Australia secured their spot in the World Cup finals for the sixth consecutive time on Tuesday, triumphing 2-1 over Saudi Arabia in an Asian qualifying match held in Jeddah.
Following a victory against Group C winners Japan in Perth the previous week, the Socceroos only needed to avoid a substantial defeat to the Saudis to ensure their place in the finals set for North America next year.
The Australians needed to dodge a five-goal loss to confirm their entry to a sixth straight finals, and goals from Connor Metcalfe and Mitch Duke delivered a comeback win that left the Saudis in disappointment.
Abdulrahman Al-Obud had given the home side a flicker of hope, scoring from close range in the 19th minute, but Metcalfe equalised just before halftime, erasing Saudi ambitions.
Duke then put the Socceroos ahead in the 48th minute, deftly redirecting Martin Boyle’s free kick past Nawaf Al-Aqidi. Maty Ryan, making his 100th appearance for the national team, later preserved the lead with a crucial late penalty save against Salem Al-Dawsari.

This victory ensures that Australia finishes second in Group C, behind Japan, who secured their finals spot back in March.
Saudi Arabia, who placed third in Group C, will move on to the fourth round of qualifiers in October, alongside Indonesia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, and Oman.
Oman’s qualification hopes remain alive after a dramatic draw against Palestine, with Issam Al-Sabhi converting a penalty deep into stoppage time to clinch a point that keeps them fourth in Group B.
Palestine initially took the lead in the 49th minute with a header from Oday Kharoub, and even with Oman’s Harib Al-Saadi sent off, the Palestinians appeared to be in control until the final moments when Muhsen Al-Ghassani was fouled in the box.
Al-Sabhi confidently dispatched the penalty, sending goalkeeper Rami Hamada the wrong way, thereby securing fourth place in the group for Oman and eliminating Palestine from contention.
Earlier in the day, Japan dominated Indonesia with a 6-0 victory, highlighted by two first-half goals from Daichi Kamada, steering the Samurai Blue to Group C glory, while Wang Yudong’s late penalty ensured that China concluded their campaign with a 1-0 win over Bahrain.
Iran triumphed as Group A winners following a 3-0 win over North Korea, aided by the dismissal of Kye Tam for the visitors with 24 minutes left on the clock in Tehran.
Mehdi Mohebi, Mehdi Taremi, and Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh found the net in the final 16 minutes, solidifying Iran’s first-place position, already secured in March.
Uzbekistan, who had also qualified, finished second in the group after a 3-0 victory over Qatar in Tashkent, while the United Arab Emirates clinched third position despite a late equaliser resulting in a 1-1 draw with Kyrgyzstan in Bishkek.
South Korea completed their Group B fixtures with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Kuwait, ensuring that Hong Myung-bo’s team topped the standings with an undefeated record.
Jordan, who qualified for their inaugural World Cup on Thursday, ended up second in Group B, despite suffering a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Graham Arnold’s Iraq in Amman.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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