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Thousands of late-night revellers have descended on Melbourne’s CBD to watch the Socceroos’ knockout World Cup match against Egypt, prompting a notable security presence at a typically rowdy Federation Square.
City pubs and bars were also busy after Premier Jacinta Allan allowed licensed venues to operate while Australia played, despite most normally being forced to close before the 4am kick-off.
Fed Square filled up minutes after gates opened around 1.30am. Queues started to form as early as 11pm on Friday.
“This is where the true believers come,” Socceroos legend Craig Foster told the crowd.
A few flares were set off around 3.15am as fans – many of whom are young men – eagerly awaited the start of the match. One man was arrested near where a flare was set off.
The last early morning Socceroos game drew about 7500 people to Fed Square. They endured persistent rain before dawn as the Australia fell to a 2-0 defeat to the US.
A small handful of fans also caused problems for security on June 20 when they breached a barrier, leading to authorities tightening security even further on Saturday by closing off one previous entrance.
Among the crowd for Australia’s knockout match was Steve Gannell of Tacoma. He was one of the many people not to have slept overnight.
He picked up his friends in Berwick and went straight into the city in time for Fed Square’s gates to open.
“I thought it was gonna be really cold tonight, so why not [wear] a onesie?” he said, explaining his green-and-gold outfit.
Like many, he remembers the energy in Sydney the night Australia qualified over Uruguay in 2005.
“That was really the start of my soccer love, and I’ve been following them ever since,” he said.
Jon Croft, from Hillside, was one of the first in line.
He wasn’t taking any chances after he missed out from watching in Melbourne’s central plaza when the Socceroos played the USA.
“It’s the atmosphere,” he said when asked why he came.
“Hopefully, we can witness some history.”
More to come
Lachlan Abbott is a crime reporter at The Age. He was previously a city reporter and covered breaking news.Connect via email.From our partners
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