Ghana 7 - Lesotho 0

Ghana hosted Lesotho in their Group G opener in Kumasi.  Ghana put the fans at ease one quarter hour into the match when skipper Sulley Muntari scored the opener.  This was followed by two more goals before the break, and Ghana led 3-0 at the half in a match in which they could do no wrong.

After another quick start for the Black Stars, who scored again five minutes into the second half, the floodlights went out in the stadium, halting play for nearly one hour.  This was the lone dark spot on the day for the Black Stars, who proceeded to add three more goals in the last five minutes of the match plus stoppage time.  Tsoanelo Koetle was ejected for Lesotho in the final minute of the match to add to the bad performance by Lesotho.  Ghana win 7-0 to grab the early lead in Group G, but tougher tests lie ahead in 2012 African Cup of Nations quarterfinalist Sudan and champion Zambia.

Goals
Ghana
Sulley Muntari 15
Dominic Adiyiah 24, 50
Jordan Ayew 45, 88
Christian Atsu 85
Jeremiah Akaminko 90+2

Match Reports:
\http://sports.peacefmonline.com/soccer/201206/117082.php
http://washingtonexaminer.com/sports/2012/06/ghana-lesotho-suspended-floodlights-fail/679751
http://sports.myjoyonline.com/pages/news/201206/87662.php

Egypt 2 - Mozambique 0

Egypt hosted Mozambique before an empty stadium in Alexandria.  Nevertheless, the focus of millions was intensely gazing upon the performance of the home Pharaohs and their American coach Bob Bradley, who brought Egypt in on a twelve-match unbeaten run.  The first half was controlled by Egypt, but neither team was able to breach the other's goalmouth, and the scoreline was 0-0 at the break.

Not quite ten minutes into the second period, a ball crossed to the far post was headed back across the face of goal by Ahmed Hegazy, where his fellow centerback Mahmoud Fathalla was able to slide and kick the ball into the vacant net for a 1-0 lead for Egypt.  Within another ten minutes, Egypt had stretched the lead to two on a great shot attempt from just outside the box by Mohamed Zidan, whose shot hit the crossbar but bounced off Mozambique goalkeeper Kapango's back and into the goal.  Egypt were able to hold out for a 2-0 victory and the early lead in Group D.

Goals
Egypt
Mahmoud Fathalla 54
Kapango (OG) 63

Match Reports:
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1642780/index.html
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/soccer/wires/06/01/2080.ap.soc.egypt.mozambique.1st.ld.writethru.0351/index.html

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMXr7zk2iaE&feature=related

New Caledonia 5 - Vanuatu 2; Tahiti 10 - Samoa 1

In the opening match of the OFC Second Round in Honiara, Tahiti gave a rude awakening to Samoa as to the increase in level of play from the first round.  The Tehau trio made it a family affair for Tahiti in the early going, with Lorenzo, Johnathan, and Alvin all scoring a goal in the first twenty minutes to put Tahiti up 3-0.  Alvin scored the fourth Tehau goal to make the halftime score 4-0.

Alvin gave way to a fourth Tehau, Teaonui, at the half, and Teaonui scored the fifth Tehau goal early in the second half.  Tahiti added a sixth before Samoa pulled one back o make the score 6-1.  In the final twelve minutes, the Tehau contingent scored four more times, bringing the family's tally to nine for the match, including four goals for Lorenzo, who scored the final three goals of the match in a frantic three-minute span.  Tahiti find themselves at the top of Group A after their 10-1 victory, but two tougher tests lie ahead in New Caledonia and Vanuatu.

Group favorites New Caledonia opened their 2014 FIFA World Cup against a youthful Vanuatu side in the steamy Honiara.  The first thirty minutes of the match were completely dominated by New Caledonia.  Olivier Dokunengo's great midfield play opened the left side of the pitch for Georges Gope-Fenepej (pictured, gray), who was a thorn in Vanuatu's side all match.  He headed a ball over the defense and into the path of Bertrand Kai, who coolly finished for a 1-0 lead.  Gope-Fenepej smoked a left-footed shot off the crossbar that hit the goal line and bounced out.  Vanuatu found their footing in the match in the final fifteen minutes of the half, drawing a sprawling save from goalkeeper Rocky Nyikeine.  On the very next play, Nyikeine was caught in no man's land, but Dominique Wacalie was there to head clear a great offensive header by Vanuatu's Joseph Namariau to preserve the 1-0 lead going into the half.

The second half was a goalfest.  Vanuatu maintained their momentum and scored after a through ball from Namariau found Robert Tasso, who finished on the run at the near post.  Kai expertly flicked a header over an onrushing Enest Bong to restore New Caledonia's lead against the run of play, 2-1.  But three minutes later, Vanuatu on the corner kick found an unmarked Brian Kaltack, who nodded a header into the crossbar, but Jean Napropol put the rebound home for a 2-2 equalizer.  Again against the run of play, Kai saved a ball at the end line and put in a great cross to Gope-Fenepej, who had cut across Kaltack to find open space.  Gope-Fenepej finished deftly for 3-2.  Kai assured himself man-of-the-match status with an absolute wonder-strike to give New Caledonia a 4-2 and himself a hat trick.  After a late own-goal, New Caledonia won the match 5-2.

Group A play resumes in two days' time on 3 June 2012.

Goals

Tahiti

Lorenzo Tehau 8, 83, 84, 85.

Johnathan Tehau 17, 78

Alvin Tehau 19, 38

Teaonui Tehau 54

Steevy Chong Hue 60

Samoa

Silao Malo 70

New Caledonia

Bertrand Kai 32, 58, 76

Georges Gope-Fenepej 66

Roy Kayara 87

Vanuatu

Robert Tasso 52

Jean Napropol 61

Match Reports:

http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/cebf1dc7-8145-4dda-afcf-25c0bf76708e/language/en-US/Default.aspx

http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/525afe82-f1fb-45c2-82b0-531f1466dfdf/language/en-US/Default.aspx

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAh97mK-0xo (Tahiti v. Samoa)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKNFE4f97wY&feature=g-all-s (New Caledonia v. Vanuatu)

Preview: OFC Second Round

Earlier this year, the 2012 OFC Nations Cup was taken away from Fiji due to an ongoing legal dispute between the OFC General Secretary and Fijian authorities and awarded to the Solomon Islands. The group stage of the OFC Nations Cup is doubling as the OFC Second Round, so homefield in the match between Fiji and Solomon Islands has shifted to the Bonitos, who will be playing every match before a packed house in the Lawson Tama Stadium in the country's capital, Honiara.  The 2012 OFC Nations Cup is the biggest sporting event ever staged in the Solomon Islands, and the Bonitos are under pressure to perform.

