Canberra, June 14 (Agency) Australia has qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup after beating Peru in the intercontinental play-off.The Socceroos beat Peru on penalties in Qatar on Tuesday morning Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) to qualify for a fifth consecutive men’s World Cup, a streak dating back to 2006. Goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne, who was substituted on for the shootout, was the hero, saving Peru’s spot-kick from Alex Valera to secure a 5-4 victory for the Socceroos.
“I’m no hero. I just played my role like everyone else did tonight,” Redmayne, who was sent on for captain Mathew Ryan after 120 scoreless minutes, said after the match. “Not even the 11 on the pitch, it was much more than that, it is a team effort. “The victory is a major boost for coach Graham Arnold, who was under intense pressure and likely would have been ousted if the Socceroos failed to qualify. “I am so proud of the players, staff, and everyone who has been involved in our campaign over the past four years,” he said. “Throughout COVID, players and staff had to live away from their families for weeks and sometimes months on end to help our nation achieve today’s result and our goal of qualification for a fifth straight FIFA World Cup.
“The intercontinental playoff marked the culmination of a qualifying campaign that spanned more than 1,000 days for the Socceroos. They were on track to qualify automatically as one of the top two teams in Group B of the third round of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifying but a three-game winless run left Arnold’s side third behind Saudi Arabia and Japan.The Socceroos beat the United Arab Emirates 2-1 earlier in June to set up the clash with Peru. Tuesday’s victory means they will face reigning champion France, Denmark and Tunisia in Group D at the World Cup.Australia’s men have made it out of the group stage at the World Cup on one previous occasion in 2006.