Published on : 07/06/2022 – 22:12
Al Rayyan (Qatar) (AFP) – Australia will play their all-out in the race for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar once morest Peru on June 13, thanks to their 2-1 victory once morest the United Arab Emirates in the pre-play-off match of the Asia zone in the host country tuesday.
The winner of the Asia-South America intercontinental play-off between Australia and Peru will inherit a place in Group D, comprising, in addition to the French world champions, the Danes and the Tunisians.
The Peruvian selection, 22nd in the Fifa rankings and 5th in the qualifications for the South America zone, is aiming for a 6th qualification for the World Cup, the Australian “Socceroos”, 42nd nation in the world and 3rd in their qualifying group for the Asia zone, a 5th.
The Emiratis are deprived of a second appearance in the World Cup, following 1990.
Authors of a first period without relief, it was the Australians who opened the scoring in the 53rd minute by Jackson Irvine at the near post.
But the advantage did not last long: four minutes later, Caio Canedo Correa equalized on a cross from the ubiquitous Harib Abdalla Almaazmi, author of the only two shots on target in the first 45 minutes.
The final word went to Ajdin Hrustic, scorer from the edge of the penalty area in the 84th minute, to the chagrin of the few thousand Emirati supporters who came as neighbors to the Ahmad bin Ali stadium in Al-Rayyan (west of Doha), which will host seven matches, including a round of 16, at the World Cup.
After Wales qualified on Sunday, there are only two tickets left out of 32 to be won for the first World Cup in history in an Arab country from November 21 to December 18.
The day following Australia-Peru on June 13, Costa Rica and New Zealand will decide for a place in the group E record, with Spain, Germany and Japan.
© 2022 AFP