The pressure is greater in Oceania in June 2012 than in any other confederation with regards to 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying.  The only four eliminations this month will take place in Oceania as the Oceania field is cut from eight to four over a period of six days from 1 June to 6 June.

Group A
At the 2011 Pacific Games held in New Caledonia, the hosts defeated Vanuatu 5-0 on the opening day, and the two teams meet again in Group A play.  Georges Gope-Menefej (AS Magenta) netted a hat trick on that day in August 2011, and he is featured on the roster for the 2012 OFC Nations Cup.  New Caledonia will not be as confident when they face Tahiti, however.  In a semifinal on home soil, New Caledonia needed a last minute equalizer to send the match into extra time, where New Caledonia defeated Tahiti 3-1.  There will be no such home field advantage this time around, so New Caledonia will be wary.  Gope-Menefej scored twice in that match as well.  New Caledonia went on to win the final of the 2011 Pacific Games paced by the scoring exploits of ten-goal scorer Bertrand Kai (Hienghene Sport), so they are resounding favorites to advance as one of the top two finishers from Group A.  Samoa provided great thrills during their first-place finish in the OFC First Round, but expectations are low for round two.  Kiwi FC of their domestic league will provide Samoa with midfielder Silao Malo and forward Luki Gosche, but Samoa are likely to finish fourth in the group.

The crucial matchup will be between Tahiti and Vanuatu for the second spot in Group A.  Vanuatu are going with a youth movement, which they hope will pay dividends quickly.  The stars are keeping it inside the family for Vanuatu.  Midfielder Michel Kaltak plays for regional powerhouse Hekari United (Papua New Guinea), and young cousins defender Brian Kaltak and forward Jean Kaltak both play for Teouma Academy in the domestic league.  Jean already has nine goals for the national team at age 17.  Tahiti by contrast is overflowing with experience, especially after the recent appearance of 2010 and 2011 domestic champion AS Tefana in the final of the 2012 O-League.  Goalkeeper Xavier Samin plays for Tefana, as does defender Angelo Tchen.  Forward and captain Naea Bennett lines up for AS Pirae.  Expect the experience of Tahiti to win out over the youth of Vanuatu to nip the second spot in the group.  Both teams should be thanking their luck that they avoided the more difficult Group B.

Group B
Fiji and Papua New Guinea met at the 2011 Pacific Games in a September 2011 matchup.   Fiji won on that day 2-0 to advance to the semifinals, but there they met up with Solomon Islands on a neutral pitch.  The Bonitos defeated Fiji 2-1 in extra time, a bad sign for Fiji who are tasked with playing the Bonitos on the road during Group B action.  Based on these results, Solomon Islands are expected to take the second spot in the group, with Fiji eliminated in third and Papua New Guinea eliminated in fourth.  Papua New Guinea boast domestic league hero Kema Jack of the 2010 O-League champion Hekari United at forward, but his presence will not be enough to advance.  Hosts Solomon Islands boast lots of talent, highlighted by attacking midfielder Henry Fa'arodo (Team Wellington, New Zealand) and forwards Benjamin Totori and James Naka (Koloale).  Koloale play in the Lawson Tama Stadium, so Totori and Naka will be used to finding the back of the net in this facility.  Naka is no stranger to the big stage, having featured in four FIFA Beach Soccer World Cups.

In first place will be found New Zealand.  The All Whites are the dominant team in the region and boost star power that no other Oceanian team can claim.  The list of players plying their trade in England is increasing every season, and the current crop includes defenders Ryan Nelsen (Tottenham, pictured #6) and Winston Reid (West Ham, #4) and forward Chris Wood (West Bromwich Albion, #20).  Young forward Kosta Barbarouses plays in Russia for Alania Vladikavkaz.  2010 FIFA World Cup hero goalkeeper Mark Paston (#1) plays in the A-League for Wellington Phoenix.  His club teammates featured on this OFC Second Round roster include defenders Tony Lochhead (#3) and Ben Sigmund and midfielders Leo Bertos (#11) and Jeremy Brockie.  Fellow A-Leaguer Shane Smeltz (#9) of Perth Glory is the all-time leading goalscorer in the history of the A-League.  Rory Fallon (Aberdeen, Scotland, #14) scored the header that sent the All Whites to South Africa 2010 over Bahrain.  However, New Zealand did suffer their only loss of the 2010 FIFA World Cup to Fiji 2-0 in November 2008 behind two goals from Roy Krishna (Waitakere United, New Zealand), widely known as the jewel of the Fijian strikeforce.  Fiji's midfield will be controlled by Pita Baleitoga of Hekari United.

Expect New Caledonia, Tahiti, New Zealand, and Solomon Islands to come through.

Match Previews:
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/2e8d6f54-0613-40b3-824d-ccf52bc4b856/language/en-US/Default.aspx
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/2c57d74a-3054-4e0d-bbf1-0435e705a0d1/language/en-US/Default.aspx
Squad Lists
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/Competitions/TeamList/tabid/1014/Competition/5bfee792-10b4-4af8-889d-4a0b088859c6/language/en-US/Default.aspx
Fiji
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/82e08a91-350d-4fbd-b22b-200b4e4eff25/language/en-US/Default.aspx
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/3c0e05fe-4da2-426e-bb3c-c8c37424c683/language/en-US/Default.aspx
New Caledonia
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/6f6261ca-fec8-47c5-8c2f-19ac21b65bc7/language/en-US/Default.aspx
New Zealand
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1631664/index.html
Papua New Guinea
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/e10ae2f3-0b9c-4cec-8dfe-6c30255ec9c0/language/en-US/Default.aspx
Solomon Islands
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/b20575c0-4eb6-4e35-9483-465ed6fdb826/language/en-US/Default.aspx
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/fee0b728-711d-4853-9b2c-0c44e14f85cd/language/en-US/Default.aspx
Tahiti
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/185a1fe6-ca38-445c-a69c-774737677a57/language/en-US/Default.aspx
Vanuatu
http://www.oceaniafootball.com/ofc/News/ViewArticle/tabid/125/Article/c66e83ad-0fa7-4843-a7a6-9551497e2a9b/language/en-US/Default.aspx

Turmoil in Africa

With the political upheaval in Africa the past two years, it is of little surprise that football is feeling the effects.  Egypt have been forced to host their first qualifier behind closed doors in Alexandria on 1 June 2012 against Mozambique.  Libya have been forced to play their home opener in Sfax, Tunisia on 10 June 2012 against Cameroon.  The recent overthrow of the Malian government has left Mali's home fixture against Algeria on Matchday Two to remain unscheduled.  Additional security personnel will be on hand for Nigeria and Kenya's home openers as well.  Nigeria moved its match originally scheduled for the national stadium in Abuja to Calabar.

