Australia Books World Cup Ticket At Peru’s Expense After Penalty Shootout

It was a bold move from Graham Arnold, a coach under pressure. With the penalty shootout looming, he substituted his trusted goalkeeper Mat Ryan for Sydney FC shot-stopper Andrew Redmayne, a man with just two caps under his belt. It was his Louis Van Gaal moment. Everything was on the line.

On his goal line, Redmayne behaved somewhat clownish, jumping left and right, almost dancing, hardly befitting an elite goalkeeper. It seemed a tactic to distract the Peruvians penalty takers rather than anything else, but it worked. He saved a decisive penalty from substitute Alex Valera to steer Australia to its fifth consecutive World Cup. “I am not a hero, I just played my role,” said Redmayne in a flash interview.

This was the match and playoff to end them all, at least for the Socceroos of Australia and Los Incas of Peru. Who would punch the ticket for the World Cup? Who would have to watch from home? This year the quadrennial high mass of the global game will be staged by Qatar, a host nation engulfed by accusations of human rights abuses.

At Doha’s Ahmed bin Ali Stadium the Peruvian fans rekindled the Latin atmosphere that so dominated the last World Cup in Russia. They thrived in outside temperatures of 89.6 Fahrenheit. On the pitch – with a cool 66.2 Fahrenheit because of air conditioning – the players were overcome by the importance of the match. They all wanted to return to Qatar at the end of the year.

It was a cagey first half: Australia pressed high in the opening minutes before Peru tried to take control of the match, not without caution. The South Americans moved the ball around smoothly as if they were waiting for their moment. No one wanted to make a mistake. But Australia seemed more at home in the conditions, having staged a training camp in Doha before overcoming the United Arab Emirates in the Asian playoff.

Perhaps then Peru was punching above its weight in search of a second consecutive World Cup appearance. A quick glance at its roster shows that the Peruvians hardly have any stars. Argentinean coach Ricardo Gareca built a solid unit, one that thrives on organization and trust. But, on the touchline, Gareca was seen barking instructions, unhappy with the way his team was playing.

Peru didn’t improve much after the pause. Playing more on the front foot, Gareca’s eleven remained disjointed. The Australians chased the game, but their compact defensive lines held firm. In a rare attack in the last ten minutes, Aziz Behich jinxed away from defenders but curled his attempt beyond the far post. Then Ajdin Hrustic didn’t connect well with a cross from substitute Awer Mabil.

It took Peru 98 minutes to have its first shot on target, courtesy of substitute Edison Flores. By then the match was a ‘stare-off’, even if Flores’ downward header kissed the woodwork.

Then Arnold made his move, bringing on Redmayne. It proved inspired and vindicated Arnold. Australia will be back in Qatar – to play world champion France, high-flyer Denmark and Tunisia in Group D, but for now, that won’t matter. They simply made it.