DOHA, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- Mitchell Duke's lone brilliant header helped Australia beat Tunisia 1-0 in FIFA 2022 World Cup Group D here on Saturday.
Returned to Al Janoub Stadium after the 4-1 defeat against defending champion France, the Socceroos intensified their attacks with three forwards at the very beginning of the match. In the 23rd minute, Duke scored the lone goal into the far corner with a close range header.
The goal, thanks to Craig Goodwin's deflected cross, also marked the 50th of the 2022 World Cup.
The tall striker dedicated the scoring to his son, six-year-old Jaxson, with a "J" hand gesture when running towards the crowd during the celebration.
Duke's two children stayed out in Doha to support their dad while he served for his country during the World Cup.
Duke told reporters after the match that he had a feeling to score in the game and wanted his baby to know about it.
"I told my son last night that I will score a goal and I will give him a special celebration. And the hand gesture is the first word of his name," he added.
After a goalless draw against Denmark earlier this week, Tunisia pinned its hope of qualifying for the knockout stage on the match. Mohamed Drager unleashed a shot from the box in the 41st minute but was blocked by opposing defender Thomas Deng.
Seven minutes later, Youssef Msakni's right-footed shot from the center of the box flew out a little bit to the right, missing their best chance in the first half.
Tunisia, in the second half, build up their confidence by switching their formation, and was close to an equalizer through attempts from Ferjani Sassi and captain Msakni in the 61st and 71st minutes.
Australia, who has lost 11 out of 17 games at the World Cup, managed to end their longest seven-game winless streak in the tournament, while the north Africans were at the stake of being eliminated at the group stage.
"I'm hugely proud of the boys. They showed Aussie fighting spirit. They were in their faces all the time and I'm sure they made the nation very proud," said Australia head coach Graham Arnold at the post-match press conference.
The Australian boss also asked his warriors to calm down as the team won its first World Cup match since 2010.
"It was one game anyway," he said. "We're here to go as far as we can. I don't want my players to be so emotional."
In his opinion, enjoying only a couple of minutes with fans was enough. "So that they can sleep well and recover well for the next game against Denmark," he added.
Jalel Kadri, the head coach of Tunisia, praised his opponents and eyed the last-round game during the same press conference.
"It was a very tough match between two very tough teams," he said.
"But I think today we should have played to win. We still have one match to play and we will play with our hearts out," he added.
In the last group match on Wednesday, Tunisia will play France at the Education City Stadium, while Australia stays at Al Janoub Stadium to meet Denmark. Enditem
