Welcome to Sportstar's highlights of the Intercontinental World Cup playoff between Australia and Peru being played at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Doha, Qatar.
This was Neeladri Bhattacharjee bringing you buildup of this high-voltage decisive fixture along with minute-by-minute updates of the match as it happens.
MATCH REPORT:
Full Time
Australia 0-0 Peru
Austrlia wins 5-4 in penalties with Redmayne saving Valera;s shot to send the Socceroos int the FIFA World Cup 2022.
Mabil for Australia next, and scores. Valera on for Peru now and its saved!
McLaren next for Australia and scores! Flores next for Peru and scores in fornt of a consistently dancing Redmayne and send the match into sudden death.
Hrustic calmly puts Gallese the wrong way and Australia back in the lead! Tapia for Peru next and scres for Peru!
Goodwin next for Australia, jogs and then shoots right into the net! Advincula setps up for Peru next and Advincula hits the post!
Mooy steps up for Australia and scores with a bullet of a shot! Callens next for Peru shoots and scores!
Lapadula up next and shoots in front of a dancing Redmayne and scores leaving the keeper at the other side!
Martin Boyle steps up to shoot for Australia and shoots to his left. Gallese saves it!
Mooy and Gallese get together for the third coin toss and the decision is done for who will shoot first and who will guard. The teams get together for a huddle and now the teams stand in a line with Australia set to shoot first.
Extra Time over!
Australia 0-0 Peru
With the match still goalless after 120 miuntes of tense football, spot kicks will decide the fate of Australia and Peru for a chance to play in Qatar 2022.
120+3' Irvine looks to have pulled a cramp in the last minute of ET. The free kick ends with a simple catch to Gallese
119' Change for Australia! In: Andrew Redmayne, Out: Mathew Ryan
117' Foul! Trauco concedes anothe foul with a rash challenge and Mooy takes the resukting free kick, which is cleared by Peru and not Beihch looks to have picked up a cramp
114' Forced substitution for Peru! In: Alex Valera , Out: Christian Cueva, who leaves on a stretcher and in tears
112' Mabil is pushed by Aquino and Australia gets a free kick for a chance from the set-piece. Tapia clears the ball sent in by Hrustic and Peru goes on attack with Cueva passing the ball for Lapadula and the latter goes down with a cramp
108' Shot! Now Advincula goes for goal with a shot from distance, but the bal flies miles off-target. Peru is asking questions consistently now
107' Off the post! Flores heads the ball and it comes off the woodwork, That;s the closest Peru has come to scoring tonight. What a chance this!
106' Miss! Flores makes a run along the left flank and passes for Cueva, who shoots off-target and Lapadula stands to ask why he, standing right in front, did not get the service
ET Seconf Half begins!
ET Half-Time
Australia 0-0 Peru
105' Last minute of ET first-half and the score looks exactly as it was at kick-off!
104' Mabil gets the ball along the left flak, but is surrounded by two Peruvian players as Australia gets a free kick from a set-piece position close to the Peru box
101' Wright's crucial interception denies Lapadula the space to make a run inthe final third as Peru fails to fins an opening for Qatar 2022 for now
99' Shot! Peru goes in the attack, with smooth passes and Flores finishes the build-up with Peru's first shot on target tonight, but Ryan catches it comfortably
96' Karacic who has come on in extra-time makes a run, passe to his right, but the cross in the follow-up is cleared by Peru
94' Foul! Boyle tries to get to the ball, but Trauco pushes him down for a free kick in favour of the Socceroos
92' Lapadula and Cueva pair up, but the latter;s final pass is intercepted by the yellow wall as Australia tries to attack on the counter, but is thwarted by Hrustic going down after a knock
91' Cueva delivers a through ball for Flores, but Australia tracks bac kand runs off the Peruvian with Ryan taking back control of the ball
ET first half kicks off!
Regulation time up!
Australia 0-0 Peru
90+2' Boyle makes a run along the right ad crosses for Irvine, who goes down inthe box, but no penalty rewarded.
