BRISBANE: Tim Cahill said he was going nowhere after netting a stunning double to fire Australia into the Asian Cup semi-finals on Thursday.
The Socceroos talisman, who scored with an outrageous bicycle kick and a trademark header to see off China 2-0 in Brisbane, rejected any suggestion he may soon hang up his boots.
"I'm not going nowhere, mate," snapped the 35-year-old when asked about his future. "My main focus is the next game -- why look to the future about what's going to happen?
"As old as I am, I keep hearing the same story about when am I going to depart. After tonight it will probably be a couple of weeks before they say it again."
Cahill, Australia's record goalscorer, said his overhead kick shortly after half-time against the Chinese was not as good as a sizzler he bagged for Everton against Chelsea in 2007.
Asked whether he had scored a bicycle kick before, Cahill said: "One, against Chelsea for Everton. I think that one was a bit better, but I'll take this one today."
The Sydney native, now with the New York Red Bulls, scored one of the goals of last year's World Cup in Brazil with a sublime left-foot volley against the Netherlands.
Cahill took his tally for Australia to 39 as the Socceroos bid for a first Asian Cup title, which could trigger a groundswell of interest in the sport in a country dominated by cricket, rugby and Australian rules football.
His acrobatic opener flew past China goalkeeper Wang Dalei on 49 minutes and in the 65th, Cahill rose to glance a pinpoint header into the bottom corner from Jason Davidson's cross.
"I had to wait for my chance and I took two of them tonight out of three," he said. "I'm pretty happy because I really feel that after tonight people might want to jump on the bandwagon or still sit on their own."
He added: "I was confident after the Korea game (a 1-0 defeat) that we could bounce back, especially the way we played. I'm proud of the boys but most of all this is a big win for us.
"But it's something that I knew deep down was going to happen before the game, because I believe in this team. Obviously it showed then."
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