Status: 02.12.2022 1:35 PM
While Germany go home, underdogs Australia are in the Round of 16 of the World Cup for the second time since 2006 and now meet Argentina. The cornerstone of the Socceroos is Jackson Erwin from the second division soccer team FC St. Pauli, who 16 years earlier was already rooting for a “summer fairy tale” in Germany.
Irvine later said, “I was in Germany in 2006 as a kid, there as a fan. This team inspired a whole generation.” Australia qualified for the Round of 16 with a 1–0 victory over Denmark in their final group match. That too, who was 13 years old at that time. Now the 29-year-old has written Australian football history himself. “We may have done the same thing for a lot of kids. It makes us very proud.”
“I am proud to represent FC St. Pauli in the Round of 16.”
jackson irwin
The Australian team can now create history in Qatar and enter the quarter-finals. The odds, however, are higher, as it is against Messi’s Argentina on Saturday (8 p.m. on NDR LiveCenter). Irvine and company are ready: “Now is the time to recover and prepare for the fight of our lives in the round of 16.”
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After the win against secret favorites Denmark, the Socceroos midfield machine thought not only about the state of emergency in Australia, but also about Hamburg, his second home. “I am proud every day to be a player at FC St. Pauli and I hope I have made everyone proud too,” said the Keyskicker captain.
residents of the neighborhood without fear of contact
At St. Pauli, the 1.89-metre slacker, who moved from Edinburgh to Millerstor in 2021, played into the hearts of fans at breakneck speed. A fighter on the pitch, a completely normal neighborhood resident off the field without fear of contact, who takes the bus and train to training: two guys Irvine and FC St. Pauli think are fit.
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It is no coincidence that the Australian wears bandages with Leet Pakarada and, shortly before the World Cup, prematurely extended his contract, which was already until 2024. The second division soccer team did not give any information about the new term.
The fact that Irvine, along with his Australian teammates and union, took a political stance ahead of the World Cup in Qatar and condemned human rights abuses in the host country should be appreciated by St. Pauli fans as well. “It was important for us to do this before we got there,” Irwin told NDR. “Because when we go to Qatar, football is our priority.”
“We don’t have superstars or world class players”
And with success. Down Under’s teams compete with comparatively modest resources. Like Irvine, many Australians simply play a double standard with their clubs. “They have players from FC Barcelona and I play in the second division in Germany,” the midfielder joked after defeating the Danes. Football may not have “superstars or world-class players, but we have a lot of faith in each other and everyone’s support.”
Is this enough against Argentina? In any case, the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, sent Irwin & Co. a portion of the additional inspiration to Qatar. In the event of winning the title, the head of state promised additional leave. Take it seriously or not, one thing is certain: The nation stands for a cause and the St. Pauli captain has a goal in mind. “When I come home, I want to see all the happy faces. We want to make our dream come true.”
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