Sunderland defender Bailey Wright dedicated Australia's Denmark victory and World Cup progression to his late mother-in-law, who died just hours after the game.

Wright told reporters in Qatar he had grave fears for his mother-in-law's health after receiving a message from his wife in England after the game on Wednesday.

Football Australia confirmed on Thursday morning that Wright's mother-in-law had passed away and the defender would not appear for media, Reuters report.

Wright had paid an emotional tribute after the game.

He told reporters: “I’ve just come in from a message from my wife. I just want to dedicate this to my wife, bless her, and her mum.

“It was, for them, a really tough time back home, but ultimately it made this possible for me to be here and live one of my dreams so I dedicate that to Tammy."

Despite his worries back home, Wright had kept it to himself and not shared his concerns with his teammates ahead of the Denmark game.

He said: "No one knows. That’s something I’ve kept to myself; we’ve all got a lot going on. Job to do, isn’t it? You’ve got to be professional all the time."

The Sunderland defender came off the bench in the second half and helped Australia see out the 1-0 victory that ensured they advanced into the knockout phase for only the second time in history.

Wright said: "When we set out on this journey four years ago, Arnie (Graham Arnold, head coach) said to us what he wanted us to be about — our mateship and togetherness is what’s going to make us create history.

"It’s 11 brothers out there, whoever comes on, and it’s pretty special to be part of that.

"When you’re part of something like that, it’s difficult to really actually put it into words, what it feels like. It’s a real feeling.

"A few of us have said now that that feeling kind of won the game today."

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