'No one does drama like Socceroos'

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What a moment ... Defenders Lucas Neill and Sasa Ognenovski celebrate. Source: Philip Hillyard / News Limited

It just had to be like this.

A glance around the stadium at 80 minutes made grim viewing. We were warned it wasn't going to be easy, and a gallant Iraq were out to re-ignite ghosts of past campaigns.

But no one knows drama like our Socceroos.

Tim Cahill looked infuriated when his number came up. Then Holger Osieck proceeded to take off his star from the Jordan game, Robbie Kruse.

The much-maligned German rolled the dice and came up trumps like never before.

Tom Rogic, on for Brett Holman, threatened every time he glided in his inimitable way during his 30-minute cameo.

Then came Kennedy. The giant striker who hasn't been seen in green and gold since late 2011 rose to meet the most inch-perfect chip from Mark Bresciano.

"Amazing couple of hours. As frustrating as it was to be on the bench, waiting to get on, it seemed like destiny - my time to shine," the jubilant striker told foxsports.com.au after the match.

Bresciano's worth – and the way the playmaker has re-ignited this campaign – has been much discussed. But there was no better example of his game breaking abilities than with our World Cup dreams on a precipice.

Kennedy – Jesus, fittingly, let the puns begins – might have nabbed the John Aloisi moment, but once again Bresciano was there for the vital contribution in big games, just like he was as a goal scorer way back in 2005.

Others often get the headlines but has anyone been involved in as many of Australia's game-changing moments over the last decade?

It was a strange night under the bucketing skies at ANZ Stadium. This was no Oman-esque performance; but the Socceroos could never quite click into full flight.

Iraq looked good on the ball; Australia were overrun in the middle at times; those pockets of space exploited against Jordan were not there against the gallant Lions of

Mesopotamia. And as the scoreline remained level, every phase without a goal clipped another finger nail in the stands.

Osieck insisted post-game he wasn't interested in analysis, and frankly, it is a time for celebration.

De-construction will take place in the light of day, and a look at the cold hard facts of the state of the squad will rumble on for the next 12 months.

Now? Relief. Jubilation. Euphoria. History.

For some, like Oar, Rogic and Kruse - three prodigious talents all thrown into the deep end at the vital moment in this campaign - it will be their first World Cups.

Rogic, who was thrown on as a game-breaker by Osiek, told foxsports.com.au after the match: "going to a World Cup? Would've never thought it was possible.

"I got a good half-hour on there. Obviously I was a bit nervous ... he gave me a few words before I went on, told me to just do my job and relax and have a bit of fun.

"It's a priceless moment. Unreal.

"I didn't know what to do (when we scored)."

What a cauldron for the players. It was nerve racking in the stands. How did they cope – not just with the pressure to score, but with the burden of knowing the prize on offer?

Oar told foxsports.com.au: "we didn't think we'd leave it as late as we did, but it's overwhelming joy now.

"The longer it went without scoring, I could sense the crowd getting more nervous. I think the boys stuck with it, we were persistent, and we got our reward in the end.

"I'm over the moon, exhausted, to be honest, but we're really looking forward to celebrating together."

For Kruse, his football life really can't get any better at the moment,

"I've had a great two years but this is the pinnacle," Kruse said.

"Nothing can top this feeling. When the ball hit the back of the net I was lost for words. It's the first time for a lot of us... We're just going to treasure the moment now.:

Whether all the veterans make it to Brazil will be a well worn debate by the time we reach the middle of 2014.

But for now, no one can doubt the influence Mark Schwarzer, Lucas Neill, Sasa Ognenovski and Mark Bresciano wielded on the side. They deserve their historic moment in the sun. 

"As a footballer, to play for your country at a World Cup is a dream come true," Bresciano said.

"Now I'm going to my third. You can imagine how special that is."

It was a bumpy ride, turbulent at times, but we got there.

"Tonight, it's the best," coach Holger Osieck, who was part of Germany's 1990 World Cup-winning effort, declared in the post-match press-conference.

Anyone who says that tonight was no Uruguay is missing the point.

The Socceroos tackled the pressure head on and prevailed.

Three consecutive World Cups, after an absence of 32 years – that's worth doing the samba to.

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