North Korea inched closer to their first World Cup finals since 1966 with a gritty 0-0 draw against Iran yesterday.
But it was not the result newly appointed Iran coach Afshin Qotbi was looking for, with their World Cup fate now hanging in the balance.
The draw edged North Korea level with South Korea on 11 points in Group B, but they have played two games more. The South were to take on United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Dubai later yesterday.
Saudi Arabia, who did not play yesterday, have 10 points, with Iran languishing on seven points and facing a home game against UAE on Wednesday and then a tough trip to Seoul on June 17 — matches they must win.
Despite the draw North Korea, at the center of international criticism after its second nuclear test, appeared disappointed after the game in front of a full house in Pyongyang, with players slumping to the ground in frustration.
But ultimately it moved them closer to ending their long wait for another crack at the World Cup.
It was a game of few chances with a scrappy first half largely forgettable
The Iranians controlled the tempo early on, with an effort from Vahid Hashemian just before the break the highlight.
The match livened up in the second period with the Koreans coming out firing, creating two clear opportunities in the first five minutes, but Hong Yong-jo and Pak Nam-chol were both denied by goalkeeper Seyed Rahmati.
The Koreans were the more composed as they pressed forward against a ragged Iran, who badly missed the creative inspiration of suspended midfielder Javad Nekounam.
Iran’s best chance came when Ali Karimi played a return pass to Mehdi Mahdavikia, who took the ball to the right byline before squaring for Hashemian, whose volley flashed just wide of the target.
Asia has four automatic qualifying berths in the World Cup, with the third-placed teams in Group A and Group B playing off against each other for the right to take on New Zealand for a place in the finals.
American rugby sevens star Ilona Maher is to join 15-a-side club Bristol next month in a bid to play in next year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup, the English club announced on Monday. Maher, 28, helped the US to a bronze medal at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris and is the seven-a-side sport’s most popular player on social media. “This is a huge coup to be able to bring Ilona Maher to Bristol Bears on a short-term deal,” Bristol head coach Dave Ward said. “She is one of the biggest names in women’s sport, let alone rugby, and we believe she will
Major League Baseball (MLB) star Shohei Ohtani wants his former interpreter to hand over hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of baseball cards he says were fraudulently bought using his money. The Los Angeles Dodgers star is also requesting Ippei Mizuhara, who previously pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud for stealing nearly US$17 million from the unsuspecting athlete, return signed collectible baseball cards depicting Ohtani that were in Mizuhara’s “unauthorized and wrongful possession,” court documents filed on Tuesday said. The legal filing alleges Mizuhara accessed Ohtani’s bank account beginning in about November 2021, changing his security protocols so that he
US skier Mikaela Shiffrin said she sustained an abrasion on her left hip and that something “stabbed” her when she crashed during her second run of an Audi FIS Ski World Cup giant slalom race on Saturday, doing a flip and sliding into the protective fencing. Shiffrin stayed down on the edge of the course for quite some time as the ski patrol attended to her. She was taken off the hill on a sled and waved to the cheering crowd before going to a clinic for evaluation. “Not really too much cause for concern at this point, I just
CLASH OF MANAGERS: Brighton’s Fabian Hurzeler and Russell Martin of Southampton accused each other of disrespect, while both were booked Southampton on Friday were denied a priceless victory by a controversial decision as they drew with hosts Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 in the Premier League. Kaoru Mitoma spectacularly headed Brighton into a first-half lead and Flynn Downes hammered home an equalizer an hour in. Minutes later teammate Cameron Archer converted a cross from Saints substitute Ryan Fraser. A video assistant referee check of more than four minutes eventually decided that Archer was onside, but then penalized Adam Armstrong, who was offside, but did not touch the ball, for interfering with goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. “I find it hard to accept,” Southampton manager Russell Martin
RSS