I can still remember sitting in my living room with my brother and my dad, a still impressionable 12-year-old, holding my breath as every second ticked past.

That success over Uruguay would go down in history as one delivered by our 'Golden Generation'. We would qualify for the next three World Cups after that - in much more convincing fashion and had established ourselves as genuine world-beaters.

But as so often happens, when you get older and watch the players you loved and looked up to retire, your investment in the team can waver ever so slightly.

Josh 'Jesus' Kennedy (forever my favourite of the lot), Tim Cahill, Mark Schwarzer and the rest would eventually hang up the boots.

But in would step a new generation of superstars, one that would reach heights never seen before by the men's team.

Led by Mile Jedinak, the Socceroos would stun South Korea and the world by taking out a 2-1 victory in the final. Names like Massimo Luongo and the ever-frustrating talent that is Robbie Kruse would go down in the history books; a second golden generation.

Fast-forward to now and a lot has changed, but in a way, a lot has stayed the same.

There has been much discussion during the Socceroos' World Cup qualification process which saw it culminate against Peru early Tuesday morning.

"Is Graham Arnold the right person to lead us" was a regular talking point, but there were some corners of the national media landscape that chose to undercut the performance the side had put together during this latest nerve-wracking qualification process.

The Socceroos have always been an easy target for pundits keen to belittle the achievements of a sport not always perceived as "typically Australian" or "tough", a thought I will go to my grave disagreeing with.

But the latest back-handed comments focused on a different aspect of the national team, that of a side apparently lacking in star-quality, name-brand players (as if that's the only thing that matters).

That of course, was a ridiculous sentiment in the first place. You only have to look at names like Maty Ryan and Aaron Mooy, players who have not only cracked it in the English Premier League - arguably the best and toughest league in the world - but looked like they belonged.

But those two are far from the only players that Australian households should know. Jackson Irvine has been plying his trade in Europe for a decade now, Awer Mabil played in the Champions League last season, just to name a few.

It will never not confuse and anger me how the Socceroos are constantly treated like the boring middle-child, lumped in-between the black sheep that is the NRL with scandal after scandal and the all too perfect AFL, which its fans would have you believe has never made a step wrong in its life. All of this when all the Socceroos give us time after time is moments to cherish.

That is why Tuesday night's do-or-die clash against Peru both meant so much and also didn't mean anything at all.

To its critics, a Socceroos win would have only been seen as an "about time" statement, while a loss would no doubt be used as an "I told you so" by the sport's biggest haters.

We (myself included) have become too complacent with seeing the green and golds succeed on the biggest stage, that we can forget that the main reason we joined Asia as a footballing nation all those years ago was to test ourselves and make ourselves better. As a result, difficulties can arise, such as a lacklustre group stage period which put us in this position in the first place.

But the critics aren't the audience the side should be worried about - not now and not ever. The audience that should be in the Socceroos' sights is that crop of 12, ten and eight-year-old boys and girls who woke up on Tuesday morning before school, in the hopes of catching a glimpse of history, just like their predecessors did in 2005.

And that brings us to the game itself. Those who arose at the early hours would surely have to agree that for the 90 minutes, Australia were the better outfit. But if you don't trouble the scoresheet, that matters for nought.

The end of regulation finished 0-0, with neither side really presenting anything that could be called a clear-cut chance.

So, to extra-time we went and already flashbacks to 2005 started to appear in our minds. Would we be able to capitalise on the pressure we had already mounted? Not particularly, as the Socceroos started to tire as Peru went on the attack.

But neither team could deliver the killer blow, so a penalty shootout it was.

When I say my heart was beating, I tell you I could feel it coming out of my chest.

And in the end, it was substitute goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne who proved the hero and booked Australia's ticket to Qatar 2022.

If there was one thing we can say about this campaign, this match and this Socceroos squad is they have heart, but most importantly they have world class talent that will be on display for all to see come November.

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