Goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne was the hero of the Socceroos, chasing Alex Valera’s shot to bring his team to a 5-4 victory after being introduced as a substitute at the end of a 120-minute goalless draw with Al Rayyan. Australia’s Martin Boyle saw the first-half penalty saved, but Peru’s Luis Antvincula hit a crossbar with his own and, with the other nine converted, Redmain’s save from Valera’s effort proved decisive. In a tense, well-balanced match, scoring opportunities were slim, with Australia twice approaching a deadlock in the last five minutes of regular time. Aziz Behic’s shot from the edge of the box went wide and three minutes later Ajdin Hrustic’s low first attempt was well blocked by Pedro Gallese. Peru enjoyed their best spell at the start of extra time when Christian Cueva’s shot went wide before Edison Flores’s header hit Australian goalkeeper Matty Ryan well. Australia will compete with defending champions France, Denmark and Tunisia in Group D in the 2022 finals. The final position of the World Cup will be decided on Tuesday, when New Zealand will play Costa Rica in the same home.
