Australia produced a commanding performance to beat Qatar 3-1 and ensure themselves a spot in the final phase of the Asian World Cup qualifiers on Saturday.
Level on seven points in Group 1 with Qatar and Iraq before the match, Australia scored twice through Blackburn Rovers star Brett Emerton before a 75th minute strike by Liverpool’s Harry Kewell earned them a well-deserved victory in windy conditions at the Al Sadd Stadium.
Ibrahim Khalfan scored a consolation goal for Qatar in the 90th minute, but that was the only bright spot for the hosts who were unlucky to miss several chances, especially in the first half.
Australia’s win puts them on top of their group with 10 points, leaving Iraq and Qatar, both on seven, to battle it out for the second spot when they clash in Dubai next Sunday.
“We played with great control, especially in the second half,” said Pim Verbeek, Australia’s Dutch coach.
Verbeek was full of praise for skipper Kewell.
“Harry played a great game, very disciplined throughout the match. It is good to have him in the team,” he said.
Australia survived a few anxious moments in the first few minutes of the game — a Wesam Rizq free-kick in the second minute testing goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer — but began stamping their authority on proceedings and putting the Qatar defense under pressure.
The Socceroos soon found the net when Mark Bresciano cut in from the left and found Emerton, who easily placed the ball into the net from the far post after Kewell had failed to connect in the center.
Qatar desperately looked for the equalizer, with Sebastien Soria Quintana coming close in the 40th minute after Schwarzer had left his position, but the striker’s shot went wide.
Moments later, Schwarzer was lucky to get to the ball a fraction faster than Quintana as Australia heaved a sigh of relief and went into halftime with their lead intact.
Australia raised their game a notch in the second half and consolidated their position when Kewell beautifully flicked the ball toward the onrushing Emerton, who found the left corner of the net with Qatar goalkeeper Mohammed Saqr standing no chance. Qatar’s defense was once again in tatters in the 75th minute when Brett Holman’s cross found the Aussie skipper who scored with ease.
A couple of minutes earlier, Schwarzer was booked for wasting time and will miss the Socceroos home match against China next weekend.
Bahrain 1, Oman 1
AFP, MANAMA
Bahrain and Japan booked their places in the final round of Asian qualifying for the 2010 World Cup on Saturday following the Gulf side’s bruising 1-1 draw with regional rivals Oman.
Fouzi Aaish scored an opportunistic goal in the 41st minute to put Bahrain ahead, before Oman equalized through Ismail Al Ajmi in the 72nd minute.
Bahrain remain at the top of Group 2 with 11 points, one ahead of Japan, who also qualified following their 3-0 victory over Thailand earlier in the day.
It was a bruising battle right from the start and also ill tempered under the typically stifling desert conditions. By the 15th minute both teams had made their intentions clear and also received a yellow card each (Ismael Latif for Bahrain and Ahmed Al Mukhaini for Oman).
Aaish’s opener came thanks to a left-foot volley driven toward goal from about 10m outside the penalty area, beating diving Oman goalkeeper Ali Abdullah.
Oman pressed hard for the equalizer in the second half and Bahrain alternated between some determined defending and sporadic attacking.
But the visitors looked sharper in attack and their perseverance paid off in the 72nd minute.
A nice move down the center shifted to the left as it approached the Bahrain goal. Saleh Mohammed and Al Ajmi converged into the striking area and had Bahrain goalkeeper Jaffer at their mercy.
But the former unselfishly passed the ball to Al Ajmi and the latter made no mistake.
The equalizer clearly unnerved Bahrain, while it energized the visitors to go for the kill. They came close to scoring twice, but on both occasions Jaffer made brave saves in one-on-one situations.
Bahrain coach Milan Macala warned his team that far greater challenges lie ahead.
“I congratulate the players and people of Bahrain. But it is not over as yet. It will only get tougher from now and it all depends on how we go on from here,” the 63-year-old Czech said.
Other Asian qualifying results:
• Uzbekistan 3, Lebanon 0
• S Korea 3, Turkmenistan 1
• Syria 0, Iran 2
• Kuwait 2, UAE 3
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