Syria coach Ayman Hakeem said his team's unlikely bid for a maiden spot in the World Cup finals, which was brought to an end by Australia on Tuesday, had been a "miracle" given the odds stacked against them.

Hakeem's team, forced to play all their "home" qualifiers in Malaysia because of the security situation in Syria and without five key players in the match against the Socceroos, came within the width of a goalpost of keeping the run alive in Sydney.

Had Omar Al Somah's 120th minute free kick gone into the net rather than hitting the woodwork, it would have been Syria not Australia who would now be preparing to take on Honduras next month in another playoff for a berth in Russia.

"I'm very proud of our team and was proud of them from the beginning," Hakeem said after the 3-2 aggregate defeat in the Asian playoff.

"Our team has achieved a miracle. Honestly, no other team has had it so tough.

"We are suffering, we are playing outside our home turf so to lose 2-1 to Australia with extra time and with only 10 players that's nothing short of a miracle