As Abdullah Fawaz stood over the ball in the 89th minute of the World Cup qualifier between Australia and Oman, it was impossible to ignore the high stakes. His penalty, which he duly deposited beyond Mat Ryan to make it 2-2, were not be enough to keep Oman’s qualification alive, while it placed the Socceroos in a state of existential precariousness.
After being held to a draw at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Australia’s men now sit in third place in Group B with just two games remaining – on the outside looking in at the two slots that carry automatic qualification for Qatar. Heading into the final slate of games next month, Graham Arnold’s side must defeat the top two –Japan and Saudi Arabia – to hold out any hope of directly punching their tickets, while hoping that other results see goal difference fall in their favour.
