Australia reaches World Cup finals with goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne's shootout heroics against Peru

Story by Reuters

Updated 0337 GMT (1137 HKT) June 14, 2022

Australia's Andrew Redmayne and teammate Aziz Behich celebrate after qualifying for the FIFA World Cup on June 13.

Doha, QatarAustralia's dancing substitute goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne saved the last penalty to clinch a place at this year's World Cup in Qatar as his team edged Peru 5-4 in a shootout following a 0-0 draw after extra time in an inter-continental playoff on Monday.

Redmayne danced across the goal-line before diving to the right to stop a kick from Alex Valera and hand Australia a deserved victory at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.Redmayne had been brought on three minutes from the end of the game for the shootout and became an instant hero with his antics on the line as he looked to distract the rival kicker.He danced up and down, wiggling his hips and throwing his arms about in a throwback to the clowning antics of Liverpool's Bruce Grobbelaar when his team won the European Cup in 1984.It was enough for Luis Advincila to fire his effort against the post and then Valera to have his effort saved as Australia qualified for a fifth successive World Cup and a sixth in total.Read MoreAustralia will play in Group D at the World Cup with holders France, Denmark and Tunisia. The finals run from November 21 to December 18.Australia had missed the first penalty but converted the next five to silence thousands of Peru supporters, who traveled for the game and provided noisy support but saw their team conjure up few opportunities.Why climate activists aren't buying the FIFA World Cup's 'green' claims Instead, a workmanlike Australia dominated the early exchanges, with winger Martin Boyle twice cutting through the Peruvian defence to provide teasing crosses.The second