistan and Bahrain, first game in Tashkent. The Uzbeks lead by 1-0 and have a penalty. They score, but since a home player encroached on the penalty area before time, the Japanese referee Toshimitsu Yoshida disallows the goal.
The rules require the repetition of the penalty kick, but Yoshida doesn't know that and concedes the goal to Bahrain! FIFA orders a replay, but this time it does not favour the offended party. In the replay Uzbekistan could only draw 1-1.
In the return leg in Manama, Bahrain held the visitors to a goalless draw and progressed on away goals rule. A very poor consolation for Uzbekistan: the Asian Football Confederation kicked out Yoshida from the international referees' list.
It is hard to be a soccer player when your four year's worth of effort hinges on how things go in two games alone: in the playoffs for the World Cup, usually with the fifth placed team from the South American zone.
Just like the last time, Uruguay were the last obstacle for the Aussies; unlike the last time, Australia now surmounted the obstacle. Four years ago, Uruguay wiped out the 0-1 deficit from the first leg by a resounding 3-0 in Montevideo. This time around, with a reversed sequence of games, Australia lost away from home by 0-1, before winning the return leg in Sydney by the same score and then finishing the job on penalties.
It couldn't have turned out any other way. The last time they qualified, the final stage was also in Germany, West Germany to be specific.
Best of the 2006 Qualifiers Part 1
World Cup 2006 Qualifying Groups
World Cup 2006 Groups A-H
20 Greatest Goals
20 Greatest Comebacks
20 Greatest almost Comebacks