‘It was to thank Australia’: Refugee Socceroo dedicates penalty to new home | Dominic Bossi
Before slotting what would be the eventual winning penalty against Peru, Socceroos winger Awer Mabil took a long pause before starting his run-up. He wasn’t just going through his process, thinking of where to aim for or playing a mind game with the goalkeeper Pedro Gallese.
Mabil was born in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. His family had fled the civil war in Sudan and the camp would be home for the first 10 years of his life. There, football would be his daily respite from the hardships. When his family’s refugee status was approved in 2006 and he moved to Adelaide, he dared to dream of turning his passion into a profession.
As the Socceroos were singing on the team bus, wildly celebrating the qualification few in the game expected them to achieve, Mabil admitted to holding back tears after the shootout as he reflected on his and his family’s journey to Australia.
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