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Australia have held on to the second automatic qualifying place in their 2026 World Cup group, drawing 2-2 in Bahrain after a dramatic finale.
Having taken the lead after 38 seconds through Kusini Yengi the Socceroos should have been safe before conceding two goals in 140 seconds late in the match.
Soon after the hour-mark Yengi hit the post with a clever piece of improvisation, but then missed a sitter. Ten minutes later Mahdi Abduljabbar seized on a mistake by Cameron Burgess to score with an outrageous 45-yard chip.
As Australia reeled the substitute scored again, following up after debutant Hayden Matthews’ misdirected clearing header had hit the post.
But with ten minutes of added time to be played the Socceroos kept pushing and in the 95th Yengi struck again, stabbing home in a scramble after Brandon Borello had caused problems at the back post.
The goal was cleared after a nerve-wracking VAR check.
“There are a lot of emotions now because a lot of things happened in the match,” said Socceroos coach Tony Popovic.
“We had a couple of good chances to make it 2-0 that we didn’t capitalise on, then we gave away a couple of goals very quickly. But we showed great character to come back.”
Kusini Yengi of Australia scores the equaliser against Bahrain. (Photo by Christopher Pike/Getty Images)
The result means Australia only took partial advantage of helpful results earlier in the day in Group C.
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Japan won 3-1 in China while in Jakarta unfancied Indonesia beat Saudi Arabia 2-0. That meant Australia went into the match still in the second and the last automatic qualifying place behind runaway pacesetters Japan.
The draw in Riffa means they stay there, a point ahead of the other four teams in the group. With four games left the Socceroos could yet qualify directly, be forced into a further qualifying stage or finish in the bottom two and be knocked out altogether.
Popovic had boldly refashioned his team, making six changes from the one held to a goalless draw by the Saudis in Melbourne last week.
Among them there was a shock start for 20-year-old Sydney FC defender Matthews, who had a fine game until his wayward header. There was also a surprise recall for captain Maty Ryan, his first start under Popovic.
The goalkeeper was a happy spectator for much of the first hour with Australia controlling the game after being gifted the opener. Sayed Baqer underhit a backpass and Yengi rounded Ebrahim Lutfalla and shot goalwards. It looked as if his shot was just wide, but the goalkeeper, trying to stop it, palmed it in.
Yengi might have had a second after 24 minutes after a fierce Anthony Caceres tackle created the opportunity for Riley McGree to cross but Lutfalla was sharply off his line to block his shot.
The game exploded into life in the 61st minute when Yengi, improvising as he met McGree’s cross, hit the post with his chest.
If the striker was unlucky then he should have done better a minute later when Aziz Behich cut the ball back from inside the six-yard box but Yengi failed to get off a shot.
Almost immediately Burgess blocked Ibrahim Al-Khatal’s shot to prevent an equaliser.
The flurry of action was followed by a quartet of substitutions as Popovic refreshed his XI in the energy-sapping conditions. The new faces had barely settled in when Abduljabbar’s audacious goal sparked the dramatic finish.
Australia’s campaign resumes in March with matches against Indonesia at home and China away.
“We’ll take the point, reflect and move on to Indonesia,” added Popovic.
© AAP
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