'Thank you, Australia!' Sudanese refugee dedicates penalty to his new home

Australia defeated Peru in an intense penalty shoot-out to reach the Qatar World Cup.

Awer Mabil has opened up on his experience as a refugee after scoring a World Cup-qualifying penalty for Australia.

The 26-year-old scored the Socceroos’ sixth spot-kick before Andrew Redmayne saved Peru’s final penalty. The victory sent Australia to the 2022 World Cup, completing Mabil’s impressive journey from a refugee camp to Kenya to football’s biggest stage.

“I knew I was going to score. It was the only way to say thank you to Australia on behalf of my family,” the winger said.

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“I was born in a hut, a little hut. My hotel room here is definitely bigger than the hut, the room we had as a family in that refugee camp.

“For Australia to take us in and resettle us, it gave me and my siblings and my whole family a chance at life.

“That’s what I mean by thanking Australia for that chance of life, that chance of opportunity they allowed my family.

“I scored, a lot of my team-mates scored. Everybody played a part and maybe that refugee kid played a big part.”

Mabil was born in a refugee camp in Kenya after his parents left the conflicts in Sudan. Following a successful campaign at Adelaide United, the winger moved to FC Midtjylland. The Danish side has loaned Mabil out to the Turkish side Kasimpasa, where he currently plays.