Follow Us "'Dancing' goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne sparks meme fest after sending Australia to Qatar World Cup")
Australia celebrated the antics of dancing goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne whose penalty shootout save against Peru saw them to a fifth straight World Cup finals.
On Tuesday, Australia celebrated the antics of dancing goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne, whose penalty shootout save against Peru advanced them to the Qatar World Cup 2022 finals for the fifth time in a row.
As Peru's players prepared to take their penalty kicks, the 33-year-old clowned his way along the goal line, and his stop of Alex Valera's attempt gave Australia a 5-4 victory after the two sides had been scoreless for 120 minutes.
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As a tactic for the shootout, Australia coach Graham Arnold substituted Redmayne for team captain Mathew Ryan in the closing minutes of extra time.
Martin Boyle missed Australia's first penalty, but the next five were all converted.
Luis Advincula's shot cannoned off a post after Redmayne danced and jigged around the line to unnerve the Peru players. The Socceroos and their band of a few hundred fans erupted in jubilation when Redmayne saved Valera's shot.
Ryan is a "great goalkeeper," according to Arnold, but Redmayne of Sydney FC "is a superb penalty saver, and at that stage of the game, I was just trying to do something that could damage them (Peru) mentally."
"Maybe that's why they hit the post," Arnold said. "They thought they had to put it closer to the post to score. It's a risk, but it worked."
Redmayne denied being the night's hero, claiming that his performance was "just a little thing I do" for Sydney that had "proven quite popular."
"If I can gain one per cent by making a fool of myself then I will. I love this team, I love this country and I love this sport. I am under no illusions that all I did was to save one penalty," he said.
With the win, Australia has secured the penultimate spot in the tournament, which begins on November 21. One day later, they will face defending champions France in Group D, marking their sixth appearance at the World Cup overall.
Arnold insisted that his whole team were heroes for getting through. "What we have been through in the last year and a half with the pandemic, not being able to get back into Australia, players getting Covid, not being able to get the best squad together a lot of the time. I am so proud and happy for the players," he said.
"The sacrifices they have made. No-one thought they could do it but they kept on believing," Arnold added.
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Peru, 22nd in FIFA's list and who beat Australia 2-0 at the 2018 World Cup group stage, were roared on by 10,000 fans, most of whom had flown halfway round the globe for the playoff only to see a frustrating encounter between the rivals with few clearcut chances.
Twitter exploded with memes and hilarious comments following Redmayne's antics that sealed Australia's ticket to Qatar. Here's a look at some of the reactions:
