Substitute Andrew Redmayne hailed a hero after shootout win Australia beat Peru 5-4 on penalties to reach Qatar 2022 The plan to send on substitute goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne in the event of a penalty shootout in the Socceroos’ World Cup qualifier against Peru had been on the table for weeks, but remained such a secret that not even captain Mat Ryan knew about it. Ryan was replaced in between the sticks as time ran out at the end of extra-time in Australia’s must-win intercontinental playoff in Qatar, as coach Graham Arnold made the bold call to hand Redmayne just his third international cap ..read more

Australia 0-0 Peru (5-4 on penalties) Socceroos reach fifth straight World Cup finals Australian football has a new entry in its folklore and in Andrew Redmayne, the Socceroos goalkeeper, a new icon. After 120 minutes could not separate Graham Arnold’s side and Peru, qualification for the World Cup in Qatar came down to one moment in the crucible of a penalty shootout: Redmayne on the goalline and Alex Valera at the spot. All Australia needed was for the Universitario forward’s effort to go anywhere except the back of the net. Redmayne made sure it did not ..read more

Updates from the Socceroos’ crunch match in Qatar Kick-off time at Al Rayyan Stadium is 9pm local/4am AEST Any thoughts? or tweet @emmavkemp The location of this match is interesting because Australia have played a lot of their qualifying games in Qatar and are very used to the conditions. They have been based there for the past two weeks – the longest time they have spent in camp together for the good part of four years. This is not the case for Peru, and assistant coach Nobby Solano has had a crack at Fifa over the decision ..read more

Ricardo ‘The Tiger’ Gareca takes the core of the Peru team that beat Australia 2-0 at Russia 2018 into showdown for Qatar They call Ricardo Gareca, the coach of the Peruvian national team, “The Tiger”. He received the nickname for being a fearless and tireless striker for Argentine teams Boca Juniors, River Plate, Velez Sarsfield and Independiente, and then America de Cali in the Colombia League, where Gareca won two league titles and was runner-up in three Copa Libertadores. Gareca played 20 internationals for Argentina, scoring five goals, including one against Peru, which eliminated them fr ..read more

Shamans in Peru performed a ritual before their national football team's World Cup playoff against Australia. The decider is being played in Qatar's Al Rayyan stadium on 13 June. The shamans, hailing from the mountains, jungle and coast, all gathered to perform the ritual, which they believe will help Peru beat Australia. 'We have had to give reinforcement and strength to continue to get the end result we want,' said shaman Ana María Simeon ..read more

The draw threw up political intrigue, a heavyweight European clash and one group that is particularly hard to call South Africa in 2010 were the only World Cup hosts to fail to make it through the group stage. Assessing the form of hosts, who have not had to play in qualifiers, is never easy but Qatar’s string of heavy defeats by Portugal, Ireland and Serbia last autumn, followed by a draw against Azerbaijan raises concerns. They did, though, win the Asian Cup under their Spanish coach, Félix Sánchez, in 2019 ..read more

Giorgian de Arrascaeta gives Uruguay win over Peru Ecuador beaten by Paraguay but qualify for finals Ecuador and Uruguay have secured their spots at the World Cup in Qatar, joining Brazil and Argentina from South America. The third-place Ecuadorians lost 3-1 in Paraguay on Thursday, but they achieved one of the four direct spots after Uruguay, in fourth position, beat Peru 1-0 in Montevideo, a result that also allowed them to book their flights to Qatar. Ecuador and Uruguay reached 25 points on the table and can no longer be overtaken by other teams. Brazil and Argentina had earlier secured ..read more

Peru go fourth in South American table with 1-0 away win Iran book their place in Qatar with 1-0 victory over Iraq Edison Flores scored a late goal for Peru to earn a 1-0 away win over Colombia on Friday, boosting their chances of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Half-time substitute Flores struck after 85 minutes to give Peru a priceless victory in Barranquilla. The DC United winger raced on to a through ball and fired a low, angled shot which Colombia keeper David Ospina allowed in at his near post ..read more

Lucas Paquetá secures 1-0 victory over Colombia in São Paulo Chile in automatic qualification places after beating Paraguay Brazil beat Colombia 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier in São Paulo to become the first South American team to qualify for Qatar 2022. Lucas Paquetá scored the vital goal after 72 minutes with a shot that David Ospina got a hand to but could not stop. The result means Brazil top the 10-team group with 34 points from 12 games, nine clear of second-placed Argentina, who play Uruguay on Friday. The top four teams qualify automatically and the fifth-placed side go into an inter ..read more

Lucas Paquetá’s 36th-minute goal lifts Brazil in 1-0 victory Brazil to face either Argentina or Colombia in Saturday’s final Many Brazil players didn’t want to take part in the Copa América tournament. After the Seleção advanced to the final with a 1-0 win over Peru on Monday, some players said they hoped to see their archrivals on Saturday at the Maracana Stadium. “I want Argentina in the final,” Neymar said after the match at the Nilton Santos Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. “I am cheering for them because I have many friends there. In the final, Brazil will win.” OH MY NEYMAR He hit 'em with ..read more