The Socceroos have finally qualified for the 2022 World Cup after 20 games and 1,008 days.
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We did it! Australia’s beloved Socceroos have qualified for a fifth straight World Cup after an absolutely stunning penalty performance from substitute goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne — also known as the Grey Wiggle.
After the match against Peru finished 0-0 at the 90 minute mark, Australia’s hopes of qualifying for the World Cup — being held in Qatar later this year — came down to a nail-biting penalty shootout. But without our main goalkeeper and team captain Mathew Ryan for the penalties, the weight of Australia’s World Cup dreams fell largely on Redmayne’s shoulders.
Ultimately, Australia was able to secure the victory with a 5-4 shootout that made the 4am alarm worth it.
The Socceroos are through to the World Cup after some Penalty Shootout heroics from super-sub Andrew Redmayne!#AUSvPER pic.twitter.com/8eVuQd9jFc
But if the footage alone wasn’t enough to cue the waterworks, wait until you discover that Redmayne’s victory face was actually a tribute to his one-year-old daughter at home.
Redmayne's wife Caitlin revealed the face Andrew pulled after The Save was for his one year old daughter Poppy: "That was a tribute to our little girl Poppy, that same face of his that he pulls, always lights up her face … that was pretty special." Cute! via @TheTodayShow https://t.co/Bslsp2udiw pic.twitter.com/IR04Jh8lDd
— Jack Snape (@jacksongs) June 13, 2022
If you’re thinking today deserves to be a national holiday after such a monumental victory, you’re not alone — coach Graham Arnold called on Anthony Albanese to do just that after the Peruvian government declared one to let people watch the qualifier match.
“I called out Anthony Albanese the other day to give the fans the day off to celebrate this. Because I believe this is one of the greatest achievements ever — to qualify for this World Cup. 20 qualifiers, 16 away from home. It’s been tough, but we did it,” said Arnold.
Social media was quick to erupt in an outpouring of victory tweets and messages of support for Redmayne — who, overnight, went from a man with a measly two international appearances to a fully-fledged national hero.
DOUBTERS EAT YOUR HATS, WE’RE GOING TO THE WORLD CUP 💚💛 @Socceroos well done!!!
— Sam Kerr (@samkerr1) June 13, 2022
This is honestly like if you told an AI, “What if Aunty Donna qualified Australia for the World Cup” pic.twitter.com/4MgxNfr0rY
— Naaman Zhou (@naamanzhou) June 13, 2022
.@redders_20 is 𝘼𝙇𝙇 of us today!#GiveIt100 #AllForTheSocceroos pic.twitter.com/xjrIhADNMx
Most of Australia walking into work this morning on 3 hours sleep, already 3 coffees deep like… 😂😍#AUSvPER #AllForTheSocceroos pic.twitter.com/ShgpopevWQ
— CODE Football (@codefootballau) June 13, 2022
Live scenes of offices around Australia tomorrow of workers who got up to watch the Socceroos. pic.twitter.com/53vDdEGmat
— Jack Hudson (@jhudson_10) June 13, 2022
But while every Australian fan was ecstatic with the result, I don’t think anyone felt the victory more personally than the ABC‘s beloved Tony Armstrong, who gave us a Logie-worthy performance the moment we found out the Socceroos had qualified.
Just hand Tony the Logie already, ok! 🤣🤣👏👏 pic.twitter.com/OIcAlSswXV
— Michael Rowland (@mjrowland68) June 13, 2022
In the chaos of celebration, Armstrong had his scarf — knitted by his mum — stolen, but thankfully, the ABC has confirmed that he since retrieved the accessory.
Update: Tony got his Mum’s scarf back.. 😅 @Tonaaayy_ https://t.co/zXFcozFGAl
— Michael Rowland (@mjrowland68) June 13, 2022
The victory comes after the Socceroos missed out on automatic qualification and were left with one final opportunity to qualify for the Cup. But after 20 qualifier games over a massive 1,008 days, we finally managed to pull through.
While we always stood a chance at pulling through with a victory, the criticism and doubt cast in the direction of the Socceroos in recent weeks cannot be overstated. The Socceroos will battle it out at the World Cup in Qatar in November — marking their fifth straight appearance at the world’s biggest sporting event.
You cannot tell me this isn’t the greatest sport in the world. You simply can’t.
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