In sad news, Rwanda will have to deal with the untimely death of their captain Patrick Mafisango as they begin play in the CAF Second Round.  Mafisango was killed in a car wreck in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.  His club team Simba is based in that city.  Mafisango made 32 appearances for Rwanda.

Press Releases:
http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/story/_/id/7936770/2014-world-cup-egypt-libya-qualifiers-played-minus-fans
http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/story/_/id/7941927/ex-rwanda-captain-patrick-mafisango-dies-car-crash
http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/7927929/otl-former-us-soccer-coach-bob-bradley-bonds-egyptian-star-aboutrika-espn-magazine Article on Bob Bradley, coach of Egypt

Match Previews:
Namibia
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1634638/index.html

Match Schedule: June 2012

June 2012 marks the 2014 FIFA World Cup debuts of 2010 FIFA World Cup finalists Algeria, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Honduras, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, South Africa, and United States of America. The top twenty-eight seeds in Africa begin their journey to Brasil 2014, as do the top six in CONCACAF and the top seven in Oceania.

In South America, CONMEBOL Matchdays Five and Six will signal that the qualification journey to Brasil 2014 is one-third of the way done. In North America, CONCACAF opens its Third Round with Matchdays One and Two of six spread over the next five months. In Oceania, the group stage of the 2012 Cup of Nations in Solomon Islands will whittle the remaning field of competitors for Oceania's intercontinental playoff berth from eight to four. In Africa, forty teams begin their CAF Second Round campaigns with Matchdays One and Two out of six spread over a sixteen-month period. In Asia, the AFC Fourth Round begins with Matchdays One and Two out of ten spread over thirteen months.

Match times are given in Central Time (GMT-5).

1 June 2012
Samoa vs. Tahiti 20:00 (31 May) Honiara, Solomon Islands

Vanuatu vs. New Caledonia 23:00 (31 May) Honiara, Solomon Islands
Lesotho at Ghana 12:00 Kumasi
Mozambique at Egypt 13:00 Alexandria

2 June 2012
Fiji vs. New Zealand 20:00 (1 June) Honiara, Solomon Islands
Papua New Guinea at Solomon Islands 23:00 (1 June) Honiara

Malawi at Kenya 8:00 Nairobi

Botswana at Central African Republic 9:00 Bangui
DR Congo at Cameroon 9:30 Yaounde

Morocco at Gambia 11:30 Bakau

Cape Verde at Sierra Leone 11:30 Freetown
Zambia at Sudan 12:00 Khartoum
Tanzania at Cote d'Ivoire 12:00 Abidjan

Equatorial Guinea at Tunisia 12:00 Monastir
Congo at Burkina Faso 13:00 Ouagadougou
Liberia at Senegal 13:00 Dakar

Venezuela at Uruguay 13:00 Montevideo
Rwanda at Algeria 14:30 Blida

Chile at Bolivia 15:10 La Paz
Ecuador at Argentina 17:30 Buenos Aires

3 June 2012

Vanuatu vs. Samoa 20:00 (2 June) Honiara, Solomon Islands
Tahiti vs. New Caledonia 23:00 (2 June) Honiara, Solomon Islands
Oman at Japan 5:30 Saitama
Iran at Uzbekistan 8:00 Tashkent
Ethiopia at South Africa 8:00 Rustenburg
Guinea at Zimbabwe 8:00 Harare
Uganda at Angola 10:00 Luanda
Libya at Togo 10:30 Lome
Iraq at Jordan 11:00 Amman
Namibia at Nigeria 11:00 Calabar
Gabon at Niger 12:00 Niamey
Mali at Benin 12:00 Cotonou
Qatar at Lebanon 12:30 Beirut
Colombia at Peru 17:00 Lima

4 June 2012
Papua New Guinea vs. New Zealand 20:00 (3 June) Honiara, Solomon Islands
Fiji at Solomon Islands 23:00 (3 June) Honiara

5 June 2012
New Caledonia vs. Samoa 20:00 (4 June) Honiara, Solomon Islands
Tahiti vs. Vanuatu 23:00 (4 June) Honiara, Solomon Islands

6 June 2012
Papua New Guinea vs. Fiji 20:00 (5 June) Honiara, Solomon Islands
New Zealand at Solomon Islands 23:00 (5 June) Honiara


8 June 2012
Jordan at Japan 5:30 Saitama
Uzbekistan at Lebanon 8:00 Beirut
Australia at Oman 8:00 Muscat
South Korea at Qatar 11:15 Doha
Canada at Cuba 13:00 Havana
Antigua and Barbuda at United States of America 18:00 Tampa
El Salvador at Costa Rica 20:00 San Jose
Guyana at Mexico 20:00 Mexico City
Guatemala at Jamaica 20:30 Kingston
Panama at Honduras 20:30 San Pedro Sula

9 June 2012

Nigeria at Malawi 7:30 Blantyre
South Africa at Botswana 8:00 Gaborone

Senegal at Uganda 8:00 Kampala

Ghana at Zambia 8:00 Ndola

Niger at Congo 9:00 Pointe-Noire

Burkina Faso at Gabon 9:30 Libreville

Sierra Leone at Equatorial Guinea 12:00 Bata

Kenya at Namibia 12:00 Windhoek
Tunisia at Cape Verde 12:30 Praia
Cote d'Ivoire at Morocco 15:00 Marrakech

Paraguay at Bolivia 15:00 La Paz

Chile at Venezuela 17:35 Puerto La Cruz

10 June 2012
Central African Republic at Ethiopia 8:00 Addis Ababa
Gambia at Tanzania 8:00 Dar Es Salaam
Sudan at Lesotho 8:00 Maseru

Zimbabwe at Mozambique 8:00 Maputo
Benin at Rwanda 8:30 Kigali

Togo at DR Congo 9:30 Kinshasa

Cameroon at Libya 10:00 Sfax, Tunisia
Angola at Liberia 11:00 Monrovia

Egypt at Guinea 12:00 Conakry

Peru at Uruguay 13:30 Montevideo
Algeria at Mali 14:00 Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Colombia at Ecuador 16:00 Quito

12 June 2012
Japan at Australia 5:00 Brisbane
Lebanon at South Korea 6:00 Goyang
Oman at Iraq 9:45 Doha, Qatar
Qatar at Iran 10:30 Tehran
Jamaica at Antigua and Barbuda 18:00 North Sound
Honduras at Canada 18:30 Toronto
Costa Rica at Guyana 19:00 Providence
Cuba at Panama 20:05 Panama City
Mexico at El Salvador 20:30 San Salvador
United States of America at Guatemala 21:00 Guatemala City

AFC Fourth Round Schedule

The AFC Fourth Round will take place over a 13-month period and will feature ten matchdays. Each team will receive two matchdays off corresponding to their seeding. Top-seeded South Korea and Australia are off on Matchdays One and Six. Japan were dropped down to the fifth seed for scheduling purposes, so the teams seeded behind them in Group Two were bumped up in the off-day order. Iran and Iraq are off on Matchdays Two and Seven. Uzbekistan and Jordan take off Matchdays Three and Eight and thereby are the only teams to avoid facing the dreaded triple-matchday scenario of three games in a two-week period. Qatar and Lebanon are off on Matchdays Four and Nine. Oman and Japan have byes on Matchdays Five and Ten, although Japan will be playing in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup on concurrently with Matchday Ten.

