75-time capped international and AFC Asian Cup 2015 champion Robbie Kruse spoke to Football Australia Media to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the night the Socceroos secured their first piece of major silverware.
The winger sat down and opened up on his turbulent personal journey, recovering from a serious injury prior to the tournament before then suffering a devastating injury in the final following an inspired contribution to the side's efforts.
Kruse also reflects on the impact of his manager, teammates, and the close connection of a rival that helped fuel a memorable month on home soil.
Redemption for 2011 campaign
The 2011 Asian Cup was my introduction to the national team. I played the one friendly game beforehand, and I was a bit starstruck heading into that camp, because we had a lot of the 'Golden Generation' still at that tournament, the team was stacked. To play with a lot of the idols that I looked up to growing up and seeing them, sharing tables, having meals with them, was really surreal.
We should have won that final against Japan, 100%.
Timmy [Cahill] and Harry [Kewell] up front were causing mayhem, but we just couldn't score. I actually had a really good chance in that final which might have just tipped onto the crossbar in extra time.
So coming into 2015, an Asian Cup on home soil, we were ready. We went and played a pre-tournament friendly game against Qatar and had a terrible performance.
I remember Ange standing there, grilling us a little bit, asking if we wanted to be part of the team or not. And I just remember him pointing to Mile [Jedinak] and saying: “because this man will be holding the Asian Cup up”.
It's not that we didn't believe him, but we were all like, “Oh yeah, okay, fair enough.” And then coming back from, you know, my injury was a really difficult time. I was at the peak of my powers. Before the 2014 World Cup, I was at Leverkusen, but then I got an ACL injury, and missed that year. So the Asian Cup was where I could right those wrongs.
Building Confidence
This was the second game of the Asian Cup. I had just come off my ACL, so my first tournament back, and this [Goal v Oman] was a pressure relief for me. I felt a lot of pressure coming into the tournament, and it was an excellent moment for me and my family particularly.
It was actually a really good goal we worked on. Ange, a lot of the time, emphasized forward runs, and that was a major part of my game. Massimo [Luongo], played an excellent ball, and I was happy enough to take it through the keeper. It was more relief after the year I had, after coming back from the ACL, helped break the shackles, get more into the rhythm of the whole tournament. I also knew Ali [Al-Habsi] the Omani goalkeeper quite well.
I think it was only my second or third game coming back from an ACL, representing my country at an Asian Cup on home soil. The first game was not too bad, but I think the second game was a good start point for me to build into the tournament.
Queensland Return
I was desperate to play in that game [Korea Republic in Brisbane]. I remember we rotated a lot. In that third game, we had our chances to beat them. We actually played well, and I had a really good chance at the end. Definitely deserved a draw, so it was disappointing. It meant everything was up in the air with what route that put us into and which teams we would face.
We played the quarter-final against China in Brisbane, again. We all remember it because of Timmy's two goals. That was a tough game as well, a really gritty performance. [Cahill] carried us in that game.
Those two games were really special for me because I hadn’t played in my home city with the Socceroos. They were the only two games I got to really play against many of my family members and friends, who got to come.
Semi-Final v UAE
We were really surprised [UAE defeating Japan]. It emphasized to us how good they were at the time. They had Omar Abdulrahman coming through as that big superstar in the Middle East. We were really aware of his talents, excellent left foot, very good on the ball.
We went down to Newcastle to play in that semi-final. We were all at that stage, just dreaming of the final in Sydney, everyone could feel the buzz. I remember it vividly. You did everything you could to get to that final because you knew how big it was for football in the country.
It was at that point in the tournament, everyone in recovery mode, preparing for each game. It was another really tough game.
Final v Korea Republic
Son Heung-Min Relationship
We were in the same position at [Bayer] Leverkusen, he was four years younger than me, but I was actually competing with him for that spot in the first half of the season. It was a complicated time, then obviously came the Asian Cup, and there was a lot of talk surrounding me and him.
South Korea has always been one of our heavyweight battles in Asia and obviously they had a lot of big-time players at the time. They had Son at Leverkusen, a few more boys in Germany at the time who were big stars and a really big fan base here in Australia as well. They brought a lot of fans with them, so we knew they were going to be one of the largest challenges.
First-half
It was a typical final, I don't think it was great football. Finals are not the most open, exciting brand of football. But I think we controlled the game, yet there weren't as many chances as we would have liked. I remember Trent just got the ball to Mass [Luongo]. And I always remember it because I was about 10-15 meters away from Massimo to his left.
There were two players either side of him, in such a tight corridor, and I thought back to the coaches drilling into us to “turn, turn, all the time”. He did a beautiful turn and then hit it so sweetly into the corner. You then saw the crowd.
I just remember we ran over to the side there and celebrated. Seeing that whole crowd of yellow celebrating was an unbelievable feeling.
That split moment when he scored that goal, then the pure adulation on all the players' faces when we celebrated was one of my most special moments in the national team jersey.
Injury Heartbreak
I remember coming off around the 70th minute [suffering an ankle ligament injury]. The ref actually first thought I was diving in the box. I was in the change room, just lying there, watching on the TV because I was in that much pain.
Obviously I was distraught, coming off the ACL injury, so my focus wasn't on the game at the time.
I heard the crowd roar. In that initial moment I thought we'd won the game, and then I looked and saw Son celebrating instead. In extra time, I didn't want to come out, but the staff convinced me. I'm really, really glad I ended up coming out, because I got to feel like I was a part of that match. Hearing what the boss [Postecoglou] said during his speech to the players, somehow galvanising the team to go back out, get their heads in the game, and win.
Teammate Adoration
Massimo Luongo
I had no idea who he [Luongo] was, I genuinely had no idea who he was whatsoever.
So when I saw him in camp, I was obviously surprised that he was there, and then, in the starting team for the first game. Obviously, Ange was correct, he noticed something, and knew what he was doing. In that first game, he played unbelievable, scored a header, set up another goal for Timmy. He was a pivotal role in our midfield.
I've admired Mass a lot throughout his career. He's been a fantastic player and that tournament highlighted the calibre of player that he was. If you could sum up his style of game and in a nutshell, it would be that turn and finish in the final.
Not a lot of players would have the balls to do that type of turn, in that type of situation, in a final like that.
Mile Jedinak
Mile [Jedinak] is the best captain I've had in my football career. He's definitely the pick of the bunch.
It’s the way he commands respect, but is also understanding of those ups and downs. I remember when I first came into the national team, I got into trouble a fair bit with the coaches in terms of not listening, or doing the wrong things. But Mile was always understanding. He would pull you aside and show you in a respectful way.
It helped me learn to be a better player, particularly as I got older, and the way he conducted himself, particularly off the pitch and then on the pitch, was just typical of a leader you looked up to.
