Australia 3 Honduras 1: Mile Jedinak the hat-trick hero fires the Socceroos to World Cup

Rocket to Russia | Australia players celebrate Jedinak's opener
Getty Images
James Benge15 November 2017

Australia became the 31st side to secure their place at the 2018 World Cup with a 3-1 win over Honduras in Sydney.

A Mile Jedinak hat-trick, first a deflected free-kick and then two penalties, secured Australia a fourth consecutive place at the finals.

A first half of minimal quality saw Tommy Rogic come closest but he miscued a shot after fine work from Tim Cahill and Aziz Behich down the flank.

However Honduras’ tendency to go down under relatively slight contact made them unpopular with the Sydney crowd, who greeted the half-time whistle with a smattering of boos.

A driving run from Rogic early in the second half earned the Socceroos a free-kick on the edge of the box moments after the interval. Former Crystal Palace midfielder Jedinak blasted a powerful effort that flashed off Henry Figueroa and past Donis Escober in the Honduran goal. It may be that the 33-year-old's first ultimately goes down as an own goal, but it would be a harsh call against the Australian anchorman.

Honduras struggled to rouse themselves to find an equaliser and all but handed qualification to the Australia when Bryan Acosta handled in the box. Escober was only able to get a hand on Jedinak’s spot-kick.

Jedinak, who hasn't scored a goal in club football since November 2014, secured a remarkable hat-trick from the spot after Jonny Palacios had brought down Robbie Kruse in the area, though Maynor Figueroa earned a scrappy consolation for the visitors.

New Zealand and Peru will compete for the final spot in Russia next summer when their intercontinental playoff kicks off in the early hours of tomorrow morning. The first leg of their tie ended 0-0 in Wellington.

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