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Daily Tribune
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Tribune
Palestine out of World Cup qualification
TDT | Manama Australia confirmed their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 2-1 comeback win over Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, capping off a dramatic final round of Asian qualifying that also saw Palestine heartbreakingly eliminated by a stoppage-time Oman penalty in Group B. Socceroos Seal Sixth Successive Appearance Needing only to avoid a five-goal defeat in Jeddah to progress, Australia went one better, turning around a first-half deficit to take all three points and finish second in Group C behind Japan. Abdulrahman Al Obud opened the scoring for Saudi Arabia in the 19th minute, but Connor Metcalfe levelled shortly before the break with a composed finish after a sustained spell of Australian pressure. Just three minutes into the second half, Mitch Duke's glancing header from Martin Boyle's delivery gave the Socceroos the lead. Goalkeeper Mat Ryan, on his 100th international appearance, underlined his milestone with a decisive penalty save late on, denying Salem Al Dawsari and ensuring the Australians left with the win and momentum ahead of their World Cup campaign. Popovic Era Begins to Deliver Tony Popovic, who took over from Graham Arnold last September after a turbulent start to qualifying, expressed pride but also caution in his post-match remarks. "It probably hasn't sunk in yet," he admitted. "We've built a good foundation, but now we want to kick on and do something special at the World Cup." Oman Steal Fourth, End Palestine's Dream While Australia celebrated, Palestine were left to rue missed opportunity in Amman. A 49th-minute header by Oday Kharoub looked set to send them through to the next phase as they led 1-0 and held numerical advantage after Harib Al Saadi was dismissed. But deep into stoppage time, Muhsen Al Ghassani was brought down inside the box, and Issam Al Sabhi calmly slotted home the resulting penalty, sending Oman into October's fourth qualifying round and crushing Palestinian hopes. Oman's draw was enough to secure fourth place in Group B, joining Indonesia, Qatar, UAE, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia in the next round of qualifiers.
Leaders
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Leaders
Saudi Arabia's Slim Defeat to Australia Delays World Cup Dreams
Saudi Arabia's national team faced a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat to Australia in the Group C final round of the AFC 2026 World Cup qualifiers at Jeddah's Alinma Stadium on Tuesday, delaying their qualification to the Asian next phase in October. Forward Abdulrahman Al-Oboud opened the scoring for the Green Falcons almost 20 minutes into the first half, igniting hopes among fans that Saudi Arabia could secure a crucial victory. However, Connor Metcalfe equalized for Australia just before halftime, shifting the momentum of the match, while just three minutes after the break, Mitch Duke headed in a goal, giving Australia a 2-1 lead. This goal was decisive as Saudi Arabia struggled to regain control of the match. Despite creating multiple goal-scoring opportunities, including a notable penalty save by Maty Ryan against Salem Al-Dawsari, the Green Falcons could not find the back of the net again. Australia's defense held firm, securing the vital second spot in the group and guaranteeing their qualification for the 2026 World Cup. The Road Ahead for Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia needed to win by at least five goals to qualify directly for the World Cup. Although they fell short, the team can take pride in their performance and growth throughout the qualifiers. They will now shift their focus to the upcoming Gold Cup in the USA, where they will compete against strong teams. This tournament will provide valuable experience and preparation ahead of the final World Cup qualifying matches later this year. With this victory, Australia secured the last automatic qualification slot for the 2026 World Cup. They join already qualified teams such as Iran and Japan, along with Jordan and Uzbekistan, who will make their World Cup debuts. As Saudi Arabia reflect on this setback, they remain determined to improve and secure their place in the World Cup. The journey continues, and the Green Falcons will strive to rise to the occasion in the next phase of qualifying. Short link : Post Views: 15
Reuters
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Part one complete as Popovic's Australia lock up World Cup berth
June 11 (Reuters) - Tony Popovic was already thinking about the improvements Australia needed to make for next year's World Cup finals soon after they sealed automatic qualification with a gritty 2-1 win in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Popovic took over as coach last September after the Socceroos made a poor start to the third round of Asian qualifying and has overseen five wins and three draws to book a ticket to North America. "Very, very satisfying right now, I'm sure it'll sink in as the days go by," he said shortly after the final whistle at Jeddah's King Abdullah Sports City. "It's been a very intense period since I've joined and I've loved it so far. We've done the first part, qualifying automatically, and now the next part is to be bigger and better for the World Cup." After beating Group C winners Japan 1-0 with a late goal in Perth last week, the Socceroos only needed to avoid a 5-0 loss to the Saudis to take their place in the finals for a sixth straight edition. They got the job done despite going a goal down in front of a hostile crowd, watching a Saudi player have a red card rescinded by VAR, and conceding a late penalty. Goalkeeper Mat Ryan, who was winning his 100th cap, saved the penalty to ensure that goals from Connor Metcalfe and Mitch Duke either side of halftime would give Australia all three points. "To do it here in this atmosphere, you've got to deal with the weather as well, and it's not easy to show that character resilience and then quality, to come back and actually take the lead and win the game," said Popovic. "For Matty Ryan, his career speaks for itself and there's a lot more for him to achieve ... but it's a day he'll never forget." Former centre half Popovic was a member of the Australia squad that reached the last 16 of the World Cup for the first time in 2006, a feat matched by Graham Arnold's team in Qatar three years ago. The 2006 squad had flair as well as the famed Australian resilience, and the task for Popovic over the next year is to build a team that can play a bit as well as fight. "We've built a good foundation now, and we want to really get better, get better kick on and try and do something special the World Cup," he said. "We need to play games to keep improving, giving other players that deserve it an opportunity and then we want to be a squad that's much better than what we are now. I think that's the expectation we should have."
