Andrew Redmayne says water bottle incident was case of “kill or be killed”

• Redmayne’s dance video goes viral on the internet.
• He was named a hero for saving a penalty.
• Movistar Deportes tags his video as a ‘dirty’ move.

Australian goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne stated it was “kill or be killed” after a video of him chucking a bottle at his Peruvian counterpart after the penalty shootout victory that sent the Socceroos to the World Cup was released.

Redmayne, 33, became an Internet sensation after dancing near the goal line in a bid to distract Peru’s players as they prepared to take penalty kicks.

Read more: FIFA World Cup to be most expensive tournament in history

He was hailed as a national hero in Australia for saving Alex Valera’s penalty attempt, which handed the Socceroos a 5-4 triumph on penalties and a berth in their fifth consecutive World Cup.

Later, footage surfaced showing the bearded Redmayne, who had only entered the match in the dying minutes of extra time as a ploy for the shootout, scooping up the water bottle of Peru goalie Pedro Gallese between penalty kicks.

Redmayne is seen tossing the bottle, believed to contain a cheat sheet indicating where the Australians might aim their penalty kicks, behind the goal.

“Yeah, that happened, we spoke about it,” Redmayne told reporters after Australia landed home in Sydney on Wednesday night.

“If we had notes on our drink bottle and if someone saw that, it would have been thrown a long way away.

“I know how much it means to the boys so it was kind of like a kill or be killed moment, so I took my moment.”

Notes placed on a player’s water bottle indicating where he or she is likely to place a penalty kick have been a common strategy for goalkeepers in penalty shootouts.

Read more: FIFA World Cup Trophy to arrive in Pakistan on June 7

Peruvian station Movistar Deportes tweeted footage of what it termed Redmayne’s “dirty” move in response to the actor’s game-playing.