{"id":4024,"date":"2026-06-16T20:37:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T20:37:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=4024"},"modified":"2026-06-16T20:37:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T20:37:23","slug":"paying-homage-to-socceroos-great-tim-cahill-has-become-a-world-cup-tradition-for-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=4024","title":{"rendered":"Paying homage to Socceroos great Tim Cahill has become a World Cup tradition for Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FILE – Australia\u2019s Tim Cahill celebrates at the corner flag after he scored his side\u2019s first goal during their World Cup Group F soccer match against Japan in Kaiserslautern, Germany, June 12, 2006. (AP Photo\/Matt Dunham, File)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

VANCOUVER, British Columbia \u2014 Twenty years ago, when Tim Cahill scored a late equalizer for Australia in its opening match against Japan at the 2006 World Cup, he ran directly to the corner of the field for a shadow boxing match with the corner flag.<\/p>

Read more What score indicates a tough test in the US Open? The modern standard suggests under par<\/a><\/p>\n

Cahill\u2019s celebration in the 3-1 victory has since become something of a tradition for the Australians at the World Cup.<\/a><\/p>\n

Months after Cahill\u2019s retirement from soccer in 2019, Sam Kerr replicated the celebration in France<\/a> at the Women\u2019s World Cup during a match against Italy.<\/p>\n

Kerr, then a budding star, would go on to reach the semifinals with the Matildas at the 2023 World Cup, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. In 2022, Kerr surpassed Cahill as Australia\u2019s all-time leading scorer.<\/p>\n

Now, another young Australian is adding his own chapter to that lineage.<\/p>\n

When 20-year-old Nestory Irankunda became the youngest World Cup scorer in the nation\u2019s history, with a goal in the Socceroos’ 2-0 upset victory over Turkey<\/a> on Saturday night, he paid tribute to the man who inspired so many Socceroos and Australian fans before him.<\/p>

Read more The 11 bestWorld Cup 2026 kits<\/a><\/p>\n

The young winger sprinted straight to the corner flag and threw a series of punches in a recreation of Cahill\u2019s iconic celebration.<\/p>\n

Like Cahill and Kerr before him, Irankunda has developed a signature of his own, known for backflips and Michael Jackson dance moves to celebrate goals. Post-goal swagger has become synonymous with Irankunda\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n

\u201cTim Cahill was my biggest inspiration in Australian football, and I look up to him,\u201d Irankunda said when asked about his celebration. \u201cI look up to him and I want to be like him one day and I\u2019m really really proud of myself to get the goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Irankunda began his professional career in Australia, spending three seasons with Adelaide United before moving to Europe. In 2025, he made a permanent move to English club Watford.<\/p>

Read more Ahead of Wimbledon return, Serena Williams loses doubles match with Muchova at Berlin Open<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP World Cup: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/fifa-world-cup<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Tim Cahill scored a late equalizer for Australia in its opening match against Japan at the 2006 World Cup, he ran directly to the corner of the field for a shadow boxing match with the corner flag<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4022,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nPaying homage to Socceroos great Tim Cahill has become a World Cup tradition for Australia - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=4024\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Paying homage to Socceroos great Tim Cahill has become a World Cup tradition for Australia - 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