As the Socceroos have just proven, there are few more hostile and formidable corners of the Earth to tour than the Middle East.

Ange Postecoglou’s men emerged from a two-game tour of the region earlier this month without scoring a goal, drawing 0-0 with United Arab Emirates and then losing 1-0 to Qatar.

• Younis double ton takes game away from Aussies
• Adelaide keep Melbourne City, Villa winless

 Ahead of Western Sydney Wanderers’ trip to the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh for the second leg of their Asian Champions League final against Al Hilal, here are five of the best Australian sporting achievements in the Arab world.

Casey Stoner – he absolutely dominated every time he raced in Qatar.

STONER RULES IN QATAR

Two-time MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner has an unrivalled record in the Middle East’s sole circuit in Qatar.

Stoner has four race wins at the Losail International Circuit, including two in his title-winning years of 2007 and 2011.

The 29-year-old Queenslander also won the first ever night race in MotoGP history, hosted in Qatar in 2008.

Ricky Ponting – dominant against Pakistan in the UAE.

PAKISTAN THRASHED BY PONTING AND CO

With Pakistan unable to host the touring Australian cricket team for security reasons, a three-Test tour was scheduled for Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates.

After a tight opening win to the Aussies in Colombo, they complete a 3-0 sweep of the series in Sharjah with two innings victories.

Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh hit centuries in the most brutal of conditions in the third test.

“When the temperature is 51 degrees and the humidity is high, you shouldn’t even be outside, let alone playing sport,” Waugh said.

AUSSIES SQUASH ALL-COMERS

Australians boast a tremendous record in squash and have taken home two world championships from the Middle East, where it is a popular sport.

Star Sarah Fitz-Gerald won her fifth and last world championship in Doha in 2002, while David Palmer landed his second world open men’s crown in Cairo, Egypt in 2006.

Australia overcame Tehran to break into the World Cup for the first time in two decades.

SOCCEROOS DRAW IN TEHRAN

Without a World Cup appearance in more than two decades, the latest in a long line of tricky qualifying routes asks the Socceroos to best Iran over two legs.

FIFA estimate a crowd of 128,000 at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium, creating a ferocious atmosphere.

Harry Kewell at 19-years-old grabs the goal and goalkeeper Mark Bosnich gets the plaudits as Australia holds Iran to a 1-1 draw.

Of course, this story ends in heartbreak for the Socceroos, who are beaten by the away goals rule after a 2-2 draw at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to miss qualification for France 1998.

Sam Stosur had her breakthough in the UAE.

STOSUR BREAKS TOUR FINALS DROUGHT

In her breakout 2010 season which included a first grand slam final at Roland Garros, Samantha Stosur qualifies for the WTA tour-ending championship to be held in Doha.

The big-hitting Stosur qualifies for the semi-finals in the searing Qatari heat, beating world number one Caroline Wozniacki on the way.

She’s knocked out by Kim Clijsters in the last four but becomes the first Australian to make the last four at the prestigious event in 28 years.