They used to say Australia came to a standstill for a horse race. On Friday afternoon, the race that stopped the nation was the Socceroos’ battle to claim a win – or a draw – against Paraguay to sail into the knockout phase of the World Cup for the second consecutive time. And in the end, nil all was enough.
Pubs in major cities were packed to the brim from Friday morning with football fans donned in gold and green, some nursing pints with their work laptops.
