The Subway Socceroos are on the verge of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup as Aziz Behich made himself a national hero in an unforgettable week for the Isuzu UTE A-League skipper.
Behich produced a moment of brilliance in the 90th minute to lift the Socceroos past AFC rivals Japan 1-0 in Thursday night’s sold-out World Cup qualifier in Perth.
The stunning last-gasp strike that sparked wild celebrations at Optus Stadium was Behich’s first international goal in 13 years as Australia defeated Japan for the first time since 2009.
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Australia are now all but assured a berth at next year’s World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada with the second automatic qualifying spot in Group C, barring a heavy loss to Saudi Arabia in Jeddah on Wednesday (AEST).
Behich’s heroics just came five days after leading City to the Isuzu UTE A-League Championship in an historic Melbourne Derby Grand Final on Saturday night – the 34-year-old’s maiden Championship.
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“In a football sense, definitely it’s the best week,” Behich, who was in the starting line-up alongside Western Sydney Wanderers star Brandon Borrello and Melbourne Victory’s Ryan Teague, said afterwards.
“I’m going to enjoy this one.”
Behich added: “It hasn’t quite sunk in yet. When that final whistle went, it was a great feeling.
“It was a tough game. We knew we had to grind it out. The boss said at half-time, no matter how hard it gets we will get our opportunity if we stick to it.
“Fortunately it fell for me. My right foot has been kind to me the last five days with the backheel for the goal in the A-League and now it managed to hit the back of the net again.”
In the post-match press conference, Behich continued: “It’s obviously been a great week.
“I enjoyed winning the A-League Championship but had to switch my focus to here real quick because I flew out the next day.
“This is a big opportunity to represent Australia again, with what’s on the line as well.”
Socceroos boss Tony Popovic – who also introduced Victory star Daniel Arzani off the bench – revelled in the performance that moved Australia closer to a sixth consecutive World Cup appearance.
“Emotions were obviously very high,” the ex-Victory, Wanderers and Perth Glory head coach told reporters.
“For many reasons, we know what we’re aiming to do – to get direct qualification. You’re playing the best team in Asia at the moment.
“When you win it so late, you can’t script it better than that although it’s a nervous 90 minutes before it gets to that point.
“Just a wonderful goal. Very happy for everyone involved with the Socceroos. It’s been a really intense period since I’ve come in but everyone’s embraced what we’re aiming to do. We’re very close now to achieving our goal.”
On Behich’s match-winning moment, Popovic added: “As soon as he hit, I had a great vantage point.
“I could see the ball going in as soon as it hit his foot.”
