SOCCEROOS ESCAPE WITH DRAMATIC DRAW
Australia’s 2-2 draw with Bahrain in World Cup 2026 qualifying can only be described as a thrilling rollercoaster of emotions. From a strong position to a complete collapse, and back to a miraculous escape, the Socceroos now find themselves in second place in Group C, with their World Cup hopes very much alive.
The match started in perfect fashion for Australia. Kusini Yengi’s goal just 38 seconds in, capitalizing on a poor backpass by Bahrain’s Sayed Baqer, gave the Socceroos an early lead. While they weren’t fully dominant throughout, they appeared to be in control as the game progressed, with their defense holding firm against Bahrain’s sporadic attacks. Mat Ryan, who returned to the lineup as one of six changes from the previous match against Saudi Arabia, was largely untested as Australia looked to build on their advantage.
However, everything changed in the 75th minute. A deflected ball fell into the path of Bahrain substitute Mahdi Abduljabbar, who, from 45 yards out, spotted Mat Ryan off his line and expertly lobbed the ball over him and into the net to level the score at 1-1. Just moments later, disaster struck again for Australia. A cross from Bahrain’s Mahdi Al-Humaidan was misjudged by debutant Hayden Mathews, sending the ball past Ryan and onto the post. Abduljabbar was on hand to tap it into the open net, giving Bahrain a 2-1 lead and sending Australia’s qualification hopes into a tailspin.
In an instant, Bahrain had surged into second place in Group C, while Australia dropped to third, suddenly facing a dangerous situation. The Socceroos had lost their grip on the game, and Bahrain seemed poised to take control of their World Cup destiny. Despite this, Australia continued to press for an equalizer, their urgency growing with each passing minute.
The drama reached its peak in the 96th minute. Brandon Borello’s header from an Aiden O’Neill cross deflected to the six-yard box, where Yengi reacted quickest to poke it over the line and rescue a point for Australia. Yengi could have had more on the night, but his second goal salvaged a valuable draw for the Socceroos, who now remain in contention for automatic qualification.
The 2-2 result leaves Australia in second place in Group C, now holding seven points, just one clear of a four-way tie behind them. With the group still wide open and matches still to play, the Socceroos’ World Cup dream remains alive, though their qualification path has certainly been anything but straightforward.
