‘I give in already’: Why Hiddink was ‘mad as hell’ after second Socceroos match

Despite winning his second match in charge of the Socceroos against the Solomon Islands, Guus Hiddink recalls why he was infuriated at full time. 

Hiddink's first match as Australia coach started in style as the Socceroos took a giant step towards the South American World Cup play-off with a 7-0 thrashing of the Solomon Islands in their Oceania qualifier first leg at the Sydney Football Stadium in 2005. 

While the quality of the opposition was questionable, Hiddink was pleased with the seven-goal lead established ahead of the second leg in Honiara. 

But the return leg was a different story.

The Honiara match was played in hot and humid conditions, and the Socceroos could only scrape through with a 2-1 win. 

Speaking to current Socceroos head coach Graham Arnold ahead of his return to Australia next month to be part of the farewell match and 100th-anniversary celebrations, Hiddink recalled how mad he was after the game. 

“I was mad as hell,” Hiddink explained.

In the first game, we won easily but the second was a disaster.” 

Arnold added: “After the game, you said: ‘that’s it, I’m done. If we can only win 2-1 against this team, I give in already.’

“I had to say to you boss, calm down. These games in the Solomons are not easy.” 

After coaching the likes of the Netherlands national team, Real Madrid and PSV Eindhoven before he entered the Socceroos top job, Hiddink was not used to travelling to places like the Solomon Islands. 

But he enjoyed the rough surroundings after coming from an organised world and while the Socceroos would need to lift their game if they were to have a chance in their two-legged play-off against Uruguay later that year, Hiddink learnt a lot about his troops in Honiara. 

“I remember the Solomon Islands flight,” Hiddink told 

“We landed in the middle of the jungle and I liked it.

"I liked it because I came also from a well-organised world and a well-organised club so this was a little bit more what I liked very much because it was a little bit more rough. 

“With dressing rooms in the Solomon Islands, half of the team had to wait to get dressed because the dressing room was so small.

But I love those circumstances because I'm always curious how players will survive in those situations.

“I wanted to see which players would be complaining and which players would say ‘let's go for it’ although the circumstances are rather poor. I liked it very much because I could see how our players and staff react.”

Hiddink went on to galvanise the squad and immortalise himself in Australian football history by ending the Socceroos' 32-year World Cup exile with a famous penalty shootout win over Uruguay, and then reaching the round of 16 at Germany in 2006.