Giants once stood

Where Giants Once Stood: Melbourne's iconic sporting precinct, located on the northern bank of the Yarra River, is home to several famous venues across various sports. The Melbourne Cricket Ground and Rod Laver Arena are the most prominent names among the many, but the Olympic Park Oval is a brisk walk away from these two sporting cathedrals.

The Olympic Park Oval is where a monumental piece of history in Indian football was scripted 67 years ago when the Indian football team defeated Australia in the quarterfinal of the men's competition at the 1956 Olympic Games.

On December 1, 1956, the Indian team, coached by the legendary Syed Abdul Rahim and propelled by Neville D'Souza's hat-trick, registered a 4-2 win against the Aussies at the Olympic Park in Melbourne. There was a disagreement prior to the game about whether the Indian team could take to the field barefooted, and even the tournament officials could not decide whether the rules from the FIFA World Cup could be applied to the Olympic competition.