The first three matchdays will take place over a ten-day period in June 2012. The middle four matchdays are more isolated affairs, with one matchday each falling in September, October, and November 2012, as well as March 2013. The final three matchdays will occur in a fifteen-day span in June 2013.

3 June 2012

Iran at Uzbekistan

Qatar at Lebanon

Iraq at Jordan

Oman at Japan

8 June 2012

South Korea at Qatar

Uzbekistan at Lebanon

Australia at Oman

Jordan at Japan

12 June 2012

Lebanon at South Korea

Qatar at Iran

Japan at Australia

Oman at Iraq

11 September 2012

South Korea at Uzbekistan

Iran at Lebanon

Australia at Jordan

Iraq at Japan

16 October 2012

South Korea at Iran

Uzbekistan at Qatar

Australia at Iraq

Jordan at Oman

14 November 2012

Uzbekistan at Iran

Lebanon at Qatar

Jordan at Iraq

Japan at Oman

26 March 2013

Qatar at South Korea

Lebanon at Uzbekistan

Oman at Australia

Japan at Jordan

4 June 2013

Iran at Qatar

South Korea at Lebanon

Iraq at Oman

Australia at Japan

11 June 2013

Uzbekistan at South Korea

Lebanon at Iran

Jordan at Australia

Japan at Iraq

18 June 2013

Iran at South Korea

Qatar at Uzbekistan

Iraq at Australia

Oman at Jordan

AFC Round Four Draw

The draw has brought Asia plenty of rematches from the AFC Third Round groups. From Group A and into Group Two come Iraq and Jordan, who split their two meetings in the previous phase. From Group B and into Group One come South Korea and Lebanon, who also split their two meetings. From Group D and into Group Two come Australia and Oman, who split their two meetings from round three as well. From Group E and into Group One come Iran and Qatar, who exchanged draws in the previous group stage. The only pair split apart was Group C's Japan and Uzbekistan, which may suit Japan just fine after Uzbekistan won the group with a win and a draw against the 2011 AFC Asian Cup winners.

The teams' current ELO ratings are listed.

Group One

21 South Korea

32 Iran

54 Uzbekistan

83 Qatar

129 Lebanon

Group Two

16 Australia

25 Japan

60 Iraq

73 Jordan

76 Oman

The AFC Fourth Round runs from 3 June 2012 to 18 June 2012. Each team will play eight matches, one at home and one away to each of the other four teams in their group. The group winners and runners-up will go to the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals in Brasil. The two third-place teams advance to the AFC Fifth Round in September 2013. The fourth-place and fifth-place finishers in each group will be eliminated from the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Group Two appears to be the tougher of the two groups. The higher-ranked team out of every pot except Pot C (Uzbekistan) was drawn into this group. Group Two contains the two finalists from the 2011 AFC Asian Cup (Japan and Australia), whereas Group One contains the two losing semifinalists from that competition (South Korea and Uzbekistan). Both groups contain two losing quarterfinalists from the most recent AFC Asian Cup, with Iran and Qatar landing in Group One and Iraq and Jordan taking their place in Group Two.

After a quick scan of the draw, my predictions for the teams going to Brasil 2014 are South Korea and Uzbekistan from Group One and Australia and Japan from Group Two. The two teams predicted to advance to the AFC Fifth Round are Iran and Iraq.

Although Qatar may handle Iran decently well, I believe Iran's edge comes from their better ability to get results against group powers South Korea and Uzbekistan, especially with raucous crowds filing in the Azadi Stadium in Tehran. Lebanon managed to squeak out second place in the easiest of the Third Round groups (Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, and Lebanon were all the lowest seeds in their respective pots for the round three draw), but this step up in competition should prove too great. Iraq seems to have cracked the Jordan puzzle as of late, and an Oman team bereft of goalscoring (three scored in six games in the previous phase) will meet their match in this final group phase.

Group Previews:

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1597393/index.html

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1597391/index.html (Group One)

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1597392/index.html (Group Two)

AFC Fourth Round Pot Allocations

The final ten teams in Asia will begin the AFC Fourth Round in June 2012. The teams will be split into two groups of five teams. The top two teams in each of these groups will advance to the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals in Brasil. The two third-place teams will advance to a two-legged playoff for the right to take on the fifth-place team in CONMEBOL in a two-legged intercontinental playoff for a potential fifth Asian berth at Brasil 2014.

The teams have been split into five pots based upon the March 2012 FIFA rankings. One team from each pot will be drawn in Group One, and one team from each pot will be drawn into Group Two.

Pot A

1. Australia

2. South Korea

Pot B

3. Japan

4. Iran

Pot C

5. Uzbekistan

6. Iraq

Pot D

7. Jordan

8. Qatar

Pot E

9. Oman

10. Lebanon

This final group phase will consist of ten matchdays. Each team will play eight matches and have two matchdays off. The final matchday conflicts with the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brasil, so Japan will be assigned to the position in their group that guarantees that they will have the final matchday off. Japan will be at Brasil 2013 by virtue of their victory at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup.

China 3 - Jordan 1; Iraq 7 - Singapore 1

China bid farewell to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in style before the home fans in Guangzhou. Chinese star Hao Junmin wanted to give the best possible account of himself in the final match, and that he did. Hao scored on a low, driven shot to the far post for a 1-0 lead just before the half that China took into the dressing room.

Hao secured a brace with a lunging volley off a long pass that allowed him to defeat an offsides trap and get a good fifteen meters beyond the last defender. Hao's second came just beyond the midway point of the second half. With five minutes to play, Jordan had a short free kick from the left side of goal that was flicked on frame and saved, but they pounced on the rebound for 2-1. Three minutes later, Yu Dabao ended the drama with an answer to Jordan's late push, giving China a 3-1 victory with which to console themselves as they watch the final round of qualifying from their couches.

Iraq faced off with Singapore in Doha, United Arab Emirates in their eighth match of 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying to date. The small crowd on hand was treated to a show of Iraqi football. It took only four minutes for the first goal to fall for Iraq. Iraq had a 3-0 lead after a converted penalty kick midway through the period. Singapore pulled one back six minutes after that, but the first half scoring ended on another Iraq penalty kick conversion, giving Iraq a 4-1 lead at the break.