87' Save! Match resumes with a drop ball and Australia has the ball again, with a cross from Mabil, kicked in by Hrustic and Gallese makes a key save
86' Substitution for Australia! In: Jamie McLaren , Out: Mathew Leckie
85' Chance! Behich makes a run after the clerance with the ball back close to the Peru box and shoots, but the ball is just wide off target
84' Mabil sprints to his left and keeps the ball in play and crosses to the centre, but the Peri keeper keeps the ball out of play
81' Hrustic takes the free kick and keeps it on target, but Gallese is their to catch the ball comfortably
80' Change for Peru! In: Pedro Aquino, Out: Sergio Pena
79' Just about 10 minutes of regulation time left as the battle continues to get more and more tense. One team will walk away as the winner tonight for sure -- neither team has a hint of haivng its name as won so far
77' Leckie gets the ball in the Peruvian half, passes to Mabil, but Peru gets the ball back after a clean challenge by Pena
75' Peru is trying to play in channels and a pass from Tapia for Flores is intercepted by Australia at the edge of its box to keep the Peruvian attack at bay
74' Peru tres to strtch the play, and lack of control on the ball by Trauco gives Australia a throw-in
72' Australia and Peru remain locked, goalless at the moment, with absolutely nothing to separate them, unlike their previous fixture four years ago
69' Substitution for Australia! In: Awer Mabil, Out: Mitchell Duke
69' Side Netting! Cueva gets the ball from Gonzalez and barges into the opposition box and shoots, but the ball ends up in the side-net
66' Foul! Gonzales is brought down by Boyle and the kick that follows has Pena shootng for goal from distance as the ball flies off target
65' Substitution for Peru! In: Edison Flores, Out: Andre Carrillo
63' Save! Carrillo makes a run along the right and crosses, but Ryan gets a crucial soft touch to change the course of the cross and Australia deny a ckear scoring chance to Peru
61' Australia tries to go on attack and Advincula and Leckie get into a scuffle as the referee comes to resolve the issue and play resumes witha Peru free-kick
59' Peru is attacking in a diamong formation with three in front and twio in support, but Australia has a yellow wall built around the box at the moment
57' Corner Kick! Tapia's touch awards Australia a corner kick and Mooy takes it, which is fisted away on full-stretch by Gallese
55' Save! Lapadula tries to head the ball in, but Ryan gets to it first and catches it to end any chance of Peru's counter attack on that occassion
54' Chance! Peru attacks on the break, with Cueva delivering the ball on the left, but the final cross is very poor a Australia regain control of the ball in its box
53' Shot! Mooy gets the ball in fornt of the box and tries to go for the magnificent from distance, but shoots off-target
51' Australia tries to go on attack, with a through ball on the left and Leckie tries to cross, but the ball was already out of play
50' Good run of play by Peru with Pena and Cueva combining well, but the final ball is cleared for another corner, which is headed out of danger by the Australian defence
49' Lapadula gets the ball in the box, but Wright tracks back and Peru gets its first corner of the match
47' Lapadula carries the ball from the midfield passes to Cueva, whose poor pass in the box ends that attack as Australia gets the ball back, something that has ben a routine in tonight's match so far
46' An early foul on Atkison by Pena as Australia gets back possession of the ball and tries to build an attack from scratch
Second Half Begins!
Half Time!
Australia 0-0 Peru
44' Free Kick! Pena concedes a foul for Peru this time and Mooy steps up for the free kick. Send it in, but Wright is flagged off-side as the attack fizzles out immediately
42' Boyle gets the ball along the right and tries to make a run, is dispossessed, but he gets it back and sprints delivering a cross. Carrillo, however, tracks back right on time to clear for a corner kick
41' Foul! Pena pushed Mooy down and Australia get a free kick for a set-piece opportunity. The Free Kick sent in is cleared by Zambrano
39' Peru is being marked extremely tightly by the Socceroos with Cueva holding Cueva down
37' Duke receives a long ball, but is beaten by the height as he fails to get ion top of it and his header goes out for a Peru goal kick
36' Foul! Rowles is pushed down by Lapadula as Australia gets a free kick deep in its own half
34' Mooy takes the free kkcik, which is thwarted by a zonally marked Peruvian defence and Australia is again pushed back in a raucous Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Qatar
32' Gonzales looks to have lost his balence as three Perucian players deperately curb an Australian attack on the left edge of the penalty box
30' Wright marks the Peruvian attack well on the wings and forces the ball to go out of play for a Peru throw-in, which ends with a pass too long for Peru on the right flank
27' Crosses and diagonal passes from Peru as the side in red-and-white try to go on attack and the final pass to Carrillo in the penalty bos is intercepted by Australia to clear the ball
26' Australia trying to absorb the pressure from Peru. It has the reputation to strike late -- something Peru ust be cautious of tonight
25' Carrillo delivers a ball from the right for Cueva, who goes down in the box. But the refereeis not interested to give any penalty whatsoever
23' Foul! Australia dispossessed of the ball, but Peru fails to break into the final third and Duke concedes a foul on Pena
20' Chance! Australia goes on the attack with Boyle making a run along the right wing and swinging in a cross for Duke, who could not reach the spot on time
18' Zambrano and Duke clash, at the edge of the Peruviam box, but the referee is not interested in flagging a foul
16' Too high! Australia takes the free kick, but Irvine's header is just too high as the score remains locked at 0-0 in Qatar
13' Ryan to the rescue! Peru's free kick, initially cleared os delivered into the box again, but the Real Sociedad goalie catches it to end that attack
5' Australia currently is enjoying possession at the back and tries to build an attack with long balls as the ball goes out of play for a Peru throw-in
4' Chance for Peru! Lapadula gets a cross from the right and heads the ball. But his header flies over the goal
3' Shot! Australia keeping possession if the ball at the bal and goes on the attack with Duke launching a strike with his left foot as the ball flies off target
1' Lapadula gets his first touch of the match and he is greeted by hundreds of Peruvian fans at the stadium
11:30 pm: Kick Off!
