Tim Cahill scores extra-time winner as Australia keep World Cup hopes alive
The 37-year-old finds the net twice as his side edge Syria 2-1 to progress to an intercontinental play-off next month
Tim Cahill scored twice, including the extra-time winner, as Australia kept their World Cup hopes alive with a 2-1 victory over Syria in the second leg of the Asian play-off on Tuesday.
The 3-2 aggregate victory sends the Socceroos into an intercontinental play-off next month against the fourth-placed team in North and Central America and the Caribbean qualifying 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 with his 50th international goal.
“I knew I was going to score, I didn’t touch the ball much but in the end I delivered,” said 37-year-old Cahill, who has played at the last three World Cups. “That’s what I’ve done my whole life and I’ll continue to do it.”
The United States, Panama and Honduras, the three nations who could provide the opposition in the intercontinental play-off, play their final qualifiers on Wednesday morning (Hong Kong time).
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.
