Australia

Late Penalty Drama Gives Syria Hope Heading Back To Australia In World Cup Playoff

Syria salvaged an improbable 1-1 draw with Australia in the first leg of their qualifying playoff to keep their World Cup dream alive, but the Socceroos are still in control of this tie having scored a vital away goal ahead of the return leg in Sydney on Tuesday, October 10.

Saudi Arabia Qualifies For The World Cup, Edging Australia On Goal Differential

For the first time since 2006, Saudi Arabia will be in the World Cup. The Green Falcons, having missed out on the last two tournaments, will return to the world stage after a 1-0 win over already qualified Japan on Tuesday. 

Japan Becomes The Fourth Nation To Qualify For The World Cup

Japan joined hosts Russia, Brazil and fellow AFC side Iran as the only countries to have booked their places at next summer’s World Cup finals after defeating Australia 2-0 in front of over 60,000 delirious supporters. This will be Japan’s sixth straight World Cup finals appearance.

Takuma Asano gave the Samurai Blue the lead in the 41st minute, and 21-year-old midfielder Yosuke Ideguchi secured the victory with this stunning goal in the 82nd. With only one matchday remaining in AFC qualifying, Australia’s road to Russia just got a lot more complicated.

Adelaide's Taylor Regan Turned Into An Ice Hockey Player And Brought The Thunder Down Under

A match in Australia briefly turned into ice hockey early this morning when Adelaide United's Taylor Regan checked Melbourne Victory's Mitchell Austin nearly out of his boots. I thought Australia was a desert. How did they find out about ice hockey?

Sam Kerr And Lieke Martens Favorites For Player Of The Year, Carli Lloyd Receives Odd Nomination

For many, there can only be one winner in the race for the FIFA women’s player of the year award in 2017, and that’s Australia’s Sam Kerr. The 23-year-old attacker led Perth Glory to the final of Australia’s W-League while finishing second in goals, she finished top scorer at the Tournament of Nations as Australia defeated hosts United States and she’s scored 11 goals for Sky Blue FC in NWSL play.

Mertesacker Scores On Oversized Overhead Kick In Way Only A 6-6 German Can

Per Mertesacker is a giant of a soccer player. Giants aren’t known for their agility.

That didn’t stop the 6-6 German from scoring his version of an overhead kick in Arsenal’s first preseason friendly of the new season on Thursday in Sydney, Australia.

The BFG’s goal overshadowed record-signing Alexandre Lacazette’s Arsenal debut. The French striker scored, but who needs a $60 million striker when you can throw Mertesacker in at forward?

Cameroon And Australia Played A Mostly-Forgettable, Wildly-Entertaining 1-1 Draw

Australia vs. Cameroon did not matter in any larger sense. Both teams are almost certainly eliminated from the Confederations Cup. God, it was fun though. Both teams played on the front foot, and both teams, while not being good enough to affect the international soccer paradigm very much, are good enough to do one or two cool moves before taking a heavy touch and colliding with a defensive midfielder.

The game was like the show 24: entertaining, violent, fast-paced and utterly meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Look, here's a goal:

The Best (And Worst) Soccer Fans

With the Russia World Cup less than a year away, we here at The18 asked ourselves who are the best (and worst) fans in the world.

We’ve compiled a list below of superlatives to break down what makes each country’s fans unique, for better or worse.

Note: We limited results to nations that are or have been regular World Cup qualifiers. Scroll to the bottom for the best and worst fans.

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