Andrew Redmayne came off the bench in the throes of the match and saved the penalty that certified Australia’s qualification for the World Cup by beating Peru 5-4 on penalties on Monday in the continental playoff for the penultimate ticket to the Qatar 2022 event. .
Redmayne replaced starter Mathew Ryan in the last minute of extra time and dove to his right to block Alex Valera’s shot — Peru’s sixth in the shootout from 12 paces.
“I’m not going to take credit for this,” Redmayne said after the win. “The boys ran tirelessly for 120 minutes.”
“It was a collective effort, I’m not a hero, I took care of my role like everyone else tonight,” added the peculiar Australian goalkeeper.
In just his third game defending the goal for the national team, Redmayne did little dances on the goal line, raised his arms and moved from one end of the goal to the other throughout the shootout, something that apparently lost the Peruvians’ concentration.
“The idea was tested in the previous one, that this (penalties) could happen”, he commented. “At the end of the day, it’s like tossing a coin. It can be right or left,” said the 33-year-old goalkeeper who saves for Australian league side Sydney FC.
The “Socceroos” managed to qualify for their sixth World Cup and the fifth in a row. They have not been absent since Germany 2006.
Peru, on the other hand, was left with the desire to repeat in the highest event of football. In 2018, the Blanquirroja qualified for Russia after 36 years of absence and under the guidance of their Argentine coach Ricardo Gareca. The “Tiger” could not string together successive classifications, something that the Peruvians achieved in Argentina 1978 and Spain 1982.
The clash at the Ahmad bin stadium in Al Rayyan, one of the eight venues for the next World Cup, was full of tension, but lacking in good football.
Australia exerted a greater dominance of the match with the attacking attacks by Mitch Duke, Martin Boyle, Ajdin Hrustic and Awer Mabil during the 90 regulation minutes. Those led by Graham Arnold attacked taking advantage of their physical resistance and aerial game.
Hrustic, scorer of the winning goal against the United Arab Emirates 2-1 in the Asian playoffs last week, had the first shot on goal of the entire match in the 82nd minute.
But in the 30 minutes of additional time, the Peruvians recovered their attacking initiatives with the arrival of Christian Cueva, Edison Flores and Luis Advíncula. Flores crashed a header into the base of the post.
It was the closest that both teams were close to uneven the scoreboard.
With both teams physically fused, everything was defined in the penalty shootout. At the start, goalkeeper Pedro Gallase saved Boyle’s shot but Aaron Mooy, Craig Goodwin, Hrustic, Jamie Maclaren and Mabil did not miss again for Australia. Gianluca Lapadula, Alexander Callens, Renato Tapia and Edison Flores converted for Peru.
Peruvians shed tears.
Four years ago, in the group stage of Russia 2018, Peru managed to beat Australia 2-0.
In five months’ time, Australia will return to Qatar to face reigning champions France, Denmark and Tunisia in Group D. The Aussies will make their debut on 22 November against France at Al Wakrah’s Al Janoub Stadium.
The 32nd and last ticket will be defined on Tuesday in the same stadium, when Costa Rica faces New Zealand.