Stalemate might have been worse but for last-gasp offside and return fixture now looks set to be a 2026 World Cup qualification shootout
That the player of the match award at Australia?s World Cup qualifier in Melbourne on Thursday was sponsored by the Saudi Tourism Authority is somehow fitting. This was indeed a never-ending night of contradictions, a match that the Socceroos managed to make a scoreless home draw feel like a victory.
As the clock ticked towards 93 minutes, the brilliant strike by Sultan al-Ghannam billows the net and prompts wild celebrations among the Saudi players and travelling supporters. Just what the Socceroos needed, another home capitulation, think 27,000 fans inside AAMI Park.
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