Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Sydney: Nagoya Grampus striker Josh Kennedy came off the bench to score the only goal of the game to earn Australia a dramatic 1-0 win over Iraq at Stadium Australia on Tuesday and secure the Socceroos a berth at the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014.
Kennedy, playing for Australia for the first time since November 2011 having been blighted by a series of back injuries, saw off a gallant Iraq with a fine header seven minutes from time to send the majority of the 80,523 crowd in Stadium Australia into raptures.
The goal justified coach Holger Osieck’s decision to replace Tim Cahill with Kennedy in the 77th minute, a move that was greeted with a cacophony of boos but turned out to be a killer move for the Australians, who have now qualified for a third straight FIFA World Cup.
Cahill had been at the heart of Australia’s attacking thrust in the opening 45 minutes but the New York Red Bulls man was lacking his usual touch in front of goal.
Just two minutes into the game, the former Everton man could have given the Socceroos a dream start with a shot from close range, only for Noor Sabri to push the ball away to the right with a fine reflex save.
With a quarter of an hour on the clock, Sasa Ognenovski’s header just cleared the bar after Lucas Neill had clipped his pass into the penalty area while 13 minutes later Cahill’s downward header was straight at Sabri.
Cahill then fired off an effort that flew across the face of goal in the 33rd minute and, two minutes later, Cahill went closer still when, with Sabri stranded, the 33-year-old turned his shot millimetres wide of the upright.
Having weathered the pressure from the home side in the first half, the Iraqis started brightly in the second period with Saif Salman forcing Mark Schwarzer into action just two minutes after the restart with a fine left-foot effort.
Mark Bresciano fired off a long range effort that was just over the bar in the 57th minute while, a minute later, the midfielder saw another effort easily saved by Sabri.
As the clock ticked closer to the finish and Australia needing to win to be sure of qualification, the tension rose in Sydney and, in the 64th minute, the home fans thought they had finally taken the lead when Robbie Kruse’s effort beat Sabri but play was called back after an earlier foul by Cahill.
A quiet performance in the second half prompted Osieck to withdraw Cahill and, just six minutes after his introduction, Kennedy rose unmarked seven yards out to nod Bresciano’s cross from the right beyond Sabri.
The young Iraqi side refused to lie down and gave the home side a few nervous moments before referee Alireza Faghani finally blew the whistle that confirmed Australia as runners-up in Group B and as only the third team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup, joining Japan and hosts Brazil.
Photo: AFP