Two minutes after the restart, it was 5-1 after yet another Iraqi goal. Captain Younis Mahmoud scored his second just beyond the hour mark and finished his hat trick with a lovely sky-high chip in stoppage time to end the match 7-1 and give Iraq the Group A crown.

Goals

China

Hao Junmin 43, 69

Yu Dabao 88

Jordan

Abdallah Salim 85

Iraq

Karrar Jasim 4

Younis Mahmoud 11, 61, 90+3

Hawar Mulla Mohammed 22 PK

Nashat Akram 36 PK

Mustafa Kareem 47

Singapore

Mohammad Abdul 28

Match Reports:

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/sports/2012-03/01/content_14729396.htm

http://www.goal.com/en-india/match/64316/iraq-vs-singapore/report

http://www.todayonline.com/Sports/EDC120302-0000082/We-wont-shy-away-from-difficult-decisions--FAS

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjxYerGeuTA (China v. Jordan)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er6Wse-oG4s&feature=related (Iraq v. Singapore)

Full Match Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_bmYlhiQYo (China v. Jordan)

Qatar 2 - Iran 2; Bahrain 10 - Indonesia 0

Iran hosted Qatar in Tehran in each team's final qualifier in round three of Asian qualifying. Iran had an early attack come to fruition when a sliding, last-ditch effort resulted in a dangerous cross that was headed home by debutante and former German youth international Ahskan Dejagah for a 1-0 lead. Less than five minutes later, Yousef Ahmad Ali drew a penalty kick for Qatar after getting clipped by the goalkeeper's hands. The resulting penalty was converted, knotting the match at 1-1.

Early in the second period, Iran drew a free kick just outside the box from the left side. Dejagah stepped up to take the kick and calmly bent it around the wall and into the upper ninety at the far post, pushing Iran back into the lead, 2-1. Javad Nekounam almost eliminated Qatar with a strike, but the intersection of the crossbar and the post pushed away a hard rebound. Still down 2-1 late in the match and knowing that the 9-0 scoreline in the Bahrain match would see them eliminated if they could not equalize, Qatar drew a free kick from around forty meters from goal. Fabio Cesar provided excellent service and Kasola Mohammed beat the offside trap perfectly to get off a header within the six-yard box that he knocked home for the equalizer. The match ended at 2-2, and Qatar secured safe passage to the final group phase of Asian qualifying.

Bahrain welcomed Indonesia to a completely empty stadium in Manama knowing that they were in need of a resounding victory to overcome an enormous goal differential deficit of nine to Qatar. They received great news when Indonesia announced they were using a under-23 side. Bahrain got the best possible news when in the second minute Indonesian goalkeeper Samsidar Samsidar was red carded, leaving their opponents down a man for essentially the full ninety minutes. Bahrain took advantage for four goals in the first period.

The second half saw even less resistance from a shattered Indonesia side. Once the score reached 8-0, Bahrain knew they had done enough on their end to qualify. All that was left was for Qatar to lose in Iran. Bahrain eventually pushed the final score to 10-0, but Kasola Mohammed's late goal in Tehran meant that Bahrain's effort today was for naught. Hat tricks were earned by two Bahrainis, Mohamed Tayeb and Sayed Dhiya. Bahrain were awarded four penalty kicks in the match, and they converted two of them. In spite of securing the largest margin of victory in the 2014 FIFA World Cup so far, Bahrain will not be able to qualify for their third straight intercontinental playoff because they are out of the tournament thanks to Qatar's dramatic draw.

Iran 12 pts - IN

Qatar 10 pts - IN

Bahrain OUT
Indonesia OUT

Goals

Iran

Ashkan Dejagah 4, 50

Qatar

Ibrahim Khalfan 9 PK

Kasola Mohammed 86

Bahrain

Ismael Abdullatif 5 PK, 71

Mohamed Tayeb 15, 60, 65

Mahmood Abdulrahman 34 PK, 41

Sayed Dhiya 62, 82, 90+4

Match Reports:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/soccer/wires/02/29/2080.ap.soc.iran.qatar.1st.ld.writethru.0364/index.html

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/soccer/wires/02/29/2080.ap.soc.bahrain.indonesia.1st.ld.writethru.0246/index.html

http://www.goal.com/en/news/14/asia/2012/03/01/2939209/fifa-to-investigate-bahrains-10-0-win-over-indonesia

Full Match Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhj_eb424n4 (Qatar v. Iran)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxHZVJPBq5s&feature=related (Bahrain v. Indonesia)

South Korea 2 - Kuwait 0; United Arab Emirates 4 - Lebanon 2

South Korea carried not only the hopes of their of nation into today's match, but also the secondary hopes of the Lebanese people. Kuwait came into Seoul knowing that only a win would see them qualify for the final ten in Asia. Any other result and both South Korea and Lebanon would advance. A nervy first half resulted in few opportunities and was quite forgettable.

In the second half, South Korea finally took the pressure off themselves by securing an opener twenty minutes after the restart. Lee Dong-Gook, recalled into the national side by the new coach (who had been his coach at club level immediately prior), had scored twice in the friendly win over Uzbekistan four days ago. He notched the opener after a nice hold up maneuver followed by a give-and-go during which he dropped into open space, freeing himself from a quartet of oblivious defenders. Lee Keun-Ho (pictured, red) notched the South Koreans second six minutes later to finish off Kuwait 2-0. The win eliminated Kuwait from the 2014 FIFA World Cup and ensured progression to the next phase for both South Korea and Lebanon.

Lebanon are surely grateful for the aid of South Korea because they did not get the job done in Abu Dhabi. A simple dropped catch off a direct free kick led to the United Arab Emirates' first goal. Three minutes later, the pro-Lebanon crowd on hand willed their team back for an equalizer and convinced Mahmoud El Ali to take a huge hit from the onsliding goalkeeper as he finished for 1-1. UAE waited another fifteen minutes to score on a ball tapped across the face of goal by Ismail Matar and finished by Ali Al Wehaibi. Hassan Maatouk found a pretty equalizer in stoppage time despite having to overcome a severe numerical disadvantage in the attacking third, sending the teams into the locker room square at two goals apiece.

In the strike of the match, Ismail Matar struck a booming free kick goal from thirty-eight meters that sent UAE into a 3-2 lead. However, by this time South Korea had already taken the lead in Seoul, so Lebanon had good reason to believe they would advance even with a loss. With just over ten minutes left in the match, UAE pushed the lead to 4-2 after another soft goal given up by Abbas Hassan, who surely must relinquish the job back to Ziad El Samad. The 4-2 loss did not prevent Lebanon from advancing to the final round of Asian qualifying for their first time in their history.

