Socceroos heroes Mile Jedinak and Robbie Kruse could not hide their delight after Australia booked a spot at the 2018 FIFA World Cup on Wednesday.

Jedinak scored a second half hat-trick as Ange Postecoglou’s side beat Honduras 3-1 in front of more than 77,000 fans at Stadium Australia.

The Socceroos captain opened the scoring with a deflected free-kick before showing nerves of steel to convert a pair of penalties, the second of which was won by substitute Kruse.

Australia will now feature at their fourth successive World Cup, with the result coming on a night under-pressure coach Ange Postecoglou said a decision on his future – and if he would stay in charge – “won’t take long”.

Asked by The New Daily if the stunning treble was his career highlight, the 33-year-old Jedinak said: “It’s probably right up there … yeah.

“I think, with all things considered, definitely [it is].

“I’m a bit lost for words to be honest on how I’m feeling at the moment.

“I’m immensely proud of everybody and what we’ve done tonight.”

Australia’s win came as they edged Syria – 3-2 on aggregate after extra time – in a two-legged play-off and then drew 0-0 in Honduras on Saturday.

The Socceroos’ route to the World Cup – through the play-offs after failing to earn direct qualification – made things more difficult but Jedinak said it made the win even sweeter.

“We finally did it – one of the last teams to do it,” he said.

“But we did it our way. [I am] very, very proud of what we’ve done and how we’ve got there.”

Jedinak added that scoring penalties was “something that I take pride in trying to do and keeping calm when trying to do it”.

Kruse told The New Daily the scenes in Australia’s dressing rooms after the match were “unbelievable”.

“To be able to do it, the way we’ve done it, we’ve been criticised a lot … but the way we performed, the way we played – I think that’s the football we wanted to play. We did it our way,” he said.

Kruse hailed Jedinak’s impact on the contest and said he was an “inspirational” leader.

“He has a massive presence,” he added.

“He is a strong character, leads by example and the boys look up to him.

“To get back from the [groin] injuries he has had, and to come and lead us to another World Cup … we’re all behind him and he’s our leader. I’m sure that will be the case in Russia.”

Kruse has now been part of three successful World Cup campaigns – but is yet to feature on football’s biggest stage.

And he tried to keep his emotions in check when asked what it meant to have the chance to play at the event again.

“I’ve qualified for the last two and I wasn’t able to go to both – injuries prevented that,” he said.

“It’s been a rollercoaster ride, a lot of downs, a lot of injuries and thankfully the last year, year and a half, I’ve been fit. So it [tonight] has been very special for me.

“Tonight, just to be able to get to a World Cup … I’m not there yet. There’s a long way to go.

“But if I can get there, it’d be a special moment for me and my family.”