UAE v Australia player ratings: Abdallah 9, Canedo 7; Hrustic 8, Irvine 7

Socceroos advance to final World Cup play-off against Peru after 2-1 win on Tuesday night

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  UAE RATINGS: Khalid Eisa – 6. No chance with Irvine’s close-range finish, but made a fine stop to deny Maclaren later on, low to his left. Similarly, could not be faulted for Hrustic’s deflected knockout blow. AFP

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  Walid Abbas – 7. The UAE captain had minimal traffic coming his way because Australia spent much of the game trying to find a solution to the attacking threat of Harib Abdallah in front of him. Getty

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  Khalifa Al Hammadi – 6. Followed a stretching early clearance with a foul on the edge of the box in a nervy start, but put his body on the line to try to keep the Aussies out. AFP

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  Mohammed Al Attas – 7. Made one vital intervention when Maclaren, the substitute, was poised to score. Chris Whiteoak / The National

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  Khalid Al Dhanhani – 7. Did well twice in the same play to limit the damage of a loose pass by Mabkhout in the first half. Tenacious throughout. EPA

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  Ali Salmeen – 5. Lucky to escape a booking after a late clip on Mooy. Allowed Boyle to wriggle away from him to create the opening goal. Could not block Hrustic’s blazing shot for the winner. AP

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  Abdullah Hamad – 7. A bundle of energy throughout despite the sapping conditions. Photo: UAE FA

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  Abdullah Ramadan – 6. Botched a good attacking chance when he blazed a free-kick from the right flank nowhere near his attackers. Needed to get on the ball more and look to find Abdallah. AP

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  Harib Abdallah – 9. Sensational performance. UAE’s hero in their last game against South Korea was played wide left this time, and his pace made him the game’s most potent threat. Brilliant assist for Canedo’s goal. EPA

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  Caio Canedo – 7. So clearly motivated, and dragged his side back into the game almost immediately after Jackson Irvine opened the scoring. Getty

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  Ali Mabkhout – 4. Way off the pace. Isolated. Lax in possession. Booked for a clumsy foul. So disappointing from UAE’s greatest scorer on his return to the side. Getty

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  SUBS: Ali Saleh (Mabkhout 75’) – NA. Immediately made his presence felt with a tenuous-looking foul on Behic; Yahya Nader (Ramadan 75’) – NA. Had few chances to impress after coming on in the second phase. AFP

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  Omar Abdulrahman (Hamad 88’) – NA. Found the ball in space three times despite only having a tiny amount of time to make a difference, but each time his passes were painfully errant; Sebastian Tagliabue (Candeo 88’) – NA. Won a flick on as UAE chased the game in the dying moments, but that was the extent of it; Majed Hassan (Salmeen 88’) – NA. Looked fresher than anyone, but had minimal chance to make an impression as part of the late treble substitution. AFP

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  AUSTRALIA RATINGS: Mathew Ryan – 7. Australia’s captain twice made close-range blocks from Abdallah, then made another from the same player low down at the start of the second half. AFP

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  Nathaniel Atkinson – 5. The right back was defenceless against the speed of Harib Abdallah. EPA

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  Kye Rowles – 6. The Hearts defender had arguably the best attacking chance of the first half, but the ball slipped off his forehead and away as he aimed a header at goal. EPA

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  Bailey Wright – 7. The Sunderland centre back was ever willing to put his head where it could potentially hurt. Getty

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  Aziz Behich – 7. Given the temperature, his willingness to race up and down the left touchline was highly commendable. AFP

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  Aaron Mooy – 6. Deployed in a deep-lying midfield playmaker role. Too often contented himself with unambitious, lateral passes. EPA

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  Ajdin Hrustic – 8. The Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder posed a threat with his crisp left-footed crossing, and went close with a curled shot from range. Booked for unnecessary roughness. Then decided it with a blockbusting volley. Getty

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  Jackson Irvine – 7. One of the players who broke UAE’s hearts in Sydney four years ago, looked to have done the same here when he opened the scoring from close range. Lost Canedo for the equaliser moments later. Getty

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  Martin Boyle – 8. Prominent in the early throes down the right flank, notably with a slaloming dribble, and played the vital role in setting up Irvine for the opener. AP

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  Craig Goodwin – 5. Wasted a fine attacking opportunity in the first half when he badly over-hit his left-footed cross. His miss with a half volley in the second half was worse. Getty

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  Mathew Leckie – 6. Needed to pick a more meaningful pass on one of the few chances he had to make difference. Huffed and puffed the rest of the time. AFP

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  SUBS: Jamie Maclaren (Goodwin 72’) – NA. Introduced with just under 20 minutes to go, and twice found himself dangerously placed, only to be denied by Al Attas then Eisa. Getty

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  Milos Degenek (90'+1 Hrustic) – NA. A late introduction to chew up time and close up space with Australia holding the lead. AFP

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  Awer Mabil (Leckie 90'+1) – NA. Given just moments at the end as Graham Arnold looked to shut up shop. Getty

The UAE's hopes of reaching the 2022 World Cup were dashed on Tuesday night after a 2-1 defeat to Australia in Asia's final eliminator.

Ajdin Hrustic's deflected volley with six minutes remaining at Al Rayyan's Ahmad bin Ali Stadium proved the match-winner and kept alive Australia's hopes of qualifying for a fifth consecutive World Cup finals.

Jackson Irvine had put Graham Arnold's side in front with a close-range strike in the 53rd minute but Caio Canedo levelled four minutes later with an emphatic finish into the roof of Mathew Ryan's net.

Australia increased the pressure throughout the second half and it eventually paid off when Hrustic volleyed Aaron Mooy's corner towards goal and the deflection proved decisive.

The Socceroos will meet Peru in the same venue next Monday in the first of two intercontinental playoffs to determine the remaining spots at the finals, with New Zealand playing Costa Rica in the final eliminator 24 hours later.

Assessing the performances from the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Paul Radley has provided his player ratings in the photo gallery above. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or if using a mobile device simply swipe.