South Korea 13 pts - IN
Lebanon 10 pts - IN

Kuwait OUT

UAE OUT

Goals

South Korea

Lee Dong-Gook 65

Lee Keun-Ho 71

United Arab Emirates

Basheer Saeed 20, 79

Ali Al Wehaibi 38

Ismail Matar 69

Lebanon

Mahmoud El Ali 23

Hassan Maatouk 45+2

Match Reports:

http://sports.ndtv.com/football/news/item/186180-south-korea-beat-kuwait-in-world-cup-qualifying

http://www.goal.com/en-us/match/64325/south-korea-vs-kuwait/report

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/01/sports/soccer/lebanon-loses-to-uae-but-still-advances-in-world-cup-qualifying.html

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ai_2AEfs328 (South Korea v. Kuwait)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03leH3TKLPw (UAE v. Lebanon)

Full Match Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-P7D9XBVc4k (South Korea v. Kuwait)

Uzbekistan 1 - Japan 0; Tajikistan 1 - North Korea 1

North Korea traveled to Khujand to face Tajikistan in both teams' final 2014 FIFA World Cup appearance. Both teams were eliminated, but the unofficial world championship (held by North Korea) was up for grabs. The first half of the title bout was goalless.

Eight minutes into the second period, the unofficial world champions were able to convert a penalty kick. Tajikistan responded eight minutes later with their first goal in AFC Third Round play and only their second goal in their eight total qualifying matches. Surprisingly, Tajikistan were able to hold on to secure their first positive result out of their eight matches (they advanced out of round two with two losses after Syria were disqualified), but the draw was enough for North Korea to retain their unofficial world championship.

Uzbekistan made the trip to Toyota to face Japan four days after being soundly beaten 4-2 in a friendly against South Korea. Japan was in control in the first half, and Shinji Okazaki almost turned the control into an advantage on the scoreboard, but in the twenty-first minute his shot curled into crossbar. A couple other opportunities went begging, and the match remained 0-0 after forty-five minutes.

In the second period, Uzbekistan was still looking to strike on the counterattack. Just before ten minutes had passed, Uzbekistan intercepted a pass in their own penalty area and immediately pushed forward. The resulting break ended up being five Uzbeks against four Japanese, an inexcusable lack of effort being shown by the other Japanese players. With room to operate, a cross was whipped into the danger zone, and although Eiji Kawashima made the first save, Aleksandr Shadrin (pictured, white) was there for the easy rebound goal, his first for the national team. Uzbekistan won the match by that 1-0 scoreline and were the only one of the twenty teams in the AFC Third Round that went through their six matches without suffering a loss. Uzbekistan won in the home of the 2011 AFC Asian Cup winners in spite of having five players suspended for the match.

Goals

North Korea

Jang Song Hyok 53 PK

Tajikistan

Akhtam Khamrakulov 61

Uzbekistan

Aleksandr Shadrin 54

Match Reports:

http://www.goal.com/en-us/match/64335/japan-vs-uzbekistan/report

http://www.ufwc.co.uk/2012/02/tajikistan-1-1-north-korea/

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSBkJ5guMC4 (Uzbekistan v. Japan)

Australia 4 - Saudi Arabia 2; Oman 2 - Thailand 0

Australia, already qualified for the next phase, played host to Saudi Arabia in a packed mid-sized stadium under a light drizzle in Melbourne. From the opening whistle, there was no questioning Australia's desire to win the match, but the Green Falcons dominated possession early. After twenty minutes of dominion over the ball, a beautiful double cut-back to his right left Salem Al Dawsari open for a long-range screamer, which he unleashed past a diving Mark Schwarzer for a 1-0 Saudi lead. Australia started to get a foothold in the match, however, and a Mark Bresciano ball led to a toe poke goal from Alex Brosque (pictured, blue) just ahead of his sliding defender to level the match at one-goal apiece. Saudi Arabia had an instant response to Brosque's goal with a stoppage time goal from Nasser Al-Shamrani that gave the Green Falcons a 2-1 lead at the break.

After the resumption of play, Australia maintained their motivation and desire to push for victory, which was surely appreciated by Oman and Thailand who were playing their match simultaneously and needed Australia to come back from their 2-1 deficit. Australia appeared to equalize again when Lucas Neill crushed a header that was too hot for Saudi Arabian goalkeeper Waleed Ali (pictured, yellow) to handle, but Neill was controversially ruled offside. Immediately following the offsides, Saudi Arabia attacked down the right flank through Mohammad Al Shaboub, who played an excellent ball across the box to Al-Shamrani. The resulting toe poke went wide of the open net vacated by the onrushing Schwarzer. The man of the match up to the point when Al-Shamrani was substituted off the pitch was Saudi right center back Osama Hawsawi, but he lost that title over a magical three-minute stretch of Aussie perfection. The introduction of Saudi striking legend Yasser Al-Qahtani counter-intuitively invigorated the Aussies. Brosque went up the left side of the pitch and slotted a ball across the box to Harry Kewell, who finished with his first touch for 2-2. Nary two minutes later, Brett Emerton came up the left flank and lofted a pass to a wide-open Brosque at the six-yard box, who then calmly flicked the header into goal for a 3-2 lead. Australia stole the resulting kickoff and got a sliding block of a clearance from Emerton that ended up in the back of the net, netting Australia two goals within a span of thirty seconds and a 4-2 lead with fifteen minutes left to play. Australia held on after a crucial Schwarzer save on Naif Hazazi, winning the match 4-2 and sending Saudi Arabia out of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Of course, Australia alone could not eliminate the Saudis. Hosts Oman or visitors Thailand would have to put up a sufficient result in Muscat to do the job. A goal within ten minutes by Oman let Saudi Arabia know that only a win in Australia would suffice. Surely Oman were scoreboard watching and knew that the 2-1 Saudi halftime lead would be enough to eliminate them, but Oman kept their focus on Thailand and maintaining their clean sheet. Oman brought their 1-0 lead into the break.

The deeper the match went a 1-0, the more desperate Thailand became. With fifteen minutes to go, Oman surely knew that Australia had Saudi Arabia down 4-2, so Oman simply had to hold on to victory in order to advance. Thailand's Teeratep Winothai was ejected for a red card in the eighty-fifth minute, and Oman took advantage of their numerical superiority for a second goal in stoppage time that clinched a 2-0 victory. The win coupled with Australia's means that Oman have advanced to the AFC Fourth Round. Thailand and Saudi Arabia have been eliminated.

