MADRID, 13 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Australian team will play its fifth consecutive World Cup after winning the playoff ticket on Monday to be in the year-end event in Qatar between the Asian Confederation and CONMEBOL by defeating Peru on penalties after equalizing no goals in regulation time.
The ‘Socceroos’ celebrated their qualification at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium after a very close match, where both teams had few, but good, chances to avoid playing the pass from eleven meters.
There, the goalkeeper Redmayne rose to the top, whom his coach, Graham Arnold, decided to substitute for the realistic Ryan when extra time was over, looking for him to apparently show his best skills on penalties.
Their movements in the line before the launches bore fruit in that of Valera, already in the ‘sudden death’ in the shootout, and the Australian team will complete group D together with the current champion, France, Denmark and Tunisia. Those of Ricardo Gareca, on the other hand, were the ones who cried when they were unable to qualify for their second consecutive World Cup and repeat the achievement of 1978 and 1982.
The meeting had the emotion that always marked the result. Australia stood up well and knew how to control the duel in the first half, almost always carrying danger on their right side and without suffering too much against a somewhat unrecognizable opponent.
Peru improved after the break and had more packaging in the match, although the chances were dribbles. The best came for the Australians in the final stretch of the second half, with shots from Behich and Hrustic, but the former touched the post and the latter ran into Gallese.
In extra time, with less strength in both, the match opened up and it was the Peruvian team that was able to avoid penalties, first with a shot by Cueva and then, almost immediately after, with a header to the post by Flores. The penalties had to decide and the initial failure of Boyle, who ran into Gallese, was compensated by that of Advíncula, who could not overcome the post. In the end, Redmayne guessed Valera’s intention and Australia will live the World Cup party.