Socceroos seal World Cup berth with Saudi win

The Socceroos volition caput to a sixth consecutive World Cup aft beating Saudi Arabia 2-1 successful their last radical game.

After their upset 1-0 triumph implicit Japan, the Socceroos lone needed to debar decision by little than 5 goals successful Jeddah to seal automatic World Cup finals qualification for the archetypal clip successful 12 years.

Saudi guardant Abdulrahman Al-Aboud scored successful the 19th infinitesimal astatine the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium to marque things tense.

But striker Mitch Duke teed up Connor Metcalfe to equalise successful the 42nd minute, earlier putting Australia successful beforehand successful the 48th.

In his 100th appearance, goalkeeper and skipper Mat Ryan denied Salem Al-Dawsari from the punishment spot successful the 84th infinitesimal to seal victory.

Exactly a twelvemonth earlier the commencement of adjacent year's finals successful the United States, Canada and Mexico, Australia (19 points, +9 extremity difference) suffice successful the 2nd automatic spot down Japan (23 points, +27) and up of Saudi Arabia (13 points, -1).

The effect underlines the stellar occupation Tony Popovic, unbeaten arsenic nationalist squad manager, has done since taking implicit from Graham Arnold, who claimed conscionable a constituent from Australia's archetypal 2 games.

Herve Renard's charges articulation fourth-placed Indonesia successful the adjacent circular of qualifiers.

Defender Alessandro Circati was replaced by Jason Geria, portion Duke and Patrick Yazbek started up of Brandon Borrello and Ryan Teague.

Martin Boyle dragged a changeable wide successful the 18th infinitesimal and Saudi Arabia instantly took the shot up the different extremity and scored.

Attacking maestro Al-Dawsari, truthful often a thorn successful Australia's side, lifted the shot to Firas Al-Buraikan past burst guardant to get it back.

Al-Dawsari past squared the shot for Al-Aboud to pat location connected the extremity line.

Musab Al-Juwayr blasted implicit the barroom successful the 33rd infinitesimal earlier Australia responded.

Duke took possession connected the helping past threaded a squaring shot for Metcalfe, who nailed his archetypal Socceroos extremity with aplomb.

Al-Dawsari blasted a long-range changeable conscionable wide of the station successful first-half wounded time.

Australia took the pb erstwhile Boyle whipped successful a escaped footwear and Duke roseate to glimpse location his archetypal Socceroos extremity since January 2024.

Ali Majrashi received a consecutive reddish paper for denial of an evident extremity scoring accidental connected Boyle successful the 52nd infinitesimal but it was overturned pursuing a lengthy VAR review.

Saudi Arabia received a precocious punishment erstwhile Jason Geria was ruled to person brought down Al-Dawsari but Ryan palmed the spot-kick away.