From a refugee camp to the World Cup... Or Mabel thanks Australia

 

Mabel, born to South Sudanese parents in a refugee camp in Kenya, scored his sixth penalty shootout and then watched Andrew Redmayne save Alex Valera's sixth penalty for Peru to send Australia to the finals.

"I knew I was going to score. It was the only way to thank Australia, from me and my family," the 26-year-old told reporters from Qatar.

"My family fled Sudan because of the war, I was born in a hut. My hotel room here is bigger than the room we had as a family in the refugee camp. Australia took us and resettled us and gave me and my family a chance to live."

Mabel hopes his contribution will help create a new outlook for refugees in Australia.

"Now I think I could have an impact on Australian football. We are going to the World Cup. I scored (the penalty kick), many of my teammates scored, and we all played a role.

"Yeah, maybe that refugee kid played a big role. So on behalf of my family just to say thank you to the whole of Australia."