Australia has qualified for the World Cup for the fifth time in a row, beating Peru on penalties in the AFC-CONMEBOL play-off.
After 120 minutes of tense play, no national team had managed to score a goal. Australia then won 5-4 from the penalty spot, aided by an "exotic" appearance from substitute goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne.
The Sydney FC goalkeeper was sent off in the final seconds of extra time (120 ') due to his reputation as a penalty specialist. And he, as expected, did something really special.
Redmayne jumped, jumped and even rolled along his goal line in an attempt to mesmerize the Peruvian striker. It did not work immediately, as Peru scored four of the first five shots, though Luis Advincula was stopped by the post.
Goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne ... Came off the bench for Australia in the final minute of extra time just for penalty shoot-out ... He did this dance on the line every time ... And for the critical penalty kick it worked! pic.twitter.com/hUb2g9Mevd
- Simon Sandiford (@SimonUpNorth) June 13, 2022
But the "dancing" goalkeeper showed himself in the winning moment of the match. After the dancer jumped, he jumped to the right to await Alex Valera's penalty. Peru finished fifth in the CONMEBOL group stage and started the play-offs as a strong favorite to beat Australia.
But the latter made it difficult for Peru to claim any advantage at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, where the Socceroos had beaten the UAE 2-1 six days earlier to reach the final.
Neither side recorded a goal on goal until the final 10 minutes of regular time, when Peruvian goalkeeper Pedro Gallese was called into action to deny Aydin Hrustic twice.
Peru then came closer to winning the match in extra time when Edison Flores hit the post. The match eventually went to the penalty spot, but not before Australia coach Graham Arnold made the boldest substitution in the 120th minute, changing his goalkeeper.
Former Brighton and Arsenal goalkeeper Mathew Ryan left and gave way to 33-year-old Redmayne. This replacement will now go down in the history of Australian football, as substitute Redmayne helped his team qualify for "Qatar 2022".
Australia will compete in Group D of the Qatar World Cup, along with reigning champions France, Denmark and Tunisia. Their first match in the tournament will be against France on November 22, before facing Tunisia six days later. Australia will then end the group stage against Denmark on 30 November.
Andrew Redmayne was subbed on for the penalty shootout against Peru.
- B / R Football (@brfootball) June 13, 2022
He put on a show in more ways than one and Australia are headed to Qatar ???? pic.twitter.com/oIx6majmGy