Archie Thompson's 65th minute goal was perhaps one of the easiest conversions he has ever been required to make, but with a simple side-foot strike he managed to grab two new world records. The first was a team one: Australia had just overhauled the record it set two days before when it beat Tonga 22-0, as Thompson had netted Australia's 23rd without reply against a hapless American Samoa team.
But the second was a highly personal one. Thompson had just overtaken the individual scoring record in a football international that was first established in 1908 and only once equalled since, four years later, in 1912. Previously ten goals had been the highest mark. Thompson's side-foot had just put in his eleventh.
Australia went on to score another eight to triumph 31-0 in a result surely to test the credulity of most who will read the result and presume a misprint. Thompson added another two of his own to end up with 13 of them.
"It's obviously good scoring goals," said Thompson. "To be part of a world record is an honour."
The margin of the victory underlined Socceroo coach Frank Farina's earlier statement that these qualifiers provide little value for either Australia or its opponent. "I think you all witnessed the game," he said at the after-match media conference. "You can draw your own conclusions."
But that wasn't how American Samoa coach Tunoa Lui saw things. "We made a few mistakes which cost us a lot of goals, but we're not going to give up," he said. "Any tournament that FIFA (arranges), we're going to be there. It's a learning experience for us. We came, we're here, we're going to play. Losing so many goals against Australia - it's not going to hurt us."
Once again Australia had spread these goals around. Seven Socceroos got their names on Tahitian referee Ronan Leaustic's scorecard, including eight from David Zdrilic, and a hat-trick from Con Boutsianis.
Farina had retained his outfield back-line from the Tonga match, but completely changed his midfield and strikers. But such was the yawning gap of quality difference between Australia and an admitedly makeshift American Samoan team that Farina could have made even more radical changes and still triumphed.