Australia 15 pts - IN
Oman 8 pts - IN

Saudi Arabia OUT
Thailand OUT

Goals

Australia

Alex Brosque 43,75

Harry Kewell 73

Brett Emerton 76

Saudi Arabia

Salem Al Dawsari 19

Nasser Al-Shamrani 45+2

Oman

Hussain Al Hadri 9

Abdul Aziz Mubarak 90+1

Match Reports:

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1591539/index.html

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/soccer/wires/02/29/2080.ap.soc.australia.saudi.arabia.2nd.ld.writethru.0470/index.html

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/soccer/wires/02/29/2080.ap.soc.oman.thailand.1st.ld.writethru.0301/index.html

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCm413jWdp0 (Australia v. Saudi Arabia)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7NvP6yUBW0 (Oman v. Thailand)

Full Match Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXX0hGC0UtA (Australia v. Saudi Arabia)

Preview: AFC Third Round Matchday Six

Four of ten berths into the final group stage of Asian qualifying are still up for grabs on the final matchday of the first group stage. 29 February 2012 will go down in history as one of the best days in some countries' footballing history, while others will rue the day for opportunities lost.

The preview will start with the deciding matches in Group D, both of which kickoff at 4:30 Central Time (GMT-6). The current group standings are as follows:

Australia 12 pts IN

Saudi Arabia 6 pts +1, 4 goals scored

Oman 5 pts -5, 1 goal scored

Thailand 4 pts -2, 4 goals scored

All four teams are still in contention for the next round. Saudi Arabia pay a visit to group winners Australia in Melbourne knowing that a win would secure them second place in the group. However, Holger Osieck's Australia do not appear to be resting on their laurels and have named a decent squad for the clash. Mark Schwarzer (Fulham) will be in goal, and captain Lucas Neill (Al Jazira, United Arab Emirates; pictured, 2) will be set up in the defense before him. Outstanding performers from the 2011 AFC Asian Cup David Carney (Bunyodkor, Uzbekistan) and Sasa Ognenovski (Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma, South Korea, pictured, 6) will be alongside Neill.

The midfield is a bit more raw for Australia, with only Brett Emerton (Sydney FC) being a stalwart at the position. Mark Bresciano (Al Nasr, UAE) is making his first appearance for the Socceroos since Osieck took over after the 2010 FIFA World Cup. James Troisi is one of three European-based players as he plays in Turkey for Kayserispor. At forward is another European-based player in Adam Sarota of Utrecht in the Dutch League. Sarota will be splitting minutes with former star Harry Kewell (Melbourne Victory' pictured, 10) and up-and-comer Alex Brosque (Shimizu S-Pulse, Japan). With so many quality players not making the final cut, all who did make the Australia squad will be eager to put on a good performance, so there will be no questioning the home side's motivation in this match.

The pressure is on Saudi Arabia's coach Frank Rijkaard to secure the win and avoid a devastating failure to qualify for the final ten in Asia. The only non-domestically-based player in the side is forward Yasser Al Qahtani of Al Ain (UAE; pictured, green). The Green Falcons will be counting on him and strike partner Nasser Al-Shamrani (Al-Shabab) to deliver much needed offense in the encounter. Playmaker Mohammad Al-Shalboub of Al-Hilal will be looking to breakdown the inexperienced midfield of Australia and will be joined in the midfield by captain Taisir Al-Jassim of Al-Ahli. Al-Hilal's Osama Hawsawi will be the leader in defense for Saudi Arabia.

Should Saudi Arabia slip up, the match is Muscat between hosts Oman and visiting Thailand will be crucial. An Oman win would carry them through to the final group stage. If Saudi Arabia lose, a Thailand victory would be sufficient. If Saudi Arabia tie, a Thai victory would need to overcome a goal differential of three in order for Thailand to overtake the Saudis. Omani forward Amad Al Hosni of Al-Ahli will be looking for his Saudi teammates to give his squad an opening so that Al Hosni may score the clinching goal that sends Oman into the final ten in Asia. Minding the net for Oman is their sole European-based player, Ali Al-Habsi (Wigan, England).

Thailand, lest we forget, defeated Oman soundly in their first encounter, a 3-0 beating in Bangkok last September. However, problems with the two Thai goalscorers in that encounter have left the front line in shambles. Sompong Soleb will have to re-earn his coach's trust after personal issues have arisen, whereas Teerasil Dangda is racing to recover from a groin injury in time to be selected for the decider. An added obstacle comes in the form of an out-of-season matchday as the Thai domestic league is not in session. Compare this to the Omani domestic league, which is currently in full swing.

The Group B finales simultaneously kickoff at 6:00 Central Time. Three teams remain in contention for the two berths in the next stage. The current standings are as follows:

South Korea 10 pts +8

Lebanon 10 pts -2

Kuwait 8 pts +1

UAE OUT

South Korea fired their coach Cho Kwang-Rae after a shock 2-1 loss to Lebanon last November. In stepped Choi Kang-Hee, the coach of Jeonbuk Motors, winners of the 2011 K-League and finalists in the 2011 AFC Champions League. At forward, coach Choi has dropped two European-based strikers in Koo Ja-Cheol (Augsburg) and Ji Dong-Won (Sunderland) in favor of familiarity in the form of Jeonbuk's Lee Dong-Gook. Lee Dong-Gook will pair up top with captain and leading goalscorer Park Chu-Young (Arsenal, England). Park Chu-Young is one of only three players based outside of South Korea. The others are defender Lee Jung-Soo of the 2011 AFC Champions Al-Sadd (Qatar) and midfielder Ki Sung-Yueng of Celtic. Famed goalkeeper Jung Sung-Ryung (Suwon Samsung) has been tasked with preventing any Kuwaiti shots from breaching his goalmouth. South Korea qualify for the next phase unless they lose and UAE do not defeat Lebanon. Kuwait's only qualification scenario is to win in Seoul. They bring an entirely domestic-based squad featuring three players with a century of caps: forward Bader Al-Mutwa (Al-Qadsia) and Al-Kuwait's midfielder duo of Waleed Ali and Jarah Al-Ateeqi.

Lebanon are but one step away from an astounding berth in the final ten in Asian qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Lebanon will secure qualification with a win or draw in Abu Dhabi against pointless UAE. Lebanon even advance with a loss so long as Kuwait do not win against South Korea! The Cedars will not be looking for outside help, however, and they will continue to count on consistent performers like attacking midfielder Akram Moghrabi (Nejmeh, Lebanon), midfielder and captain Roda Antar (Shandong Luneng, China), forward Hassan Maatouk (Ajman Club, UAE), defender Youssef Mohamad (Al-Ahli, UAE), and young defensive phenom Walid Ismael (Racing Beirut).

In Group E, Qatar go to Tehran to face Iran while Bahrain host Indonesia in Manama. The only way that Bahrain can advance in place of Qatar as the second team out of the group is if both Bahrain and Iran secure victory and Bahrain overcome a nine-goal goal differential against Qatar. Basically, the world should prepare itself to watch the stars of 2011 AFC Champions League winner Al-Sadd (goalkeeper Mohamed Saqr, defenders Abdullah Koni and Ibrahim Walid, midfielder Khalfan Ibrahim, and forward Yusef Ahmed) in the AFC Fourth Round while wearing Qatari national team jerseys.