11:25 pm: Both sides come out,led by their goalkeepers Ryan and Gallese. Australia starts in its yellow-and-green kit, while Peru is in its flag colours of red-and-white.
Both teams are looking for a sixth apperanace in the finals. Tense music welcomes the two sides as they line-up for the National Anthems.
11:15 pm: The players are out on the field, warming up ahead of the final tep, the final barrier in living the Qatar 2022 dream. One comes from Asiam while the other from the Americas.
11:00 pm: 30 Minutes to go for the kick off! Here is a look at the form of bith sides as they enter the decider for Qatar 2022.
FORM GUIDE: Peru leads the Socceroos when it comes to recent form.
Peru’s last five matches:
- Peru 1 - 0 New Zealand
- Peru 2 - 0 Paraguay
- Peru 0 - 1 Uruguay
- Peru 1 -1 Ecuador
- Peru 1 - 0 Colombia
Australia’s last five games:
- Australia 2 - 1 UAE
- Australia 2 - 0 Jordan
- Australia 0 - 1 Saudi Arabia
- Australia 0 - 2 Japan
- Australia 2 - 2 Oman
10:45 pm: HEAD-TO-HEAD: The only time Australia and Peru faced off in international football was in a group stage match of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. On that day, the South American side secured a comfortable 2-0 win with goals from Paolo Guerrero and André Carrillo.
10:15 pm: Starting Lineups:
Australia Starting XI: Mathew Ryan (GK); Atkinson, Boyle, Leckie, Wright, Hrustic, Mooy, Duke, Behich, Rowles, Irvine
Peru Starting XI: Pedro Gallese (GK); Luis Advincula, Carlos Zambrano, Alexander Callens, Miguel Trauco, Renato Tapia, Christian Cueva, Andre Carrillo, Gonzales,Sergio Pena; Gianluca Lapadula
10 pm: Predicted Lineups: Here is how we think the two sides will line up tonight!
Australia (4-4-2): Mathew Ryan (GK); Rhyan Grant, Trent Sainsbury, Aziz Behich, Bailey Wright; Martin Boyle, Ajdin Hrustic, Kenny Dougall, Awer Mabil; Jamie Mclaren, Mitchell Duke.
Peru (4-1-4-1): Pedro Gallese (GK); Aldo Corzo, Carlos Zambrano, Alexander Callens, Miguel Trauco; Pedro Aquino; Christian Cueva, Yoshimar Yotun, Sergio Pena, Edison Flores; Gianluca Lapadula
MATCH PREVIEW
Australia takes on Peru in a high-stakes inter-confederation playoff final clash at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium here on Monday. Both Peru and Australia are taking the playoff route for a second time in a World Cup qualification campaign, but this time only one can go through.
It will just be the second meeting between the two sides – Peru beat Australia 2-0 in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup.
Peru has a well-settled unit under Ricardo Gareca and will head into the contest favourites to make it a second successive finals appearance, while Australia risks not making the World Cup for the first time since the 2006 edition.
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The Socceroos will be banking on the advantage of having played in Qatar in recent times; three World Cup qualifiers since 2021 and have acclimatised to the conditions for well over two weeks. Peru, meanwhile, will be playing in Qatar for the first time.
“Our preparation has been spot on. We have had four games (including a friendly) here in Qatar. It’s a completely different experience playing in an air-conditioned stadium compared to a regular stadium. Our boys are used to it. I see it as an advantage that Peru has not played in these conditions before,” said Aussie coach Graham Arnold.
Australia will be wary of Peru's skillful technical players, particularly Christian Cueva and Andre Carillo, and will likely have to bide its time for opportunities.
Arnold, who took over the job since the 2018 World Cup exit, was bullish in his expectations.
“Our players are ready. They know their jobs and I have a simple message for them: Go out and do it the ‘Aussie way’. Fight for 90 minutes and be very physical. Technically, the Peruvians will be surprised by how much Australian football has improved,” he said.
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It is estimated that over 10,000 Peruvian supporters are expected to be at the venue to will their team on. On the support, Peru coach Ricardo Gareca said, “Only a World Cup can bring up these feelings, what people are capable of doing, we experienced it closely in Russia, where Peruvians appeared from who knows where, the sacrifice that the people made, is an extraordinary moment, you have to live it.”
The winner will join the Group C of France, Denmark and Tunisia in the finals.
(The writer is in Qatar at the invitation of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy)
When and where to watch the FIFA World Cup playoff final?
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