The Socceroos have defeated Lebanon 5-0 in front of a sellout crowd in Canberra.
The Socceroos struck early with Yengi scoring from the first attacking play, however except for a Harry Souttar missed header Australia failed to find the back of the net again in the first half.
In the second half the Socceroos again started strong capitalising from a Jradi own goal and a goal to Craig Goodwin in the space of two minutes to take the lead to 3-0.
Iredale would go onto find the back of the next for his first Socceroos goal and Goodwin capped off a man of the match performance with a second goal in the 81st minute.
What next for the Socceroos
Although two games remain for this round of qualifiers, this win against Lebanon assures the Socceroos’ top place in their group.
This means that Australia has now qualified for the 2027 Asian Cup to be held in Saudi Arabia. The win also progresses the Socceroos to the next round of the World Cup Qualification.
The third round of qualification will feature three groups of six teams. The top two teams in each group will secure qualification to the 2026 World Cup, whilst 3rd and 4th placed teams will move to a fourth round.
Asia has been awarded a total of eight direct spots in the 2026 World Cup, an increase from its previous allocation. Although this may assist the Socceroo’s qualification hopes they will not be spared the long an seemingly never ending qualification process.
The Socceroos are next scheduled to play in the June international window and will face Bangladesh away, followed by Palestine in Perth.
Mixed day for Canberra football
Over 25,000 were in attendance for the match, a figure which represents the largest football crowd in Canberra ever. However what was otherwise a day of celebration for the Canberra football community was marred by concerning news about the city’s only professional club.
In a statement issued by Capital Football it appears the future of Canberra United is far from secure with the governing body failing to commit to the club’s future, citing the large financial burden the club represents.
Recent statements from the APL alluding to the inability to support the club themselves means the Canberra United may be left without a financial backer. The only hope for the team appears to be new owners coming from the current A-League licence negotiations.
The Canberra licence negotiations have been ongoing for a number of months leaving stakeholders concerned that a deal will not be reached in time for the next A-League season, but it is now apparent that a delay could also see the long standing women’s team come to an end.
Based off of the crowd enthusiasm last night for the Socceroos however, Canberra appears ripe for a place in the A-League and it is hoped the negotiations can be concluded soon.
The Beautiful Game 