3 days ago
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.
