It was an entertaining and tense night at the Ahmed Bin- Ali Stadium in Qatar on Monday evening as Australia secured their fifth World Cup finals ticket after a 5-4 victory penalty shootout against Peru.
The Socceroos had goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne to thank for his brilliant and funny heroics after he came on for the substituted Matt Ryan in the stoppage time of the second extra time (120mins) to save Alex Valera’s penalty which threw the Australian players and fans into wild jubilations.
The game kicked off with both teams having in the back of their mind that a win will send them to the World’s showpiece event this year in Qatar.
Graham Arnold’s men took the game by the neck as they denied the Peruvians a chance to play their game, therefore forcing the South American side into difficult situations.
The Australians got a sniff of their first chance after Mitch Duke drove wide in the second minute and also saw his chances thwarted three minutes later.
The Peruvians knowing they wouldn’t match the intensity of the attack shown by the Socceroos, decided to sit back and soak up pressure, trying to break on the counter. However, Arnold’s men were able to terminate any threats.
Matt Ryan was barely troubled in goal as Peru offered little or no attacking threat, with star forward Gianluca Lapadula denied any space to operate.
The game continued as both sides failed to put their teams ahead, and surely it headed into the extra time. The scoreline, however, remained the same, with a penalty shootout becoming the only option to separate the two teams.
Martin Boyle stepped up to take the first spot-kick but saw his effort saved by the Peruvian goalkeeper Pedro Gallese. While Luis Advinculasaw, his strike hit the woodwork, after which ushered in the dramatic moment where the dancing Redmayne saved Alex Valera’s spot-kick, which saw Australia qualify on the night.
The Socceroos will now join Denmark, France, and Tunisia in the group stages of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Written by: Akinnifesi Olumide
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