Cahill keeps Aussie hopes alive
Socceroos knock out Syria in World Cup qualifying playoff
Tim Cahill scored twice as Australia kept their World Cup hopes alive with a 2-1 victory over Syria in the second leg of the Asian playoff on Tuesday.
The 3-2 aggregate victory sends the Socceroos into an intercontinental playoff in November against the fourthplaced team in the North, Central American and Caribbean qualifying section with a World Cup spot on the line.
Cahill scored Australia’s opener with a trademark header in the 13th minute, but it was not until 96 minutes later that he kept alive his country’s hopes of a fourth successive appearance at the World Cup finals.
Syria, who had to play all their “home” qualifiers in Malaysia because of the security situation in their war-torn nation, fought until the very end of the match but ultimately came up short in their bid for a maiden World Cup spot.
The visitors had made the perfect start in the sixth minute to cancel out Australia’s away-goal advantage from the 1-1 first-leg draw. Tamer Haj Mohamad dispossessed Mark Milligan in midfield and he fed Omar Al Somah, who outpaced the Australian defense and planted the ball high in the net with his left foot.
Australia were back on terms in the 13th minute. Mathew Leckie broke down the right and delivered a pinpoint cross that Cahill was never going to pass up, the 37-year-old forward heading the ball home in his 103rd international.
Syrian midfielder Mahmoud Al Mawas was sent off for a second yellow card four minutes into the first period of extra time, and from then on it appeared only a matter of time before the Australians would break down the already weary visitors. Robbie Kruse finally carved out the decisive chance in the 109th minute when his perfectly weighted cross to the far post found Cahill, who headed it into the top left-hand corner to the delight of the majority of the 42,136 crowd.
Al Somah had one final chance to secure passage for Syria on the away goals rule as time ran out, but his brilliantly struck free kick hit the post and bounced away.