Australia claims second-last remaining spot at FIFA World Cup with dramatic shootout win
Australia is going back to the World Cup.
It was high drama in Doha, Qatar, today, as Australia played Peru in a do-or-die inter-continental playoff match, with the winner qualifying for the FIFA World Cup in November.
After neither team could score in the first 90 minutes and extra time, Australia outscored Peru 5-4 in a penalty shootout for the win.
AUSTRALIA'S GOING TO THE WORLD CUP! pic.twitter.com/qQtzjVioAF
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) June 13, 2022
The 42nd-ranked Aussies entered the match as underdogs against the 22nd-ranked Peruvians but outplayed their South American opponent through the first 90 minutes of the match. Peru hit the post in the 107th minute in extra time, which was as close as anyone came to scoring prior to penalties.
Australia made a bold 120th-minute substitution, putting backup keeper Andrew Redmayne in net specifically for the penalty shootout. Redmayne looked like a kangaroo in net, hopping up and down in an attempt to throw off Peru’s penalty-kick takers.
Dancing around on the goal line didn’t seem to do any good for him until the very last shot he faced — a save to give Australia the win. Australia scored on five consecutive shots, after Martin Boyle missed on their first attempt. Luis Advincula hit the post on Peru’s third attempt, before Redmayne’s save on Alex Valera secured the victory.
Australia will compete in Group D at the World Cup, with France, Denmark, and Tunisia. It’s the fifth straight World Cup the Socceroos have qualified for.
As called on Australian radio: pic.twitter.com/DMPchKEitp
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) June 13, 2022
The participating countries at the FIFA World Cup are nearly finalized, as Australia claimed the second-last remaining spot.
The 32nd and final country to qualify will be determined tomorrow when New Zealand takes on Costa Rica. The winner of that match will compete in Group E, with Spain, Germany, and Japan.
Canada will compete in Group F, with Belgium, Croatia, and Morocco.
2022 FIFA World Cup groups
-
Group A
- Qatar ๐ถ๐ฆ
- Ecuador ๐ช๐จ
- Senegal ๐ธ๐ณ
- Netherlands ๐ณ๐ฑ
-
Group B
- England ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ
- Iran ๐ฎ๐ท
- USA ๐บ๐ธ
- Wales ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ท๓ ฌ๓ ณ๓ ฟ
-
Group C
- Argentina ๐ฆ๐ท
- Saudi Arabia ๐ธ๐ฆ
- Mexico ๐ฒ๐ฝ
- Poland ๐ต๐ฑ
-
Group D
- France ๐ซ๐ท
- Australia ๐ฆ๐บ
- Denmark ๐ฉ๐ฐ
- Tunisia ๐น๐ณ
-
Group E
- Spain ๐ช๐ธ
- IC playoff 2 (Costa Rica or New Zealand)
- Germany ๐ฉ๐ช
- Japan ๐ฏ๐ต
-
Group F
- Belgium ๐ง๐ช
- Canada ๐จ๐ฆ
- Morocco ๐ฒ๐ฆ
- Croatia ๐ญ๐ท
-
Group G
- Brazil ๐ง๐ท
- Serbia ๐ท๐ธ
- Switzerland ๐จ๐ญ
- Cameroon ๐จ๐ฒ
-
Group H
- Portugal ๐ต๐น
- Ghana ๐ฌ๐ญ
- Uruguay ๐บ๐พ
- South Korea ๐ฐ๐ท