Mat Leckie strike stuns Denmark and sends Australia into World Cup last 16

Goal in 60th minute proves decisive as Socceroos qualify for knockout phase for first time since 2006

Sometimes football is not beautiful. Sometimes doing just enough, for just long enough, can lay the foundation, open the door. So it was at Al Janoub Stadium, where a counterattack ended Australia’s agony and Denmark’s World Cup campaign. It took 60 minutes for Mat Leckie to score, an endless hour of mostly last-ditch defending and some positive moments, and a goal from Tunisia against France that meant the Socceroos would have to win or be out themselves.