Socceroos seal World Cup berth with Saudi win
The Socceroos will head to a sixth consecutive World Cup after beating Saudi Arabia 2-1 in their final group game.
After their upset 1-0 win over Japan, the Socceroos only needed to avoid defeat by less than five goals in Jeddah to seal automatic World Cup finals qualification for the first time in 12 years.
Saudi forward Abdulrahman Al-Aboud scored in the 19th minute at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium to make things tense.
But striker Mitch Duke teed up Connor Metcalfe to equalise in the 42nd minute, before putting Australia in front in the 48th.
DUUUKKKKKEEEE!!!! 👏A perfect ball from Boyle, finished incredibly by Mitch Duke gives Australia a lead and surely a ticket to the World Cup! 🛫Catch the second half of #KSAvAUS LIVE on Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/nHOzqdqsa1
— Paramount+ Australia (@ParamountPlusAU) June 10, 2025
In his 100th appearance, goalkeeper and captain Mat Ryan denied Salem Al-Dawsari from the penalty spot in the 84th minute to seal victory.
Exactly a year before the start of next year's finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico, Australia (19 points, +9 goal difference) qualify in the second automatic spot behind Japan (23 points, +27) and ahead of Saudi Arabia (13 points, -1).
The result underlines the stellar job Tony Popovic, unbeaten as national team manager, has done since taking over from Graham Arnold, who claimed just a point from Australia's first two games.
Herve Renard's charges join fourth-placed Indonesia in the next round of qualifiers.
Defender Alessandro Circati was replaced by Jason Geria, while Duke and Patrick Yazbek started ahead of Brandon Borrello and Ryan Teague.
Martin Boyle dragged a shot wide in the 18th minute and Saudi Arabia immediately took the ball up the other end and scored.
Attacking maestro Al-Dawsari, so often a thorn in Australia's side, lifted the ball to Firas Al-Buraikan then burst forward to get it back.
CONNOR METCALFE YOU STAR! ⭐An important goal right before HT levels the scores and keeps Saudi Arabia at more than an arms length.Catch the final moments of the first half of #KSAvAUS LIVE on Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/Prt7igyaUy
— Paramount+ Australia (@ParamountPlusAU) June 10, 2025
Al-Dawsari then squared the ball for Al-Aboud to tap home on the goal line.
Musab Al-Juwayr blasted over the bar in the 33rd minute before Australia responded.
Duke took possession on the wing then threaded a squaring ball for Metcalfe, who nailed his first Socceroos goal with aplomb.
Al-Dawsari blasted a long-range shot just wide of the post in first-half injury time.
Australia took the lead when Boyle whipped in a free kick and Duke rose to glance home his first Socceroos goal since January 2024.
Ali Majrashi received a straight red card for denial of an obvious goal scoring opportunity on Boyle in the 52nd minute but it was overturned following a lengthy VAR review.
Saudi Arabia received a late penalty when Jason Geria was ruled to have brought down Al-Dawsari but Ryan palmed the spot-kick away.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Club World Cup Odds: Bookies Heavily Favor European Teams
Club World Cup Odds: Bookies Heavily Favor European Teams originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Real Madrid are the favorites to win the Club World Cup (CWC), which kicks off on June 14th with Lionel Messi's Inter Milan vs Al Ahly. The full list of odds is at the bottom of this article. Advertisement For the first time ever the competition will bring together teams from all six of FIFA's continental confederations—UEFA (Europe, 12 teams), CONMEBOL (South America, 6 teams), AFC (Asia, 4 teams), CAF (Africa, 4 teams), CONCACAF (North and Central America, 5 teams), and OFC (Oceania, 1 team). The teams are competing for bragging the small matter of a $1 billion prize pool, with the winner set to collect a cool $125 million. That's about the equivalent of one world class player in the current transfer market. Real Madrid favored to win - again Not surprisingly the bookies heavily favor the European teams who regularly ran out winners in the CWC's previous "cup format" iteration. Real Madrid have won it five times, while Manchester City are the current title holders. It was last won by a team outside Europe in 2012 when the Brazilian team Corinthians captured the prize. Advertisement But the disparity in the odds is startling. The Europeans occupy 11 of the top 12 spots in the odds table, starting with Real Madrid at a 4.1-1. Meanwhile the most favored team outside of Europe is Brazil's Flamengo at 40-1. For those who like a an underdog, Australian team Auckland City are available at 2500-1. Tired legs provide hope to the rest of the world The thing that might tempt punters to look beyond Europe is the question mark as to how seriously European teams will take the event. Most are coming off a long hard season and certainly won't want to risk injuries to their star players. Still, the prize money is certainly worth competing for and Madrid are 'under new management' with Xabi Alonso taking over from Carlo Ancelotti. He'll surely want to make a good first impression along with new signing Trent Alexander-Arnold. Second favorites are Manchester City, who will be hoping to atone for their trophy-less season. Advertisement Here's the best price available for each team at time of going to press: Real Madrid (Spain) 4.1-1 Manchester City (England) 5-1 PSG (France) 5-1 Bayern Munich (Germany) 7-1 Chelsea (England) 10-1 Atletico Madrid (Spain 15-1 Inter Milan (Italy) 15-1 Juventus (Italy) 26-1 Borussia Dortmund (Germany) 28-1 Benfica (Portugal) 40-1 Porto (Portugal) 40-1 Flamengo (Brazil) 40-1 Palmeiras (Brazil) 50-1 Botafogo RJ (Brazil) 50-1 Al Hilal Saudi (Saudi Arabia) 66-1 River Plate (Argentina) 70-1 Inter Miami CF (USA) 75-1 Boca Juniors (Argentina) 80-1 Los Angeles FC (USA) 80-1 Salzburg (Austria) 125-1 Seattle Sounders FC (USA) 150-1 Fluminense (Brazil) 150-1 CF Pachuca (Mexico) 175-1 Al-Ain (UAE) 200-1 Ulsan HD (South Korea) 200-1 Al-Ahly (Egypt) 250-1 CF Monterrey (Mexico) 250-1 Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan) 300-1 Wydad AC (Morocco) 500-1 Mamelodi Sundowns FC (South Africa) 750-1 Esperance de Tunis (Tunisia) 1000-1 Auckland City (Australia) 2500-1 The Golden Boot Meanwhile Kylian Mbappé is 5.5-1 to be top scorer followed closely by Manchester City's Erling Haaland and Bayern Munich's Harry Kane. We don't have long to wait to find out how right - or wrong - the bookies are. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
