Australia 31–0 American Samoa

The international soccer match between Australia against Samoa was part of the qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2002 on 11 April 2001 in the International Sports Stadium in Coffs Harbour. The team of Australia won the game by 31:0. It is still the largest margin of victory in international football.

Prehistory

Since 1986 the world football governing body FIFA organized a separate qualification for the World Cup for oceanic national teams. Previously, teams had participated in the qualification of the Asian Zone. The qualifying for the Football World Cup 2002 was attended by ten teams of Oceania. Australia and American Samoa were randomly assigned together with the national teams of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga in Group 1.

Samoa Samoa

Tonga Tonga

In the FIFA World Ranking Australia was in March 2001 at the 76th place and was by far the strongest team in the confederation, while American Samoa finished 203rd and last place. The games in Group 1 were held between 7 and 16 April 2001. Just two days before the match against American Samoa Australia had the Tongan team defeated with 22:0. Already after two games, the American Samoans had a goal difference of 00:21.

Game History

The Australian team consisted largely of players who were rarely used. Thus pursued, for example, John Aloisi and Damian Mori who had achieved together ten goals in a 22:0 victory over Tonga, this game from the bench from. American Samoa, however, had problems at the border. Only one member of the originally planned 20 - man squad, goalkeeper Nicky Salapu was eligible to play due to his U.S. passport. The coach Tunoa Lui were on hand several players in the U-20 team is not available, as these had to be completed at this time high school exams. Finally, there was the American- Samoan team entirely of players of the Youth National Team, including three 15 - year-old. The average age of the squad was 18 years.

Until the tenth minute, the game remained scoreless. Then Con Boutsianis scored after a corner Australia's first goal. Archie Thompson hit two minutes later to make it 2-0, his strike partner David Zdrilic shortly after to make it 3-0. In the 17th and 19th minute Tony Popovic scored the first double of the game to 5:0 and 6:0. By means of two hat-tricks met Thompson in the sequence to 16:0 half-time.

Boutsianis, who had already scored the first goal of the game came five minutes after the restart to 17:0. As the game progresses, both Thompson and Zdrilic scored four more goals before Zdrilic with his eighth overall goal marked the 31:0 final score in the 89th minute. Three minutes before the end Pati Feagiai had shot at the gate of the Australians, which was the first and only goal of the losers.

The unusually high number of goals was also reflected on the scoreboard, as these as the result indicated a 32:0 end of the game and Archie Thompson attributed 14 goals. A recount of the arbitrator and the information eventually resulted in the final score of 31:0.

Referee Ronan Leaustic from Tahiti had not award a yellow card during the game.

Records

With the 31:0 Australia achieved the biggest victory in international football. This record had already held the team with the 22:0 victory over Tonga. Previously, the Best Performance of Kuwait against Bhutan was held with a 20:0 on 14 February 2000. Likewise, the game's biggest win was in a World Cup qualifier. Previous record holder was the Iran with a 19-0 win over Guam on 24 November 2000.

Archie Thompson presented with his 13 goals the following records:

• Most Goals (never record of John Petrie from 1885 ) in a recognized game of seniors
• Most goals in an international football match (previous record: ten goals by Sophus Nielsen, Denmark on 22 October 1908 and Gottfried Fuchs, Germany on July 1, 1912)
• Most goals in a World Cup qualifier (previous record: seven goals by Gary Cole, Australia on 14 August 1981, Karim Bagheri, Iran on June 2, 1997)

Reactions

Australia coach Frank Farina criticized the mode of qualifying matches and doubted the meaning thereof. Top scorer Archie Thompson was indeed pleased with his world record, but Farina agreed to in the matter.

"Breaking the world record is a dream come true for me - that sort of thing does not come along every day. But you have to look at the teams we are playing and start asking questions. We do not need to play games synthesis. "

" To break the world record is a dream come true for me - it is something which does not happen every day. But look at the teams at times, against which we play and begin to ask questions. We do not need those games. "

FIFA spokesman Keith Cooper agreed with both comments and suggested a change in the qualification procedure before, in which the weaker teams should play a first round matches. Meanwhile criticized opposition to the President of the Continental Association OFC, Basil Scarsella, the remarks and sat that even the smaller teams have a right to play against better teams like Australia and New Zealand as well as Australia could play against Argentina, Brazil and France.

Effects

On April 16 In 2001, the first round with the following table:

In the second round the team defeated Australia New Zealand 2-0 and 4-1. In the ensuing playoffs, the Australians had to play against Uruguay. Although the first leg was won 1-0 by Australia could not prevail and could not after a 0-3 defeat in the second leg to qualify for the World Cup.

Already a few times before (most recently in 1998 against Iran and 1994 against Canada and Argentina) Australia had failed only in the playoffs. The Oceanic Football Confederation (OFC ) is given no fixed starting place for the World Championships to date, the winner of the World Cup qualifying competition of OFC must also win against a team from another continental federation.

This and the one-sided games have helped that, as suggested by Keith Cooper, was played at the start of qualifying for the World Cup 2006, a preparatory round. The considerable difference in quality between Australia and New Zealand to the other teams meant that the Football Federation Australia on 1 January 2006 from the OFC off and in the AFC, the Asian Football Federation, entered. During qualifying for the 2010 World Cup Australia eventually took part in the Games of Asia.