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Forgotten feeling for Australian captain Viduka [Mon Sep 5th, 2005]
Mark Viduka admitted to being unsure about his responsibilities as skipper in the Oceania World Cup playoff against the Solomon Islands.
The 29-year-old had no such doubts about his role up forward, delivering a pair of quality goals in the 7-0 win, including a spectacular bicycle-kick strike which broke a two-year international scoring drought.
Criticised in the past for his inability to score in Australian colours, Viduka boosted his goal tally to five from 27 A internationals with his double at Aussie Stadium.
He relished the opportunity to wear the captain's armband for the first time in the absence of the injured Craig Moore.
But given it had been a decade since his last tenure as skipper - when he led the national under-20 side in 1995 - Viduka admitted it was a "weird" feeling handling the responsibility.
"It was great and an honour, but it was weird because I haven't had that sort of responsibility since I was 19 years old, since I captained the under-20s," Viduka said.
"It's weird because you don't know what you have to do, you forget what you have to say, but it was good."
Viduka last scored for Australia in August 2003 against the Republic of Ireland.
He broke that drought in style in the 35th minute, finding room off a John Aloisi deflection in the box to strike the ball over his left shoulder and into the back of the net with a perfectly timed bicycle kick.
"It was a nice one. I have to say that don't I," Viduka said after his first game against an Oceania opponent.
"The ball bounced off John Aloisi and it was perfect for that, so why not have a crack."
Eight minutes later he added his second with a powerful header to put Australia up 3-0.
AAP
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