LA sports celebrities anticipate World Cup's arrival, hope political climate has cooled by then
LOS ANGELES (AP) — When the 2026 World Cup begins across North America one year from this week, sports figures from across Los Angeles are hoping the global soccer community will find the U.S. both inspiring and welcoming. The Fox network marked the one-year milestone Wednesday night with a big party at its studio lot in Century City. Attendees included everyone from 'Ted Lasso' star Jason Sudeikis to luminaries from every corner of the sports world in the nation's second-largest metropolitan area, including Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh. 'I remember when the World Cup was here in the '90s, and then obviously what our American women's team did to win the World Cup (in 1999),' Harbaugh said. 'So yeah, I love sports, I love competition, and I think it's going to be incredible for our state, our city, our country. The vibe is going to be incredible to just have everybody here. I'm looking for another explosion of soccer — football — in America.' The attendees all expressed excitement about the return of the world's premier soccer tournament to the U.S. while acknowledging the uncertainty of whether the nation's fraught political climate could present significant challenges to the teams, the World Cup organizers and even the network that will broadcast the tournament domestically. 'I'm hoping this game can bring people together,' said former LA Galaxy midfielder Cobi Jones, a three-time World Cup veteran and the U.S. men's career leader in appearances. 'That's what we really want. We're talking about the travel bans and all that, I'm hoping that FIFA can work together with our government to find a way that everyone can be here, everyone can enjoy this sport, because it's a cultural event that's happening here in a year. I expect everyone from around the world to be able to come here and enjoy it.' Los Angeles is in the midst of several days of protests against intensified immigration raids across the nation that could cause international fans to wonder whether they can travel to the tournament safely. President Donald Trump's latest expansive travel ban has raised questions about whether some soccer fans will be able to visit at all. 'I think it will get figured out,' Harbaugh said. 'To quote the late, great Tom Petty, most things I worry about don't end up happening anyway.' Jones also preached caution for U.S. fans already fretting about the dismal state of their national team. Coach Mauricio Pochettino's squad is on its first four-game losing streak since 2007 after getting thrashed 4-0 by Switzerland on Tuesday in its final tune-up for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. 'We don't panic right now,' Jones said. 'Talk to me when we're a month out. I've seen from experience that with a year out from the World Cup, the team is going to completely change (in the interim). So for me, it's all about a general sense of whether they can come together as a team, because it's not about the individuals. We've seen it so many times.' ___
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Fiji set to challenge Wallabies before Lions series
Fiji are set to provide the Wallabies with a benchmark for their preparations for the British and Irish Lions after the Pacific islanders named a strong squad for their Test match in Newcastle next month. Fiji and Australia will meet on July 6 in Australia's only international before facing the Lions in a three-Test series beginning in Brisbane on July 19. It's the first time the teams have squared off since Fiji shocked the Wallabies at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, breaking a 69-year drought. The Fiji win helped send the Australians crashing out of the tournament at the pool stage. Coach Mick Byrne on Thursday announced a 32-member squad to face the Wallabies and also Scotland in Suva on July 12. While 13 players are from the Fijian Drua, who finished 10th in the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific competition, Byrne has also selected 10 players based in France and five in England. The backline is set to include European stars such as Josua Tuisova (Racing 92), who scored a try in their World Cup win over Australia, Sireli Maqala (Bayonne) and Salesi Rayasi (Vannes). Former powerhouse NRL winger Semi Radradra, who plays for Lyon, is a notable omission. Veteran forwards Eroni Mawi (Saracens), Samuel Matavesi (Lyon), and Albert Tuisue (Gloucester) bolster a dominant forward pack. Tevita Ikanivere, Caleb Muntz, and Iosefo Masikau Baleiwairiki are among players named from the Drua after strong Super Rugby performances. "Both Australia and Scotland are established Tier One sides, and we know the level we need to rise to," Byrne said in a statement. "We've focused on combinations that give us both tactical adaptability and the trademark Fijian spirit. "We want to win but more importantly, we want to win playing our brand of rugby. "This squad reflects the depth, strength, and we will give a performance that will make all Fijians proud." Fiji squad: Forwards: Eroni Mawi, Luke Tagi, Haereiti Hetet, Mesake Doge, Peni Ravai, Tevita Ikanivere, Samuel Mativesi, Kavaia Tagivetaua, Isoa Nasilasila, Mesake Vocevoce, Temo Mayanavanua, Setareki Turagacoke, Viliame Mata, Elia Canakaivata, Lekima Tagitagivalu, Albert Tuisue, Etonia Waqa, Motikai Murray. Backs: Simione Kuruvoli, Philip Baselala, Sam Wye, Caleb Muntz, Isaia Armstrong-Ravula, Vilimoni Botitu, Josua Tuisova, Iosefo Masikau Baleiwairiki, Sireli Maqala, Kalaveti Ravouvou, Ponipate Loganimasi, Jiuta Wainiqolo, Selesitino Ravutaumada, Salesi Rayasi.
