Australia Defeats Denmark To Advance To The World Cup Knockout Stages
Australia defeats Denmark qualifying for World Cup knockout stages. Mathew Leckie's magnificent goal was the difference in Australia's 1-0 victory over Denmark, which allowed the Socceroos to advance to the knockout stages of the World Cup.
Denmark was ranked 28 places higher than Australia in the FIFA World Rankings than the Socceroos.
In this match for Group D, the first half had been tense and scoreless, with Denmark holding the majority of possession but failing to capitalize on any of its opportunities to score a goal.
The Match
See video report below.
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The reaction from Australia as the Socceroos reach the knockout stages of the 2022 World Cup
At the beginning of the second half, when the news that Tunisia had taken the lead against France in the other Group D match, the tension was ratcheted up a notch. The tension seemed to percolate through every pass, every shot on goal, and every pause in play.
The Carthage Eagles would have advanced to the knockout stages of the competition if Australia and Denmark had played to a scoreless draw and Tunisia had prevailed.
Just four minutes later, with the Socceroos' chances of winning the World Cup hanging by a thread, they counterattacked from their box, and Riley McGree found Mathew Leckie on a well-timed run to set up the goal.
After that, Leckie used his dribbling skills to get by two Danish defenders and then rolled the ball past Kasper Schmeichel into the net, which prompted wild celebrations from his team.
Australia prevailed in a nail-biting finish against Denmark's persistent pressure to advance to the round of 16 of the World Cup and become the first team in Australia's illustrious history to win consecutive World Cup matches.
Because of their victory over Tunisia on Saturday, Australia had a remote chance of advancing to the knockout stages of the World Cup. Despite having a lackluster start to the World Cup, Denmark had a chance to qualify as well in this winner-take-all match.
Denmark started the game with the urgency of a team that needed a win, dominating the early possession and forcing Australia's Mathew Ryan to make two saves in the opening 10 minutes, although neither of them appeared to particularly trouble him.
Denmark kept up its offensive pressure, and Christian Eriksen's long passes down the left side of the field found plenty of open space, pinning Australia inside its own half of the field.
However, neither team was able to capitalize on their opportunities, and they entered halftime with a score of 0-0.
The game remained tied going into the second half, and the tense atmosphere spread into the stands, where spectators sat immobile with anxiety, barely singing, and barely making any noise.
Then, in the other match in Group D, Wahbi Khazri scored for Tunisia, and shortly after that, Leckie scored for Scotland, turning the group on its head not once but twice in the span of five minutes.
Australia At The FIFA
Six times (in 1974, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022) Australia has made it to the finals of the FIFA World Cup.
The first time they tried to qualify for the FIFA World Cup was in 1966, and they were defeated by North Korea.
Australia's first appearance was as a representative of OFC; their team was composed entirely of amateurs, and they played to a scoreless draw against Chile.
However, Australia ultimately left the 1974 tournament without scoring a single goal. In Germany 2006, Australia made up for lost time and advanced to the round of 16, where they were defeated by eventual champion Italy.
At the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the German theme continued when Australia (representing the AFC) was defeated by the European powerhouses, Germany, by a score of 4-0.
Australia was eliminated after a ten-man 1-1 draw against Ghana and a 2-1 win against Serbia. They finished with a goal differential of - 3, three goals worse than the African teams.
At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Australia was in a tough group and was predicted to finish last.
Final Words
There was further suspense a few minutes later when the referee gave Denmark a penalty kick for a foul that was committed on Kasper Dolberg, but it was later overturned because of an offside, and Australia finished off the remaining minutes to win the game.
However, Tunisia was unable to advance to the knockout stages of the competition despite their 1-0 victory over the reigning champion France. Before playing Tunisia, Les Bleus had already qualified for the tournament, so they benched some of their best players.