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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Sport
John Davidson

How the Socceroos’ 2003 upset win over England shaped Australian football

Michael Owen of England skips past Josip Skoko and Paul Okon of Australia during the International Friendly match between England and Australia held on February 12, 2003 at Upton Park in London
England’s Michael Owen skips past Socceroos Josip Skoko and Paul Okon in 2003 at Upton Park where Australia won 3-1. The two countries face each other at Wembley on Sunday BST/Saturday AEDT. Photograph: Scott Barbour/Getty Images

In the history of the Anglo-Australian sporting rivalry, 2003 was a big year. The Wallabies and England clashed in the Rugby World Cup final in Sydney, the Kangaroos and Great Britain locked horns in rugby league’s Ashes, while in cricket Australia romped to an Ashes triumph on home soil.

But it was a round-ball international friendly in mid-February, on a cold night in east London, that perhaps lives longest in the memory, especially for those with antipodean minds. That was when the Socceroos’ motley crew of underdogs took on Sven-Göran Eriksson’s England at Upton Park and sprung a stunning 3-1 upset.

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