Mark Schwarzer saved two spot kicks as Australia beat Uruguay on penalties yesterday at Telstra Stadium to book a World Cup finals berth for the first time since 1974.
Schwarzer blocked shots from Dario Rodriguez and Marcelo Zalayeta while Harry Kewell, Lucas Neill, Tony Vidmar and John Aloisi all scored for Australia. Only captain Mark Viduka missed his spot kick, but it was irrelevant as the Socceroos sent a crowd of 82,698 into raptures by advancing to Germany 2006.
"We thought it was going to happen, we've been dreaming it for 32 years," said Aloisi, who stripped off his shirt and ran along the sidelines after scoring the winning spot goal. "We had 20 million people following us, we just can't believe it. We're there."
PHOTO: AFP
Uruguay went into the match with a 1-0 lead, courtesy of Rodriguez's 35th minute header in Montevideo on Saturday.
Australia canceled it out in just over half an hour thanks to a clinical Marco Bresciano strike, but despite sustained second-half pressure the Socceroos failed to finish off the Uruguayans in regulation or extra time.
In front of a partisan Sydney crowd, Australia was bidding to qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time since 1974.
Uruguay has won the coveted trophy twice, in its inaugural year 1930 and again in 1950.
The South Americans pressed forward early and Inter Milan danger man Alvaro Recoba had the game's opening chance when his fourth-minute long-range free kick cannoned off the chest of Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.
Uruguay threatened again in the 12th minute with Recoba first sending in a swinging free kick from the right and then a corner from the same side that Diego Lugano sent just wide with a glancing header.
But as the game progressed and Australia settled, the Socceroos had a couple of early chances before Jason Culina drew a good save from Fabian Carini with a low shot in the 19th minute.
Almost immediately, Recoba squandered a golden chance at the other end when he drilled a left-foot shot just wide of Schwarzer's right-hand post with only the Middlesbrough keeper to beat.
Australia's Dutch coach Guus Hiddink made an early attacking change when he pulled off Tony Popovic and replaced him with Liverpool's Kewell.
And it paid off almost immediately when Kewell exchanged passes with captain Viduka on the left before scuffing a shot that fell to Bresciano who blasted a left-foot shot into the roof of Carini's net to put Australia 1-0 up on the night.
After the break, Richard Morales blew another great chance for Uruguay when he was left totally unmarked from a Recoba corner in the 50th minute but headed straight into the ground.
Australia replied with a shot just wide from Tim Cahill after a good run down the left and cross from Kewell.
And as Australia piled on the pressure, Bresciano came close to netting his second when Viduka nodded down a pass from Culina and the Parma midfielder blasted his shot just over the bar in the 56th minute.
Uruguay coach Jorge Fossati replaced the exhausted Reboca in the 73rd minute with Zalayeta but he could not force a winning goal before Spanish referee Luis Medina Cantalejo called for extra time, which also ended deadlocked, forcing the nail-biting penalty shootout.
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