Holger Osieck masterstroke starts the samba for Socceroos The Socceroos begin the celebrations after booking their spot at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Josh Kennedy celebrates his goal for Australia during the World Cup qualifier against Iraq. A SEA of gold. An air of expectation. A nation on the edge of its seat. Something about this felt strangely familiar. Eight years after that famous night at ANZ Stadium, when Australia qualified for its first World Cup in 32 years with a gripping shootout victory over Uruguay, we were back. A mere 90 minutes from the promised land. A third consecutive World Cup berth at our mercy. Not just any World Cup either. This was the dream World Cup. A World Cup in one of the globe's footballing hotspots. South American superpower Brazil will play host to next year's finals. That's right, the home of jugo bonito - the beautiful game. Any World Cup is special but, come on, this is Brazil, baby. A mouth-watering prospect if ever there was won. On match eve, captain Lucas Neill said no one was talking about the samba just yet. You can bet they were thinking about it. Even players fattened by swelled pay cheques can appreciate the symbolism of playing a World Cup in Brazil. Coincidentally, one of the members of the Socceroos side eight years ago, Jason Culina, retired only hours before kick-off. That left four survivors from that glorious night and all were in the starting line-up - Neill, goalkeeper Marck Schwarzer, midfielder Mark Bresciano and goal hound Tim Cahill. For all, this was the last-chance saloon. One more World Cup to see out their careers. Perhaps that was the issue in a sombre first half. Chances were few and far between. For so long, Cahill has been the man to provide the goals when the Socceroos need them. He started last night only one behind Damian Mori - the all-time leading scorer for the Socceroos. Cahill had every chance to draw alongside and then go past Mori in the opening 40 minutes. In the 28th minute, he headed straight at Iraqi keeper Ahmed Ibrahim. His best chance arrived seven minutes later when Ibrahim fumbled a Matt McKay cross. Cahill had his back to goal but an empty net at his mercy. He tried to hook it round his body but the ball sailed wide. The second half was played in much the same vein, although Tommy Oar was starting to threaten down the left wing. The rain tumbled down but the drought continued. Coach Holger Osieck stalked the sidelines and as his frustration grew, he turned to 20-year-old wunderkind Tommy Rogic. His mazy runs had the crowd back on its feet. Bresciano, scorer of the only goal eight years ago, sent one sailing over the crossbar. Midway through the second half, it appeared the Socceroos had their goal. As Robbie Kruse's sweetly struck volley nestled in the back of the net, the stadium erupted. Spectators were still hugging as Iraqi took a quick free kick. The goal had been disallowed because Sasa Ognenovski had committed a foul in the lead-up. The wait went on. As the minutes ticked by, every corner prompted an eruption of emotion. The biggest, however, came from Cahill when he was replaced in the 77th minute by Josh Kennedy. It turned out Osieck knew what he was doing. With seven minutes remaining, Bresciano caressed in a cross, Kennedy rose and the stadium erupted. One goal was all it took.