Ajdin Hrustic scored a dramatic 84th-minute winner as Australia beat the United Arab Emirates 2-1 in Doha, booking their spot in the inter-confederation play-off against Peru for a place in this year’s FIFA World Cup finals.From the off, it was clear that UAE had set out to draw Australia in and pounce on the counter-attack, but the Socceroos were tame in possession without Tom Rogic, who pulled out of the squad for personal reasons, and those who had flocked to Doha were met with a dreary display. After a barren first 35 minutes, two chances then came along at once as Kye Rowles, making his second-ever Australian appearance, failed to make solid contact with a completely free header before teenager Harib Al-Maazmi raced down the other end and tested Mathew Ryan from a narrow angle.Dragons are flying to Qatar – Wales complete the list of European passengers to the World Cup!Both sides emerged energetic after the break having seemingly woken up to the magnitude of the occasion. It was the Aussies that struck first when Martin Boyle worked some magic to get to the byline and crossed for Jackson Irvine, whose perfectly-timed run presented him with a simple tap-in. There was an instant response from the Whites, along with the crowd, who were a completely different proposition after the break. Al-Maazmi was the source of the danger yet again, and his cross dropped invitingly for Caio to lash high into the net.The Socceroos might have thought their best chance was blown when Craig Goodwin blazed over the crossbar from point-blank range, but Hrustic unleashed a venomous volley with minutes to play that cruelly deflected off Ali Salmeen and into the net.Tue 21:00: (1.70) Costa Rica (3.45) New Zealand (5.80)The Whites had not come this close to qualifying for international football’s most prestigious competition since 2001, and could not topple the Socceroos despite the neutral Ahmad bin Ali Stadium lying a short jaunt across the water from home turf. Australia, meanwhile, are one step away from reaching their fifth consecutive World Cup finals.Peru await Australia in one week’s time and the winner of the decisive match joins France, Denmark and Tunisia in Group D at the World Cup.QATAR WORLD CUP 2022 QUALIFIERS – AsiaUnited Arab Emirates – Australia 1-2 (0-0)/Canedo 57 – Irvine 53, Hrustic 84/Australia 🆚 Peru for a spot in the 2022 FIFA World Cup!Who ya got? 🇦🇺 🇵🇪 pic.twitter.com/bTv7upDdwS— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 7, 2022 ©FlashScore