Another relevant thing to bear in mind are the potential seedings for the final round draw. Based on my projections, here is how the seedings may wind up. Current FIFA and ELO rankings are given next to the country's name, though only the eccentric FIFA rankings (listed first) count for seeding. According to the ELO ranking, the teams of the Asian confederation are severely underrated by the FIFA rankings, which always overrate European teams.

Two teams will be in each of five pots for the AFC Fourth Round draw. An asterisk signals that the team has yet to secure qualification for the next phase.

22/16 Australia

30/18 Japan

34/25 South Korea*

47/29 Iran

77/57 Uzbekistan

79/66 Iraq

82/69 Jordan

95/79 Oman*

96/88 Qatar*

114/126 Lebanon*

Projected to be eliminated:

89/72 Saudi Arabia*

91/77 Kuwait*

97/67 Bahrain*

130/110 Thailand*

Match Previews:

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1589112/index.html

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1589213/index.html (Australia)

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1587092/index.html (Australia)

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1588144/index.html (Saudi Arabia)

http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/news-display/green-falcons-aim-to-fly-high/45442 (Saudi Arabia)

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1585716/index.html (Oman)

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1581388/index.html (Thailand)

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1582065/index.html (South Korea)

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1582240/index.html (Lebanon)

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1588315/index.html (Qatar)

Five Uzbekistan players suspended for Matchday One of AFC Fourth Round

Five Uzbekistan national team players were suspended for Uzbekistan's first qualifier in round four of Asian qualifying, which begins in June 2012. On Matchday Five of the AFC Third Round, Uzbekistan were leading Tajikistan 3-0 in Tashkent. Uzbekistan had already qualified for the next phase of qualifying, but had multiple players sitting on a yellow card.

Two yellow cards collected over the course of the AFC Third Round result in an automatic one-game suspension, so five Uzbekistan players sitting on yellow cards from previous matches purposely took yellow cards for delay of game infractions, thus garnering suspensions for Matchday Six. However, the thought process behind this tactic was that with the suspensions served against Japan on 29 February 2012, these five players would not be risking a second yellow card in that match, an occurrence which would preclude the players from participating in Matchday One of the AFC Fourth Round as their yellow-card suspensions would have to be served at that time.

FIFA did not approve of this tactic, so in addition to the automatic yellow-card suspension for the essentially meaningless Japan match on 29 February 2012, these five players will also be suspended for Uzbekistan's opener in the AFC Fourth Round. The five players disciplined are Vagiz Galiulin, Shavkatjon Mulladjanov, Islom Tuhtahujaev, Sanjar Tursunov, and captain Server Djeparov. Each player was fined 3,000 Swiss francs, and the Uzbekistan Football Federation was penalized 18,000 Swiss francs.

Press Release:

http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/organisation/bodies/news/newsid=1585615/index.html

Match Schedule: February 2012

Matchday Six of the AFC Third Round will be the only matchday taking place in the month of February. In a special occurrence, the matchday has fallen on Leap Day, potentially giving rise to many silly trivia questions like "who is the all-time top scorer in Asian history on Leap Day?" However, the matches on Leap Day are not going to be silly affairs for some of the teams involved, as eight of the twenty teams have yet to settle whether or not they will be advancing to round four of Asian qualifying.

In Group B, two spots are left for progression to the AFC Fourth Round. South Korea merely need a point from their match against Kuwait, and Lebanon need just a point from their match at the United Arab Emirates in order to secure progression. However, a win by Kuwait would see them through to the next phase. If both South Korea and Lebanon lose, South Korea will advance at the expense of Lebanon.

In Group D, only one spot is left for progression to the next phase. If Saudi Arabia secure a win at Australia, they take the spot. However, if Saudi Arabia lose, the winner of the Oman-Thailand match in Oman will secure second place. If Saudi Arabia lose but Oman tie Thailand, Saudi Arabia will advance barring an overwhelming Australia victory. Pandemonium occurs if Saudi Arabia ties and Thailand wins. Both teams would end up equal on points, and the qualification would hinge on whether Thailand had won by three goals or more.

In Group E, Qatar and Bahrain fight for the last spot in the AFC Fourth Round. Qatar will advance with a draw at Iran or if Bahrain fail to win at home against Indonesia. The only way Bahrain qualify is with a massive win combined with a huge loss by Qatar. Bahrain need to overcome a nine-goal deficit in goal differential between themselves and Qatar.

The easy picks are South Korea and Lebanon from Group B and Qatar from Group E. The difficulty arises with the Group D pick. I foresee an Australia win at home coupled with an Oman win at home sending Oman into round four.

Match times are given in Central Time (GMT-6).

29 February 2012 (AFC Third Round Matchday Six)

Jordan at China 2:00 Guangzhou

North Korea at Tajikistan 2:00 Khujand

Saudi Arabia at Australia 3:30 Melbourne

Thailand at Oman 3:30 Muscat

Uzbekistan at Japan 4:30 Toyota

Kuwait at South Korea 6:00 Seoul

Lebanon at United Arab Emirates 6:00 Abu Dhabi

Qatar at Iran 7:30 Tehran

Indonesia at Bahrain 7:30 Manama

Singapore at Iraq 7:45 Doha, Qatar

UEFA Group D Fixtures

The fixture list was decided upon by FIFA on 21 December 2011 after a meeting among the group members failed to produce a fixture list. Group D consists of six teams, and they are listed from highest seed to lowest seed: Netherlands, Turkey, Hungary, Romania, Estonia, and Andorra.

7 September 2012

Hungary at Andorra

Romania at Estonia

Turkey at Netherlands

11 September 2012

Netherlands at Hungary

Andorra at Romania

Estonia at Turkey

12 October 2012

Hungary at Estonia

Andorra at Netherlands

Romania at Turkey

16 October 2012

Estonia at Andorra

Turkey at Hungary

Netherlands at Romania

22 March 2013

Turkey at Andorra

Romania at Hungary

Estonia at Netherlands

26 March 2013

Andorra at Estonia

Romania at Netherlands

Hungary at Turkey

6 September 2013

Netherlands at Estonia

Hungary at Romania

Andorra at Turkey

10 September 2013

Netherlands at Andorra

Estonia at Hungary

Turkey at Romania

11 October 2013

Romania at Andorra

Turkey at Estonia

Hungary at Netherlands

15 October 2013

Andorra at Hungary

Estonia at Romania

Netherlands at Turkey

On 5 December 2011, FIFA rescheduled Austria's UEFA Group C home fixture against Faroe Islands, which was originally scheduled to take place on 6 June 2012. This was done to prevent any 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers from preempting the excitement of the 2012 UEFA Euro that opens on 8 June 2012.

22 March 2013

Faroe Islands at Austria