Doha: Mitchell Duke has revealed the touching meaning behind his celebration after scoring the goal that broke Australia’s 12-year World Cup winning drought, describing it as “the best moment of my life”.
It was also rich reward for the sacrifices he’s made along the way.
Mitchell Duke celebrates his first goal during the World Cup group D soccer match against Tunisia.Credit:AP
Duke etched his name into the history books with his 23rd-minute header that guided the Socceroos to a thrilling 1-0 win over Tunisia, which gives them a chance to finish in the top two of Group D and reach the knockout phase for the first time since 2006.
Since signing for J2.League club Fagiano Okayama in August last year, Duke – a product of western Sydney – has lived apart from his wife and two children, who are based in the United Kingdom but were in Doha to watch his strike guide the Socceroos to this memorable victory.
“It has been a lot of a sacrifice – the family, being alone a lot of the time in the last couple of years, it hasn’t been easy,” he said.
“But these kinds of moments make those sacrifices worth it and that’s the mentality you need to have. The moment that I scored was pure ecstasy. It was just crazy, it was a crazy moment for me knowing that after Craig Goodwin scored, he was only the seventh Australian player to score at a World Cup.
“I actually said to Arnie a couple of days ago that I was going to be the eighth or ninth. So I’m very happy to be the eighth.”
After flicking Craig Goodwin’s deflected cross into the net, the 31-year-old ran to the sidelines and made a letter ‘J’ with his fingers in a tribute to his son, Jaxson, who shot the same pre-planned gesture right back at him.
“I haven’t seen it yet, but apparently he did it back to me from the stadium, which was a really special moment that I’m going to treasure for the rest of my life,” Duke said.
“I spoke to my son as I got selected in the World Cup. As a striker, you need to have that confidence and believe that you can score in any match. I was messaging someone in my family saying that I was going to score today. I told my son that I was going to be able to share this moment with him and get that celebration.”
Duke helped kick-start the move that led to his goal with a lovely flick pass to Riley McGree and then as he fed the ball onto Goodwin, Duke sprinted from the halfway line to reach the penalty box in time to guide home his cross from the left.
There was another piece of history beyond what it meant for Australia at this tournament – Duke became the first player in the history of the World Cup while playing club football in a second-tier league.
A late-bloomer who has toiled away for years in the A-League between two stints in Japan and a short-lived period in Saudi Arabia, Duke has long been maligned by fans who have questioned his place in the national team set-up and the value he brings to the Socceroos, but his all-action performance underlined the reasons why coach Graham Arnold has always backed him in.
“Obviously I’ve got a lot of faith in the kid,” Arnold said.
“I’e always felt when he walks over that white line, he’ll give more than 100 per cent for the team, but also the jersey and the nation.”
In an emotional post-match interview with SBS, Duke held back tears as he declared he would “go to war with these boys” – and the feeling is clearly mutual.
“You saw how he rattled those centre-backs early on, and they probably didn’t like that side of the game. He really held his own and scored a cracking goal,” said fellow striker Jamie Maclaren, who came on for him in the 64th minute.
“He really gambled on the mistake and the deflection. It was very instinctual, something that us strikers have. I’m really, really happy for him. [He’s a] great guy. We get along, we’ve known each other for a very long time – a hard-working guy who’s probably done it tough, moving around clubs.
“He had some bad luck in Saudi Arabia and stuff, but he’s always found a way to get what he deserves. Tonight showed that.”
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