Before the match, Saudi Arabia faced an almost impossible task of having to beat Australia by five goals to have any hope.
Despite knowing that they could still qualify if they lost by less than 5 goals, Australia under the guidance of coach Popovic (with 3 changes from the victory over Japan) still entered the match with great effort. Goalkeeper Maty Ryan also had a memorable match, marking the milestone of his 100th appearance for the national team.
Australia came from behind to defeat host Saudi Arabia - Photo: Socceroos
Australia almost opened the scoring in the 19th minute when Martin Boyle's shot went wide. However, just seconds later, Saudi Arabia suddenly took a 1-0 lead thanks to Al Obud's close-range tap-in. The home team almost doubled the lead in the 33rd minute but Musab Al Juwayr's shot went over the bar.
The Kangaroos' mettle was on display as they recovered and equalised in the 42nd minute, with Metcalfe finishing decisively after good ball control from Duke. In the second half, Duke shone again in the 48th minute, heading in Boyle's corner to give Australia a 2-1 lead.
The joy of Australian players - Photo: Socceroos
The final minutes of the match were full of drama. Saudi Arabia pressed forward in search of an equalizer, but the Australian defense and the brilliance of Maty Ryan neutralized all danger. Most notably, in the 86th minute, Ryan successfully blocked Al Dawsari's penalty, preserving the home team's 2-1 victory.
With this result, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia enter the 4th qualifying round in October, where 6 Asian teams will compete for the last 2 spots to the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico.
Meanwhile, Australia will join Iran, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Jordan and Japan in officially qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Final Group C Ranking
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/ket-qua-bong-da-a-rap-xe-ut-vs-australia-vong-loai-world-cup-2026-2410270.html
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