‘I’m no hero’: Andrew Redmayne enters history books as Socceroos reach World Cup

Substitute goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne was the reluctant hero as Australia stunned Peru to clinch a place at a fifth straight World Cup with a dramatic 5-4 penalty shootout victory in the intercontinental playoff in Qatar.

The Sydney FC keeper, brought off the bench by coach Graham Arnold moments before the end of extra-time following 120 goalless minutes at Al Rayyan Stadium, made a decisive dive, low down to his right, to deny Alex Valera with the 12th kick of the shootout.

The defining moment of the game marked the end of a long and winding route to the finals in Qatar for the Socceroos who, despite a wobble earlier in the campaign, managed to secure their place at the tournament later this year in the most dramatic of circumstances.

“I’m not going to take credit,” Redmayne told Channel 10 after full-time in Qatar. “The boys ran out 120 minutes, and it not only takes 11 on the field but the boys on the bench, the boys in the stands. The boys that missed out in their squad as well. It is a team effort, team game, so I can’t take any more credit than any of the others.”

Redmayne – whose distinctive style when facing penalties involves dancing along the goalline and waving his arms about, earning himself the nickname “the pink/grey Wiggle” – replaced captain Mat Ryan in a move that was specifically made to unsettle the Peruvian team.

“This idea was floated pre-selection, that this might happen in these kind of circumstances, and for the two or three weeks we have been here, I have had that in my mind,” Redmayne said. “I’ve been working on a few things in training, but at the end of the day, it is either right or left, the homework has been done and I’m just grateful to the other boys for running at 120 minutes.

“I’m no hero. I just played my role like everyone else did tonight. Not even the 11 on the pitch, it was much more than that, it is a team effort.”

Arnold confirmed the switch was pre-planned and made in an effort to upset Peruvian preparations for the shootout, but revealed none of the other Australian players – not even Ryan – knew about it.

“He [Ryan] didn’t know about it until his number went up,” Arnold said. “It was fantastic. He understands why we’re doing this together and why we’re the Socceroo family, we’re all a team, everyone has their role to play. Of course, I think he was a little bit surprised, but he took it very well, as a captain should.

“I planned it a few weeks ago. It’s more about the mental side of it, the mental aspect. They probably would have looked at Maty Ryan before and what he does in penalties. They would never have seen Andrew Redmayne before. At the same time, when I made the substitution to bring Andrew Redmayne on they probably asked themselves why.

“The one that they missed and the other one that hit the post, it probably made the penalty takers try to hit the ball even harder or even closer to the post knowing that he was taller than Maty. For that reason, that’s why I did it.”

Andrew Redmayne makes the winning save. Photograph: Matthew Ashton/AMA/Getty Images

The Socceroos got off to the worst possible start in the shootout when Martin Boyle saw his first kick saved by Pedro Gallese but Australia got back on level terms at 2-2 when Luis Advíncula struck a post. Aaron Mooy, Craig Goodwin, Ajdin Hrustic, Jamie Maclaren and Awer Mabil all scored to set the stage for the dramatic denouement.

“I’m just so proud of the players,” Arnold said. “No one knows what those boys have been through to get to here. It was so hard, the whole campaign, and the way they’ve stuck at it and committed themselves to it is incredible.

“They have been through so much, 20 World Cup qualifiers, 16 away from home, it has been tough but we did it.”

Arnold’s job had been the subject of speculation amid a disastrous run earlier this year that threatened to derail his team’s qualification campaign, but after overseeing the win over Peru, who are ranked 20 places above Australia by Fifa, the coach said “the doubters don’t bother me”.

Aziz Behich said “we love being backs against the wall” and alluded to an “Aussie spirit” that helped the team get over the line, while teammate Bailey Wright said the victory would inspire generations “for years to come”.

“Going to a World Cup is massive,” Wright said. “You can’t underestimate what we have just achieved today for ourselves and the whole country, because a lot was riding on it today.

“It means a lot for the generations to come through and to look up to is what it is all about, it really is a dream come true.”

Hrustic went closest for the Socceroos in regulation time with a curling effort that went just wide just before the full-time whistle, while Edison Flores nearly broke the deadlock for Peru with a header that struck Ryan’s upright in the 109th minute.

The full World Cup draw will be completed on Monday when Costa Rica and New Zealand meet for the final place still up for grabs.