Extra time goal
Australia looked to have held out for 90 minutes and a famous Asian Cup title — their first since switching to the Asian Football Confederation from the smaller less competitive Oceania Football Confederation — until Bayer Leverkusen striker Son Hueng-min equalized in the first minute of injury time, silencing the boisterous home crowd and sending the final to extra time.
But Australia stormed back and James Troisi shot home from close range after a defensive mix up to seal the victory.
“It’s a massive moment for Australian football,” former Everton and New York Red Bulls forward Tim Cahill told AFP after the game.
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Sheikh Salman later denied the comments, saying they had been “manipulated”.
“I’m really stunned with the timing to bring this topic out. It’s a false topic,” he told Australia’s Herald Sun newspaper.
“To read a story like this is really sad because there’s no truth in it. The success of this tournament has exceeded our expectations. I won’t let a story like this affect the success of the tournament we had in Australia.”
After Australia’s victory Sheikh Salman was quick to praise the team and the country’s hosting of the tournament, telling the AFC’s website that the “competition that has been remarkable in spirit and in passion, and we have Australia to thank for that.”
