The public is brimming with excitement after the Socceroos gained another chance to win their first piece of silverware since joining the Asian Football Confederation in 2006. But it seems many are forgetting that this team is not entering unchartered territory. Should they beat South Korea on Saturday night at Stadium Australia, Ange Postecoglou's team will be following in the footsteps of the women's 2010 side which were pioneers in becoming the first Australian champions of Asia.
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Certain pundits were quick to celebrate Australia's semi-final victory over UAE by praising the 2015 Socceroos as the first potential Asian champions from Australia, forgetting heroics of their female compatriots five years before.
The Matildas also had to overcome a team from the Korean peninsula in the final, beating North Korea in a dramatic penalty shoot-out where an 18-year-old Kyah Simon sealed the winning spot kick.
Tennis steals the big TV audience
The Asian Cup organisers could not have been any more unlucky with the scheduling of the Socceroos' semi-final clash that was pitted against the Australian Open quarter-final between Nick Kyrgios and Andy Murray. More than 1 million viewers tuned in to watch Australia defeat the UAE, as 730,000 watched ABC's live coverage while Fox Sports claimed an audience of 362,000 viewers. While impressive figures, those were dwarfed by Channel 7's coverage of the Australian Open, which drew an average audience of 2.5 million for Murray's win over Kyrgios and a peak audience of 3.5 million. It was the most watched match of the tournament this far. Australia plays South Korea in the final of the Asian Cup, which will clash with the women's final of the Australian Open.
Don't mention the referees
The confederation organising the tournament began clamping down on the press this week, with journalists barred from asking questions about the standard of refereeing. Following Iraq's loss to South Korea in Monday's semi-final, an AFC press officer butted in when a journalist asked Iraq's coach Radhi Shenaishel whether he was pleased with the standard of officiating. The press officer cut off the journalist and said there would be no questions regarding officials following earlier outbursts such as from Iran coach Carlos Quiroz against Australian referee Ben Williams.
Tickets going like hotcakes
ANZ Stadium won't come close to setting an attendance record for the venue with temporary seating arrangements reducing the capacity slightly. Media tribunes in place and AFC restrictions on seats around the players tunnel will limit the seats available, while the inclusion of covered benches will restrict the view from a small number of seats. Fans rushed to buy tickets immediately following the Socceroos' win over the UAE with 10,000 sold in the first two hours after the match. It is unlikely any non-single tickets or even tickets without restricted views will be on sale as of Thursday morning should sales continue at the same pace. A crowd of over 80,000 is expected but depending on the attendance of AFC corporate guests, will fall short of reaching the full capacity of the venue.