CNA
11-06-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Part one complete as Popovic's Australia lock up World Cup berth
Tony Popovic was already thinking about the improvements Australia needed to make for next year's World Cup finals soon after they sealed automatic qualification with a gritty 2-1 win in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Popovic took over as coach last September after the Socceroos made a poor start to the third round of Asian qualifying and has overseen five wins and three draws to book a ticket to North America. "Very, very satisfying right now, I'm sure it'll sink in as the days go by," he said shortly after the final whistle at Jeddah's King Abdullah Sports City. "It's been a very intense period since I've joined and I've loved it so far. We've done the first part, qualifying automatically, and now the next part is to be bigger and better for the World Cup." After beating Group C winners Japan 1-0 with a late goal in Perth last week, the Socceroos only needed to avoid a 5-0 loss to the Saudis to take their place in the finals for a sixth straight edition. They got the job done despite going a goal down in front of a hostile crowd, watching a Saudi player have a red card rescinded by VAR, and conceding a late penalty. Goalkeeper Mat Ryan, who was winning his 100th cap, saved the penalty to ensure that goals from Connor Metcalfe and Mitch Duke either side of halftime would give Australia all three points. "To do it here in this atmosphere, you've got to deal with the weather as well, and it's not easy to show that character resilience and then quality, to come back and actually take the lead and win the game," said Popovic. "For Matty Ryan, his career speaks for itself and there's a lot more for him to achieve ... but it's a day he'll never forget." Former centre half Popovic was a member of the Australia squad that reached the last 16 of the World Cup for the first time in 2006, a feat matched by Graham Arnold's team in Qatar three years ago. The 2006 squad had flair as well as the famed Australian resilience, and the task for Popovic over the next year is to build a team that can play a bit as well as fight. "We've built a good foundation now, and we want to really get better, get better kick on and try and do something special the World Cup," he said. "We need to play games to keep improving, giving other players that deserve it an opportunity and then we want to be a squad that's much better than what we are now. I think that's the expectation we should have."
Time of India
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Australia seal sixth straight FIFA World Cup spot with 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia
Australia clinched their sixth consecutive FIFA World Cup appearance with a 2-1 victory against Saudi Arabia, highlighted by goals from Connor Metcalfe and Mitchell Duke. Despite an early setback, the Socceroos demonstrated resilience, securing direct qualification for the 2026 tournament. Goalkeeper Mat Ryan's outstanding performance, including a penalty save, solidified Australia's place among Asia's qualified teams. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Australia booked their sixth consecutive FIFA World Cup berth with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Saudi Arabia. Goals from debutant Connor Metcalfe and Mitchell Duke ensured the Socceroos ' qualification, continuing their impressive World Cup an opening goal by Abdulrahman Al Oboud in the 19th minute for Saudi Arabia, Australia held firm to secure their spot on football's biggest Socceroos, who only needed to avoid a five-goal loss to secure direct qualification for the 2026 tournament, showed resilience after falling behind. Metcalfe levelled the score with a left-footed strike just before the interval, followed by Duke's header in the 48th his 100th international appearance, Australian goalkeeper Mat Ryan delivered a stellar performance with five crucial saves, including stopping a late direct qualification brings welcome relief to the Socceroos, who had previously needed to navigate through playoffs for both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.'We've done the first part — qualifying automatically,' Socceroos coach Tony Popovic said. 'Now the next part is to be bigger and better for the World Cup.''We've built a good foundation now (but) we want to get better, kick on and try and do something special in the World Cup," he secures its spot alongside Japan, Iran, South Korea, Uzbekistan and Jordan for the expanded 48-team competition in 2026 across the United States, Canada and remaining two automatic Asian qualification spots will be determined among six nations in October. The contending teams include Oman, Qatar, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia.
