Australia visited hot Doha without Lucas Neill or Vince Grella and were looking to rebound from the debacle against Iraq in Dubai. Australia and Qatar may not be buying each other dinner after such a harsh match (Australia had five of the eight yellow-card warnings), but there is no doubt that the Qataris will have to respect the Aussies. Australia pushed its 1-0 halftime lead to 3-0 in the second half before Qatar pulled one back with two minutes to go to earn a more respectable 3-1 loss. Australia advance to Round Four, whereas Qatar are now in third place in Group A.Iraq and Qatar meet on June 22 for the final group match. If Iraq win or draw they advance to Round Four, but Qatar will advance if they win.
Oman faced a Bahrain team happy to have their star Mohammed Hussain back in the fold. Neither team was going down without a fight, and both contestants picked up three yellow cards, including one each in the first fifteen minutes. Oman were facing a must-win or they would miss the World Cup. The first goal was scored off of a massive volley from way outside of the penalty area and sent Oman into the half down 1-0 with their hopes for qualification slipping away. Oman had to fight back or go home for good, and they converted with just over a quarter of an hour left in the match. The visiting Omanis pressed frantically for the winner, but they ended up just short thanks to two one-on-one saves made by the Bahraini keeper Jaffer. Bahrain advance to Round Four along with Japan. Oman will have to watch the upcoming qualifiers on their television sets.
Iran visited Syria with the knowledge that a victory would send them through to the next phase. Syria were just a solitary point behind Iran and tied with United Arab Emirates, so this game was huge for both parties. Neither time had scored by halftime, but Iran struck at the midway point of the second half for a crucial lead. They held on defensively and bagged a second late in stoppage time for a 2-0 win. Iran advance to Round Four, whereas Syria are still holding onto life in third place.
United Arab Emirates visited Kuwait in Group E, otherwise known as the group of Arab supremacy. The two sides collected yellow cards like they were going out of fashion; each side had three. The Emiratis poured on the Kuwaiti goal in the first half and earned a 2-0 lead going into the break. Kuwait knew that a loss would end their hopes of returning to the World Cup for the first time in decades, and they came out with urgency. With ten minutes to go, the game was tied at two goals apiece. The Emiratis found an enormous score in stoppage time and stormed out of Kuwait with a 3-2 that almost secures their spot in the fourth round. The only way that Syria can advance is if they defeat the Emiratis by at least goals in the final match of Round Three. Otherwise, the Emiratis move on, so expect the Emiratis to play defensively in the upcoming encounter. Kuwait are officially done.
Goal scorers:
Australia: Emerton 17, 56; Kewell 74
Qatar: Al Khalfan 89
Bahrain: Aaish 41
Oman: Al Ajmi 74
Iran: Rezaei 64; Khalili 90+5
United Arab Emirates: Matar 23, 39; Saif Mohamed 90+1
Kuwait: Al Azemi 52, 79
1 comment:
with Euro2008 where many in Oman are glued to the public screens in Coffee shops or Hotels and the World Cup qualifying rounds we just need the Cup here to start and it will be a hat trick!!!
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