Syria's dreams of a World Cup debut were dashed by Tim Cahill's aerial prowess as Australia's record goalscorer converted an extra-time header - his second of the match - to put his side into a play-off.

The Melbourne City midfielder's 50th international goal came in the 109th minute to finally break the resilience of their opponents, who were reduced to 10 men in the first additional period, the Telegraph reported on Tuesday.

Syria's fairy tale looked like continuing when Omar Al Soma struck in only the sixth minute to give the war-torn nation a 2-1 aggregate lead at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney.