Jordan 1 - Oman 0; Australia 1 - Iraq 0

1974, 2006, 2010.  Australia were looking for qualification number four at home in rainy Sydney against an already-eliminated Iraq side.  Australia got off a good shot two minutes in after a one-two-one-two by Robbie Kruse and Tim Cahill up front, but Iraq goalkeeper Noor Sabri made a nice reaction save to deny Cahill.  In an unlikely scenario, Australia's two centerbacks nearly combined for a goal, but Sasa Ognenovski could not keep his header on frame from Lucas Neill's cross.  Australia were trying to win the match through an aerial battle, but the first half ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

Iraq's Saif Salman hit a strange knuckler in the second minute after the restart, but Socceroo goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer was able to get down and hold onto the shot.  The crowd grew impatient and antsy as the goal just would not come for Australia.  Substitutions of the attacking duo of Cahill and Kruse looked like desperation but in fact were strokes of genius.  A Marc Bresciano cross with seven minutes left was headed back across Sabri's goal by Joshua Kennedy, and Australia were finally in the lead.  Australia win 1-0 and take the final direct berth from Group Two into Brasil 2014, becoming the second team to qualify after Japan.

Amman was the site of the crucial qualifier between Jordan and visiting Oman.  A win or draw for Oman would send them into the AFC Playoff, whereas Jordan could use only a win to make the AFC Playoff.  Oman were the better side following the opening kickoff, and they nearly scored as Qasim Said found himself launching his foot forward to tip-in at the far post, but his touch could not provide the finish.  Oman would still be pleased with the 0-0 halftime score as they were halfway to the result they needed to advance to the next round.

Saeed Al Murjan drove the ball up the pitch for Jordan against eight Omani defenders.  Al Murjan pushed out wide to Khalil Bani Ateyah, who sent a ball into the box.  Ahmad Ibrahim peeled off from his run and was open in space for a diving header that sent Jordan into a 1-0 lead.  Oman had more than a half hour to respond and avoid elimination, but Jordan made sure that no equalizer was anywhere to be found.  Jordan win 1-0 and advance to a two-legged playoff with Uzbekistan.  Oman are eliminated from the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Japan 17 pts IN
Australia 13 pts IN
Jordan 10 pts
Oman OUT
Iraq OUT

Goals
Australia
Joshua Kennedy 83

Jordan
Ahmad Ibrahim 57

Match Reports:
http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2013/6/18/4441102/australia-vs-iraq-final-score-1-0-result-2013/in/4205171
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-18/socceroos-v-iraq-world-cup-qualifier-live-blog/4763134
http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/socceroos/jordan-secure-third-place-in-australias-group-and-play-off-place-after-1-0-win-over-oman/story-e6frf4l3-1226666015243

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5Tm0zphMo8 (Australia v. Iraq)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdVM1P6_-VU (Jordan v. Oman)

Iran 1 - South Korea 0; Uzbekistan 5 - Qatar 1

Seoul was the site for the match between visiting Iran and South Korea.  At least one team would be qualified to Brasil 2014 after the conclusion of play.  Son Heung-Min hit a bouncer into the turf, but the shot did not stay down and went over Iran's goal.  South Korea broke for goal off a defended corner, but Lee Myung-Joo's sprint was slowed by great recovery defense from Khosro Heydari.  In spite of near total dominance, South Korea could not score and the first half ended without a goal.

A whiff by Kim Young-Gwon in defense with no help behind him allowed Reza Ghoochannejhad to latch onto ball and go one-on-one with the goalkeeper to score the opener for Iran.  Kim Young-Gwon fell to the floor in shame, but truthfully his mistake hurt Uzbekistan a lot more than it hurt South Korea.  Kim Young-Gwon almost made up for his error with a strike off a short free kick that had rebounded to him, but Iran goalkeeper Rahman Ahmadi made a superhuman move to deny the goal.  Ahmadi doubled his save by regrouping in time to deny Jang Hyun-Soo as well, keeping Iran in qualifying position.  Lee Keun-Ho saw his late header attempt go just wide of goal, leaving the Taegeuk Warriors behind in the match as time expired.  Iran win 1-0 and qualify for Brasil 2014.

The match in Tashkent between hosts Uzbekistan and Qatar kicked off only two minutes after the festivities in Seoul.  Qatar started a very much second-choice side, which perhaps gave the offensive-minded Uzbekistan lineup an opening to score many, many goals in anticipation of overcoming a massive goal-differential disparity against either South Korea or Iran, depending on the other match's result.  Uzbekistan were only assured of qualification with a six-goal victory, though a Korean victory would make a one-goal Uzbek victory enough.  Server Djeparov had the first clear chance for Uzbekistan with a snapped left-footed shot, but Qatar goalkeeper Ahmed Abonora was able to tip to safety.  Alexander Geynrikh was very dangerous for Uzbekistan, and he nearly scored when a ball nearly found him sliding three yards out.  Somehow, in spite of the dominance of the White Wolves, Qatar were first to score on a counterattack.  A beautiful through ball from Khalfan Ibrahim was tucked into the far corner by Abdulgadir Bakur with Qatar having a numerical advantage on the break.  Ibrahim Abdulmajed of Qatar nearly turned an own goal off a corner, but the crossbar saved him.  Timur Kapadze's cross was volleyed on the fly by Geynrikh, but again the crossbar played favorites and picked Qatar.  The half ended 1-0 to Qatar.

Bakhodir Nasimov was substituted in for Uzbekistan on the hour mark, and he immediately scored after receiving a pass across the box on a three-on-two break.  Uzbekistan were finally level at 1-1.  With less than twenty minutes to go, it became clear that South Korea were not going to win their match, so Uzbekistan went all out to try and win by six goals.  They came close.  Oleg Zoteev slalomed through Qatar right back Hamid Khaleefa twice before finishing at the near post to give the White Wolves a 2-1 lead.  Two minutes later, it was 3-1.  Abonora tried to punch away a header only to kill the ball's momentum for a tap-in goal to Nasimov.  With three minutes left in regulation time, Odil Ahmedov volleyed a high deflection once it fell back down toward Earth into the Qatar goal.  4-1 became 5-1 in stoppage time.  Abonora did all he could to prevent an own goal, but the rebound fell perfectly for a tap-in to Uzbekistan.  Uzbekistan win 5-1, but the margin of victory was not enough to qualify them for Brasil 2014.  South Korea instead are on their way to Brasil 2014, with Uzbekistan into the AFC Playoff.

Iran 16 pts IN
South Korea 14 pts +6 IN
Uzbekistan 14 pts +5
Qatar OUT
Lebanon OUT

Goals
Iran
Reza Ghoochannejhad 60
 
Uzbekistan
Bakhodir Nasimov 61, 74
Oleg Zoteev 72
Odil Ahmedov 87
Ulugbek Bakaev 90+1

Qatar
Abdulgadir Bakur 37

Match Reports:
http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2013/6/18/4441440/south-korea-vs-iran-final-score-0-1-iran-qualify-for-2014-world-cup
http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/world/news-display/fifa-world-cup-qualifying--south-korea-0-iran-1/69178
http://bostonherald.com/sports/revolution_soccer/soccer/2013/06/uzbekistan_downs_qatar_5_1_in_wcup_qualifier
http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2013/6/18/4441276/uzbekistan-vs-qatar-final-score-result-2013

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDG5___LMwQ (Iran v. South Korea)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI7NfWoLlxE (Uzbekistan v. Qatar)

South Korea 1 - Uzbekistan 0; Iran 4 - Lebanon 0

Seoul was the site for the top-of-the-group clash between visiting Uzbekistan and South Korea.  Uzbekistan would qualify for Brasil 2014 with a win, and South Korea would get in with a win coupled with a Lebanon victory later in the day.  South Korea were the better side early on, though a long-distance warning shot from Anzur Ismailov forced South Korea goalkeeper Jung Sung-Ryong into a diving save.  A long diagonal ball from South Korea right back Kim Chang-soo was won on a header by Kim Shin-Wook, and Son Heung-Min was able to first time a ball into the path of Lee Keun-Ho, though Lee Keun-Ho could not hit the target with the goal at his mercy.  South Korea found themselves with an undeserved corner after a Korean handball was not called inside the Uzbek box.  On the resulting corner, the ball was punched aside by Uzbekistan goalkeeper Ignatiy Nesterov, but the resulting cross back into the box was well struck by Kim Young-Gwon.  Uzbekistan defender Akmal Shorakmedov, who had been having a very solid game, looped in a powerful header into his own goal, and South Korea would take a 1-0 lead into the half.

From the opening whistle, the second half was completely owned by the visiting White Wolves. Server Djeparov was his usual creative self, and partner-in-crime Odil Ahmedov was dribbling around defenders into space consistently.  Uzbekistan were also employing a much higher line, but their twenty minutes of domination did not lead to an equalizer.  The rest of the half was played slightly more in the Korean, end but save for one turn-around shot from Alexander Geynrikh that was blocked by South Korea's defense, there was not much in the second period.  South Korea win 1-0 and await the second result to see if they have made it to Brasil 2014.

Iran relished the opportunity to play a home match in Tehran against already-eliminated Lebanon.  Abbas Hassan in goal for Lebanon made a save with his trailing leg, one of many Iranian chances to go beggin in the first half hour of the match.  A visibly tired Lebanese side had nine players absent from this match, and eventually the lack of options wore them down.  Mohammad Khalatbari received a pass at the top of the box, ran to his right to evade two defenders, and then swung across his body to put Iran up 1-0.  In stoppage time, a short corner played to Khosro Heydari found a cluster of four Iranian players, and it would be Javad Nekounam whose header would make the halftime score 2-0 in favor of Iran.

Lebanon defender Hassan Daser was literally brought to his knees in the first minute of the second half by the moves of Reza Ghoochannejhad, leaving Ghoochannejhad with just the goalkeeper to beat, which he did for 3-0.  Nekounam finished the scoring with a curling shot from just above the half circle that left the goalkeeper rooted to his spot in disgust.  Iran win 4-0.  The victory pushes Iran into second place with one match remaining, and it condemns Qatar to the status of "eliminated."

The final matchday in Group One pits South Korea against Iran with one ticket to Brasil 2014 at stake and possibly two.  However, a home victory by Uzbekistan against Qatar would send Uzbekistan through if South Korea win their match.  Uzbekistan will need to go for a multiple-goals victory against Qatar in case South Korea fail to win because Uzbekistan would then be caught in a goal-differential battle, as they would be even with another side on 14 points.

South Korea 14 pts +7
Iran 13 pts +5
Uzbekistan 11 pts +1
Qatar OUT
Lebanon OUT

Goals
South Korea
Akmal Shorakmedov 42 OG

Iran
Mohammad Khalatbari 39
Javad Nekounam 45+1, 86
Reza Ghoochannejhad 46

Match Reports:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/news/20130611/south-korea-world-cup-qualifying.ap/
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Sports/Football/2013/Jun-12/220111-lebanon-wc-campaign-ends-with-4-0-iran-drubbing.ashx#axzz2dQmLlwRG
http://www.tehrantimes.com/sports/108457-iran-closes-in-on-world-cup-dream-with-4-0-win-over-Lebanon


Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYKu49x3i50 (South Korea v. Uzbekistan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5AQw1QlaxI (Iran v. Lebanon)

Australia 4 - Jordan 0; Japan 1 - Iraq 0

Melbourne was the arena for the clash between visiting Jordan and locals Australia.  Australia were dominant in possession early.  Just before the quarter hour, Australia tested the goalkeeper.  Robbie Kruse laid a ball off into the path on an onrushing Brett Holman.  Jordan goalkeeper Amer Sabbah (pictured, black) made the initial save, but the rebound fell to Marc Bresciano.  Bresciano smashed his laser just outside the post.  One minute later, however, Australia got it right.  Off an advantage call, Kruse made it to the end line and raced into the box up the end line.  He made a simple pass to the six-yard box from where Bresciano made no mistake.  Australia were up 1-0.  The Socceroos were destroying the left flank of Jordan's defense, and another Kruse pass nearly made it 2-0, but Cahill could not contort his body quickly enough to get the redirection on frame.  Jordan starting gaining traction over the final twenty minutes of the first half, which Australia won 1-0.

Jordan showed some fight in the opening fifteen minutes of the second half, but eventually Australia re-established supremacy.  On the hour mark, Kruse made a wonderful cross to Cahill for a powerfully headed finish and a two-goal margin.  Kruse with a sweet turn in the box as he nutmegged Mohamad Ali before slotted home for goal number three.  Archie Thompson was saved one-on-one by Sabbah.  A third header in the box on the same corner kick play lead to a historic fourth goal.  Australia captain Lucas Neill (pictured, yellow #2) finally scored his first international goal in more than ninety appearance as he put the Socceroos four goals to the good.  Australia win 4-0 and move within one victory of Brasil 2014.

Already-qualified Japan were able to rest some key players (Maya Yoshida, Atsuto Uchida, Keisuke Honda) in preparation for the upcoming 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup as they traveled to Doha, Qatar to face Iraq in a match that was pivotal in the race for second-place.  A loss for Iraq would see nominal hosts eliminated from the 2014 FIFA World Cup.  In spite of the absences, Japan were the stronger side in this match.  One neat one-two-one exchange nearly provided an opener for the Samurai Blue, but Hiroshi Kiyotake's shot was deflected, giving Iraq goalkeeper Noor Sabri time to crawl to the side and stop the shot.  The first half ended scoreless.

Iraq looked more likely to score in the second period.  However, Alaa Abdul Zahra was booted from the match for his second yellow card in minute 84 after he bicycle kicked Mashiko Inoha in the face going for a glorious finish.  Iraq were down a man for the final push as they looked to remain alive in the competition.  Even down a man, Iraq had to push for the win.  Japan took advantage with a minute to go on a three-versus-two fast break.  Shinji Okazaki fed Yasuhito Endo, whose pass back to Okazaki forced Okazaki to slide, but Okazaki made contact and the ball rolled into the net as Sabri had already committed to Endo's run.  Japan win 1-0 and Iraq are eliminated from the 2014 FIFA World Cup.  This result also guarantees Australia, at worst, a spot in the fifth-place playoff in Asia.

Japan 17 pts IN
Australia 10 pts +4
Oman 9 pts -2
Jordan 7 pts -10
Iraq OUT

Goals
Australia
Mark Bresciano 15
Tim Cahill 61
Robbie Kruse 76
Lucas Neill 84

Japan
Shinji Okazaki 89

Match Reports:
http://www.goal.com/en-au/match/78094/australia-vs-jordan/report?
http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/socceroos/a-dominant-4-0-victory-helps-socceroos-down-jordan-and-move-one-step-closer-to-2014-brazil-world-cup/story-e6frf4l3-1226662099400#.UiAzs5Kkpw8
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/soccer-japan-sign-off-win-end-iraqs-world-165205995.html
http://us.soccerway.com/news/2013/June/11/fifa-world-cup-qualifying-iraq-0-japan-1/n232164/

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AgqWtRSvM4 (Australia v. Jordan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFhziIP-kZg (Japan v. Iraq)

Lebanon 1 - South Korea 1; Iran 1 - Qatar 0

Doha was the site for the fourth tilt between Iran and hosts Qatar in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.  The previous three matches had all resulted in draws.  Qatar nearly had a crucial lead at home through a Hasan Al Haydos shot, but the shot rocked the crossbar and flew back into the field of play.  A very close-range free kick from the left edge of the penalty area nearly gave Iran a shock lead, but Masoud Shojaei's effort was tipped over the crossbar to safety by Qatar goalkeeper Qasem Burhan.  Burhan again showed why he is considered by this blog as a top-five goalkeeper worldwide with a top-notch save from the resulting corner kick.  Reza Ghoochannejhad had a free header at the far post, but as the cross was coming in Burhan dashed from his near post and leapt at Ghoochannejhad.  Burhan's momentum carried him beyond the shot, but his stabbed his left arm behind him to prevent the goal.  The first half somehow managed to end in a 0-0 deadlock.

In the second period, Iran were the much better side.  Shojaei thought he found himself open one-on-one with Burhan, but Qatari centerback Mosaab El Hassan came from behind to kick the ball away to oblivion.  A run by Team Melli substitute Mohammad Kholatbari was cut out by Qatari centerback Ibrahim Majid, but the ball deflected of Kholatbari and into the path of an onrushing Ghoochannejhad, who calmly finished under a diving Burhan to give Iran the lead.  Qatar made a late push, but it was mostly unorganized effort that made little inroads toward an equalizer.  Qatar had shouts for a penalty kick when Shojaei got a foot caught between the legs of Belal Mohamed, but the appeals were waved away.  Iran win 1-0.  The result guarantees that Uzbekistan will finish in third place at worst and that Qatar will finish in third place at best.

With the Iran victory in the earlier match, Lebanon knew they would have to defeat South Korea at home Beirut for the second time during the 2014 FIFA World Cup just to stave off elimination.  Korean attacker Lee Dong-Gook skied an early shot attempt, and then he failed to find the net again soon thereafter.  This time, Lebanon goalkeeper Abbas Hassan made a save on a low shot into his body after Lee Dong-Gook had collected from an aerial through ball.  Lebanon should have had the lead soon thereafter, but Mohamad Haidar let South Korea off the hook, missing an unmarked header from three yards.  Haidar was soon to be avenged, however.  A quickly taken short corner was gathered by Haidar, who then feinted his way around one marker before his drop pass was slotted home by Hassan Mattouk (pictured, red) for the opener.  Lebanon would take that 1-0 lead into the break with an eye on repeating their home victory against South Korea in round three.

South Korea were unbelievably dominant and unbelievably unlucky in the second half.  Abbas made a sliding block save after Lee Dong-Gook's through ball put Lee Chung-Yong in on goal.  Later, a free kick from Kim Chi-Woo (pictured, white #19) gave Kim Shin-Wook an unmarked header that was somehow missed.  Abbas saved a point-blank header from Lee Dong-Gook.  A Kim Kee-hee header off a corner kick lead to a one-time effort off the bounce from Lee Chung-Yong, but again Abbas stuck the ball in his gloves.  With twenty minutes to go, Son Heung-Min headed into the post off a free kick.  Clearly, a voodoo curse had been placed on the Lebanese goal.  Ten minutes from time, a header off a free kick was saved, leading to the rebound being knocked onto the post by Lee Dong-Gook, and a shot by Kim Shin-wook off the second rebound was blocked and rolled out to safety.  Seven minutes from time, a horribly missed shot bounced right into the path of Son, who swung and missed with the goal at his mercy.  After numerous instances of supposed cramping and substitutions made to waste time, Lebanon were out of substitutes and down to ten men.  Finally, South Korea made their superiority pay deep into stoppage time.  A free kick from inside the half circle was hit by Kim Chi-woo, whose left leg must surely have been tired from all the set pieces it struck in this match.  The ball deflected off Walid Ismail's head and into the Lebanese goal for the equalizer.  Ismail was then sent off a minute later for his second yellow card.  The match ends 1-1, eliminating Lebanon from the 2014 FIFA World Cup and moving South Korea to the top of the table.  South Korea are guaranteed to finish no worse than third place in the group.

South Korea 11 pts +6
Uzbekistan 11 pts +2
Iran 10 pts +1
Qatar 7 pts -4
Lebanon OUT

Goals
Iran
Reza Ghoochannejhad 66

Lebanon
Hassan Mattouk 12

South Korea
Kim Chi-Woo 90+7

Match Reports:
http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Iran-downs-Qatar-1-0-in-WCup-qualifying-4576170.php#photo-4735242
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/fullstory/2013/06/05/65/4500000000AEN20130605000500315F.HTML
http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/fullstory/2013/06/05/13/4500000000AEN20130605000151315F.HTML

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RarRQ9hQKJY (Iran v. Qatar)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKH9yTydKJI (Lebanon v. South Korea)

Australia 1 - Japan 1; Oman 1 - Iraq 0

With a home draw against Australia in Saitama, the Samurai Blue would become the first team to join the host nation at Brasil 2014.  The first half featured good defense and lots of shots, leaving one to wonder to where the midfield had disappeared.  It was as if the game were constantly being played in the final third on either end.  Japan missed an early chance when a Maya Yoshida was unable to score on a free header from a corner kick.  A nice interplay between Keisuke Honda, Shinji Okazaki, and Shinji Kagawa (pictured, right) picked apart the Socceroos on one occasion, but goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer preserved his clean sheet with the palm of his outstretched hand to deny Kagawa.  Australia defender Sasa Ognenovski provided a crucial block on another good scoring occasion for Japan.  Australia nearly scored themselves, but Robbie Kruse (pictured, yellow) was denied by a classy save by goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima.  The scintillating first half ended with a 0-0 scoreline.

Japan enjoyed the most dominant stretch either team had during the match in the opening twenty minutes of the second period.  Australia were simply left absorbing pressure as Japan took the first five shots of the second half.  In fact, on chip by Shinji Kagawa from a tight angle landed on the point of the crossbar on its way out of bounds.  Eventually, Australia reawakened.  Luke Wilshire laid a ball back across the box after a right up the right side, and Tim Cahill set up for the one-time finish, but Yoshida made a sliding block to save Japan.  Schwarzer again was called into action when a fast run up the left side by fullback Yuto Nagatomo forced Schwarzer into a diving stop.  With under ten minutes to go in the match, Australia found the opener.  A Tommy Oar attempted cross took a strange flight path that caused the ball to float into the side netting from a very tight angle, stunning the crowd and reviving Australia's hopes of direct qualification.  Australia nearly made it through, but a lack of focus from Matt McKay led to his being called for a handball in the box.  Honda stepped up and drove the ball straight and down the middle on the penalty kick to drive Japan straight to Brasil 2014.  With the 1-1 draw, Japan are the first team to qualify for the final stage of the tournament.

Iraq paid a visit to Muscat hoping for a win that would see them leapfrog from fifth into second place, but hosts Oman were keen on pulling the same feat, albeit out of fourth position.  Muscat was so steamy and toasty today that water breaks were provided, a practice used in every match at the 2012 OFC Nations Cup but rarely used elsewhere.  The first thirty minutes looked as though the teams were playing in oppressive conditions as no attacks were mounted.  Oman shook off the doldrums first and were rewarded with a goal in first-half stoppage time.  A Saad al Mukhaini corner was close enough to tempt Iraq goalkeeper Noor Sabri off his line.  Ismail Al Ajmi leapt to head the ball over Sabri and into the vacated net, where Humam Tariq's last-ditch clearance effort off the line failed.  Oman led 1-0 at intermission.

Abdul Al Mukhaini nearly provided a second goal to Oman with his speedy run out of his own half circle led to a three-on-two break for the Omanis, and his through ball to Al Ajmi was spot on, but Sabri was able to save the shot on this occasion.  Oman continued to be the more attacking side for the duration of the match, as Iraq provided little to thwart their efforts as Oman turned in a strong defensive performance led by Raed Saleh.  Oman win 1-0 and move into sole possession of second place in Group Two.

Japan 14 pts IN
Oman 9 pts -2
Australia 7 pts 0
Jordan 7 pts -6
Iraq 5 pts -2

Goals
Australia
Tommy Oar 82

Japan
Keisuke Honda 90+1 PK

Oman
Ismail Al Ajmi 45+3

Match Reports
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/japan-1-1-australia-honda-174100206--sow.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/jun/04/japan-australia-world-cup-qualifer-for-2014
http://www.euronews.com/sport/1979982-oman-beat-iraq-1-0-to-boost-brazil-dreams/
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/Oman-down-Iraq-1-0-in-FIFA-World-Cup-qualifier/articleshow/20430532.cms

Highlights
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zpAbUxdQxI (Australia v. Japan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7PoviiJca8 (Oman v. Iraq)

Match Schedule: June 2013

June 2013 will mark the arrival of the first teams to the land of the qualified.  Brasil will be joined by at least four more teams as the AFC Fourth Round comes to a close with three matchdays this month.  Four Asian teams will be given their marching orders, and two more will be sent into the Asian playoff round.  CONMEBOL plays two matchdays this month, and given the proper results, Argentina could find themselves qualified by the end of Matchday Fourteen.  Bolivia would see themselves excused from the tournament finals with two losses this month. UEFA only plays twenty qualifiers this month, but that could be sufficient to see Malta and Macedonia sent out of the tournament.  CAF plays two matchdays this month, and while no African team will be able to qualify for Brasil 2014, I am estimating that twenty-four teams in Africa will be eliminated from the 2014 FIFA World Cup.  North America will not experience any such finality this month, but CONCACAF will play three matchdays and pass the halfway mark of its Fourth Round this month.

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

4 June 2013
Australia at Japan 5:34 Saitama
Iraq at Oman 8:00 Muscat
Iran at Qatar 11:15 Doha
South Korea at Lebanon 12:30 Beirut
Mexico at Jamaica 20:30 Kingston

5 June 2013
Namibia at Malawi 7:30 Blantyre
Nigeria at Kenya 8:00 Nairobi

7 June 2013
Democratic Republic of Congo at Libya 9:00 Tripoli
Luxembourg at Azerbaijan 11:00 Baku
Malta at Armenia 11:00 Yerevan
Belarus at Finland 11:00 Helsinki
Bosnia and Herzegovina at Latvia 11:30 Riga
Ghana at Sudan 12:00 Khartoum
Greece at Lithuania 12:45 Vilnius
Slovakia at Liechtenstein 13:00 Vaduz
Poland at Moldova 13:15 Chisinau
Scotland at Croatia 13:15 Zagreb
Ukraine at Montenegro 13:30 Podgorica
Norway at Albania 13:30 Tirana
Italy at Czech Republic 13:45 Prague
Sweden at Austria 13:45 Vienna
Serbia at Belgium 13:45 Brussels
Faroe Islands at Ireland 13:45 Dublin
Slovenia at Iceland 14:00 Reykjavik
Russia at Portugal 14:45 Lisbon
Venezuela at Bolivia 15:00 La Paz
Colombia at Argentina 17:05 Buenos Aires
Chile at Paraguay 19:10 Asuncion
United States of America at Jamaica 20:30 Kingston
Honduras at Costa Rica 21:00 San Jose
Mexico at Panama 21:00 Panama City
Ecuador at Peru 21:10 Lima

8 June 2013
Liberia at Uganda 8:00 Kampala
Lesotho at Zambia 8:00 Ndola
Ethiopia at Botswana 8:00 Lobatse
South Africa at Central African Republic 9:00 Yaounde, Cameroon
Congo at Gabon 9:30 Franceville
Senegal at Angola 10:00 Luanda
Cyprus at Switzerland 10:30 Geneva
Tunisia at Sierra Leone 11:30 Freetown
Cote d'Ivoire at Gambia 11:30 Bakau
Equatorial Guinea at Cape Verde 12:30 Praia
Tanzania at Morocco 15:00 Marrakech

9 June 2013
Egypt at Zimbabwe 8:00 Harare
Burkina Faso at Niger 10:00 Niamey
Algeria at Benin 10:00 Porto-Novo
Cameroon at Togo 10:30 Lome
Mozambique at Guinea 12:00 Conakry
Rwanda at Mali 13:00 Bamako

11 June 2013
Jordan at Australia 4:30 Melbourne
Uzbekistan at South Korea 6:00 Seoul
Japan at Iraq 9:30 Doha, Qatar
Lebanon at Iran 10:30 Tehran
Finland at Belarus 12:00 Gomel
Faroe Islands at Sweden 12:15 Solna
Armenia at Denmark 13:15 Copenhagen
Peru at Colombia 15:30 Barranquilla
Argentina at Ecuador 16:00 Quito
Uruguay at Venezuela 19:00 Puerto Ordaz
Costa Rica at Mexico 19:00 Mexico City
Bolivia at Chile 19:30 Santiago
Jamaica at Honduras 20:00 Tegucigalpa
Panama at United States of America 21:08 Seattle

12 June 2013
Kenya at Malawi 7:30 Blantyre
Nigeria at Namibia 14:00 Windhoek

14 June 2013
Togo at Libya 9:00 Tripoli

15 June 2013
Angola at Uganda 8:00 Kampala
Sudan at Zambia 8:00 Ndola
Central African Republic at Botswana 8:00 Lobatse
Burkina Faso at Congo 9:30 Pointe-Noire
Niger at Gabon 10:00 Libreville
Sierra Leone at Cape Verde 12:30 Praia
Gambia at Morocco 15:00 Marrakech

16 June 2013
Cote d'Ivoire at Tanzania 7:00 Dar Es Salaam
South Africa at Ethiopia 8:00 Addis Ababa
Egypt at Mozambique 8:00 Maputo
Ghana at Lesotho 8:00 Maseru
Algeria at Rwanda 8:30 Kigali
Cameroon at Democratic Republic of Congo 9:30 Kinshasa
Tunisia at Equatorial Guinea 11:00 Malabo
Senegal at Liberia 11:00 Monrovia
Zimbabwe at Guinea 12:00 Conakry
Benin at Mali 13:00 Bamako

18 June 2013
Iraq at Australia 4:30 Sydney
Iran at South Korea 7:00 Seoul
Qatar at Uzbekistan 7:00 Tashkent
Oman at Jordan 11:00 Amman
Honduras at United States of America 20:06 Sandy
Panama at Costa Rica 21:00 San Jose

Jordan 2 - Japan 1; Oman 2 - Australia 2

Sydney hosted a matchup of English Premier League goalkeepers, with visiting Oman boasted Ali Al-Habsi and Australia boasting Mark Schwarzer.  Neither man would have a night he would want to remember on this day.  A no-look flick on through ball went off the body of Australia defender Michael Thwaite.  Abdul Aziz Mubarak stayed with the ball and then shot between the legs of Schwarzer for the early goal for the visitors.  Oman would have the same 1-0 lead at the conclusion of the half.

Things got worse for Australia before they got better, with Mile Jedinak sticking his leg out at the wrong time on an otherwise harmless corner and conceding a terrible own goal.  However, the Socceroos are nothing if not scrappy, and who better to exemplify that than Tim Cahill?  Cahill won a header from seven yards out on a corner kick and calmly finished into the side netting to draw his team within one goal of a tie.  A wicked deflection from a Luke Wilshire shot saw a ball bounce off the Omani crossbar and fall to Cahill, whose attempt at a spectacular side volley flew off frame.  Al-Habsi had a wonderful time denying Cahill's further efforts, and Australia looked doomed to defeat.  However, Al-Habsi had a horror mistake when a simple dipping ball from distance from Brett Holman bounced at his feet and found its way to goal with five minutes left to play.  Al-Habsi made a spectacular save on a Cahill header deep in stoppage time, but one wonders if he will rue the Holman goal for days to come.  Australia escape with a 2-2 draw at home.

Jordan invited Japan into their home in Amman for what was guaranteed to be a historic occasion.  Either Japan would become the first team to qualify for Brasil 2014, or Jordan would collect a scalp bigger than their home win against Australia early in the cycle.  A draw would be enough for Japan to qualify directly to the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals.  An unmarked cross by Makoto Hasebe found an open Ryoichi Maeda from five yards out, but Maeda's header hit the crossbar and Jordan could breathe a sigh of relief.  In stoppage time, Jordan had the opener when a well-struck Amer Deeb corner was met with fury by the head of Khalil Bani Attiah, whose ball flew too fast for the Japanese netminder to keep out.  Jordan led 1-0 after the first period.

On the hour mark, a long ball down the right flank allowed Ahmad Hayel to run onto the ball and around the slower Japan center back Maya Yoshida, who had been dragged to the flank way out of his normal central defensive role by the ball.  Hayel ran all the way to the center of the box before slotting the ball away for a 2-0 Jordan lead on the group leaders.  Nine minutes later, an unbelievable backheel flick-on ball from Hiroshi Kiyotake put Shinji Kagawa (pictured, blue) in on goal, and Kagawa finished from six yards out on a dead sprint to pull Japan within one goal at 2-1.  One minute later, a tackle from behind by Abdallah Deeb on Atsuto Uchida brought Uchida down in the box and gave Japan a penalty kick chance.  Yasuhito Endo's kick was saved by Jordan goalkeeper Amer Sabbah mere centimeters from the post.  Japan will have to wait and seek qualification in June 2013 with the rest of Asia after Jordan win 2-1.

Japan 13 pts +10
Jordan 7 pts -6
Australia 6 pts 0
Oman 6 pts -3
Iraq 5 pts -1

Goals
Oman
Abdul Aziz Mubarak 6
Mile Jedinak 49 OG

Australia
Tim Cahill 52
Brett Holman 85

Jordan
Khalil Bani Attiah 45+1
Ahmad Hayel 60

Japan
Shinji Kagawa 69

Match Reports:
http://www.3news.co.nz/Oman-hold-Australia-to-2-2-draw-in-WCup-qualifier/tabid/415/articleID/291995/Default.aspx
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/socceroos-coach-holger-osciek-lauds-squad-depth-ahead-of-clash-with-oman/story-e6frg6n6-1226605766478
http://www.sportlive.co.za/soccer/international/2013/03/26/australia-forced-to-fight-back-for-2-2-draw-with-oman
http://www.skynews.com.au/sport/article.aspx?id=858080
http://jordantimes.com/nashama-beat-japan-2-1-to-revive-world-cup-hopes

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-diqV_4_hU (Oman v. Australia)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxcMjURppRk (Jordan v. Japan)

South Korea 2 - Qatar 1; Uzbekistan 1 - Lebanon 0

South Korea welcomed Qatar to Seoul looking to distance themselves not only from Qatar but also from idle Iran.  The first half provided few memories to all those in attendance, and the match gave way to halftime having seen no goals.  South Korea had all the chances in the opening frame, but Qatar goalkeeper Qasem Burhan (pictured, gray) and company were steady in defense.

On the hour mark, the Taegeuk Warriors finally made their superiority translate onto the scoreboard.  A Park Won-Jae free kick was curled into the box, from where the head of Lee Keun-Ho rolled it over the top of Burhan's outstretched hand and into the Qatari goal to give South Korea the opener.  South Korea appeared to dip in concentration after the goal, and six minutes later their visitors were on level terms.  Ibrahim Abdulmajed drove through the defense and passed off for Khalfan Ibrahim, who was not closed down at all from twenty yards out.  He scored and the matched was poised on the edge for a dramatic conclusion.  With five minutes to go, the tension became too much as the match was delayed by a shoving match between the teams after South Korea's Son Heung-Min kicked at Hamid Ismail after suffering a heavy challenge.  In the sixth minute of stoppage time, a Koo Ja-Cheol effort hit the underside of the crossbar and fell right on the line for Son to tap home for the winning goal.  South Korea win 2-1.

Tashkent and a hopeful audience were hoping for Uzbekistan to reassert their position atop the Group One table against visiting Lebanon.  Hassan Chaito nearly blasted an early shot from outside the penalty area into the net, but his effort flew just wide of goal for Lebanon.  Uzbekistan nearly responded with a goal straight off a corner by Server Djeparove, but Walid Ismail was at the far post to steer the ball clear of danger.  The visiting Cedars got the message, and they began playing much more conversatively from thereon out.  The first half ended with no goals having been scored.

The White Wolves introduced striker Farhod Tadjiyev before the second half, and his presence altered the complexion of the match.  He first hit the bar before firing over the goal on another great opportunity.  The pressure could only be contained for so long by Lebanon, and the dam eventually broke when a weak Djeparov effort took a deflection off a Lebanese defender and into the goal for a 1-0 lead to the hosts.  Lebanon could surmount no answer, and Uzbekistan win 1-0.

Uzbekistan 11 pts +2
South Korea 10 pts +6
Iran 7 pts 0
Qatar 7 pts -3
Lebanon 4 pts -5

Goals
South Korea
Lee Keun-Ho 60
Son Heung-Min 90+6

Qatar
Khalfan Ibrahim 66

Uzbekistan
Server Djeparov 63

Match Reports:
http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/03/26/soccer-world-asia-southkorea-idINDEE92P0BP20130326
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130326/football-late-drama-south-korea-beat-qatar-0
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Sports/Football/2013/Mar-27/211561-uzbekistan-end-lebanons-world-cup-hopes.ashx#axzz2PHU9KHED

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsP5CGCAe2s (South Korea v. Qatar)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NrniIgU1n4 (Uzbekistan v. Lebanon)

Match Schedule: March 2013

The OFC Third Round comes to its conclusion this month with either New Zealand or New Caledonia claiming a spot in the intercontinental playoffs.  In Asia, Japan are looking to become the first team to qualify for Brasil 2014 with a victory against Jordan.  Matchdays Two and Three take place in the CONCACAF Fourth Round, while in CONMEBOL Matchdays Eleven and Twelve take the tournament to two-thirds completion.  The CAF Second Round makes it to its halfway point with Matchday Three.  UEFA continues its journey toward Brasil with a double date of matches that will take most European teams past the midway point of their qualification cycles.

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

22 March 2013
New Caledonia at New Zealand 1:35 Dunedin
Portugal at Israel 7:45 Ramat Gan
Malta at Bulgaria 11:00 Sofia
Serbia at Croatia 12:00 Zagreb
Iceland at Slovenia 12:00 Ljubljana
Turkey at Andorra 12:15 Andorra la Vella
Germany at Kazakhstan 13:00 Astana
Albania at Norway 13:00 Oslo
Latvia at Liechtenstein 13:30 Vaduz
Lithuania at Slovakia 14:10 Zilina
Azerbaijan at Luxembourg 14:15 Luxembourg
Montenegro at Moldova 14:30 Chisinau
Romania at Hungary 14:30 Budapest
Denmark at Czech Republic 14:30 Olomouc
Faroe Islands at Austria 14:30 Vienna
Estonia at Netherlands 14:30 Amsterdam
Ukraine at Poland 14:45 Warsaw
Belgium at Macedonia 14:45 Skopje
Greece at Bosnia and Herzegovina 14:45 Zenica
Ireland at Sweden 14:45 Solna
Finland at Spain 14:45 Gijon
Russia at Northern Ireland 14:45 Belfast
England at San Marino 15:00 Serravalle
Georgia at France 15:00 Saint-Denis
Wales at Scotland 15:00 Glasgow
Bolivia at Colombia 15:00 Barranquilla
Mexico at Honduras 16:00 San Pedro Sula
Paraguay at Uruguay 17:00 Montevideo
Venezuela at Argentina 19:00 Buenos Aires
Chile at Peru 19:15 Lima
Panama at Jamaica 20:30 Kingston
Costa Rica at United States of America 21:11 Commerce City
Solomon Islands at Tahiti 1:00 (23 March) Pirae

23 March 2013
Togo at Cameroon 9:30 Yaounde
Gabon at Congo 9:30 Pointe-Noire
Malawi at Namibia 10:00 Windhoek
Kenya at Nigeria 10:00 Calabar
Gambia at Cote d'Ivoire 12:00 Abidjan
Angola at Senegal 12:00 Conakry, Guinea
Niger at Burkina Faso 13:00 Ouagadougou
Sierra Leone at Tunisia 13:00 Rades
Central African Republic at South Africa 13:15 Cape Town
Switzerland at Cyprus 13:30 Nicosia

24 March 2013
Morocco at Tanzania 7:00 Dar Es Salaam
Botswana at Ethiopia 8:00 Addis Ababa
Guinea at Mozambique 8:00 Maputo
Zambia at Lesotho 8:00 Maseru
Mali at Rwanda 8:30 Kigali
Libya at Democratic Republic of Congo 9:30 Kinshasa
Cape Verde at Equatorial Guinea 11:00 Malabo
Sudan at Ghana 11:00 Kumasi
Uganda at Liberia 11:00 Paynesville

26 March 2013
New Zealand at Solomon Islands 23:00 (25 March) Honiara
Tahiti at New Caledonia 2:00 Noumea
Oman at Australia 3:30 Sydney
Qatar at South Korea 6:00 Seoul
Lebanon at Uzbekistan 8:00 Tashkent
Japan at Jordan 9:00 Amman
Czech Republic at Armenia 11:00 Yerevan
Portugal at Azerbaijan 12:00 Baku
Andorra at Estonia 12:00 Tallinn
Zimbabwe at Egypt 12:00 Alexandria
Hungary at Turkey 13:30 Istanbul
Moldova at Ukraine 14:00 Odessa
Bulgaria at Denmark 14:15 Copenhagen
Scotland at Serbia 14:30 Novi Sad
Romania at Netherlands 14:30 Amsterdam
Benin at Algeria 14:30 Blida
San Marino at Poland 14:45 Warsaw
Kazakhstan at Germany 14:45 Nuremberg
Macedonia at Belgium 14:45 Brussels
Italy at Malta 14:45 Ta'Qali
Croatia at Wales 14:45 Swansea
Israel at Northern Ireland 14:45 Belfast
Austria at Ireland 14:45 Dublin
England at Montenegro 15:00 Podgorica
Spain at France 15:00 Saint-Denis
Argentina at Bolivia 15:00 La Paz
Paraguay at Ecuador 16:00 Quito
Colombia at Venezuela 18:30 Puerto Ordaz
Uruguay at Chile 19:30 Santiago
Jamaica at Costa Rica 21:00 San Jose
Honduras at Panama 21:00 Panama City
United States of America at Mexico 21:30 Mexico City

Uzbekistan 1 - Iran 0; Qatar 1 - Lebanon 0

Doha was the site for Qatar's home match against Lebanon.  Qatar had defeated Lebanon 1-0 in the two teams' opening AFC Fourth Round fixture.  This match was a tale of two halves.  The first half saw the rise of Lebanon.  Abbas Ahmad Batwi fired a shot from the half circle that was plucked out of the air on the dive by Qatar goalkeeper Qasem Burhan, who had yet another vintage performance on this night.  Ahmad Zreik nearly sent a goal in from thirty yards, but once again Burhan was alert and rose to catch the ball.  The half ended 0-0.

The second half saw the fall of Lebanon.  Sebastian Soria made a solo run from the halfway line unmarked to a spot thirty-two yards from goal, from where he decided it wise to unleash an outside-of-the-boot swerve.  His shot left Lebanon goalkeeper Abbas Hassan rooted on his spot as the ball sailed into the back of the net.  Hassan made a crucial save mere moments later on a driven shot from Lawrence Quaye, but his offense could mount no charge on an equalizer.  Qatar win 1-0 to jump into a tie for second-place.

Tehran was the site of the rematch between visiting Uzbekistan and Iran.  The visiting White Wolves felt hard-done by the officiating in their home match against Team Melli on Matchday One, so they wanted to even the score on the road tonight.  Team Melli were without their usual support as the rain-drenched Azadi Stadium was filled to less than half-capacity.  Team Melli scored the opener through Mohammed Nori, but his goal was ruled back for offsides as his teammate Mohammed Khalatbari was blocking the goalkeeper's vision while in an offside position.  A fight nearly broke out when a felled Uzbek player had a ball back-heeled into his head by an Iranian player as he lay on the pitch.  Server Djeparov has his usual dangerous self for the White Wolves, and his free kicks caused havoc all night.  Iran were lackluster for the most part, and the first half ended in a tepid 0-0.

With twenty minutes to go, Djeparov stood over another free kick forty yards from goal.  The ball kept floating on a low line before dipping to hip level inside the six-yard box.  Ulugbek Bakaev ran onto the ball after getting goalside on his defender, giving himself an easy volley from three yards to give the White Wolves a lead.  Sanjar Tursonov nearly made it two to the good, but his effort inside the six-yard box was deflected off frame.  Iran scored another offside goal in stoppage time, leaving them to ponder what could have been.  Uzbekistan win 1-0 to move alone at the top of Group One.

Uzbekistan 8 pts +1
South Korea 7 pts +5
Iran 7 pts 0
Qatar 7 pts -2
Lebanon 4 pts -4

Goals
Qatar
Sebastian Soria 75

Uzbekistan
Ulugbek Bakaev 71

Match Reports:
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1900130/index.html
http://boxscorenews.com/uzbekistan-stuns-iran-as-bakaev-nets-winner-in-afc-world-cup-qualifying-p50861-68.htm

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nkLQ0PvDqg&feature=relmfu (Qatar v. Lebanon)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IznDusB2QUI&feature=relmfu (Uzbekistan v. Iran)

Full Match Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibv0OSdYhjA (Uzbekistan v. Iran)

Iraq 1 - Jordan 0; Japan 2 - Oman 1

Oman welcomed Group Two leaders Japan to Muscat in the hopes of finally breaking their duck against the Samurai Blue by recording a first win in their ninth match against Japan.  However, even a draw would see Oman skip idle Australia to move into second position in the group.  Oman had a golden chance ten minutes into the match when Ismail Al Ajmi's run down the right side of the box drew two defenders and the goalkeeper before laying a ball off in front of the empty net.  However, Fawzi Bashir missed the easy effort well over the goal.  Japan would punish Bashir's miss ten minutes later.  Japanese left back Yuto Nagatomo sent a weak cross from the left side of the box that somehow eluded all the Oman defenders in the area, allowing Hiroshi Kiyotake to score his first international goal to give Japan a 1-0 lead.  The visitors took that lead into the break.

With less than one quarter hour remaining in the match, Oman found their equalizer.  Ahmed Mubarak stood over a free kick from twenty-three yards.  Mubarak selected a low ball that rolled around the wall and curled into the far corner as it passed beyond the reach of multiple outstretched legs searching for a redirecting touch.  In the final minute, the crowd were stunned into silence.  Gotoku Sakai raced down the let flank and sent a ball into the box that was flicked on at the near post by Yasuhito Endo.  Shinji Okazaki was the beneficiary as the ball bounced to him for a tidy short-range put away and a road victory.  Japan win 2-1, guaranteeing themselves at worst a spot in the Asian fifth-place playoff with today's result.

Doha, Qatar was the home site for Iraq against Jordan.  This match was dominated by the two goalkeepers: Noor Sabri of Iraq and Amer Shafi of Jordan.  A whipped in cross was too much for Jordan forward Tha'er Bawab to handle as his header could not find the frame unmarked from ten yards.  Jordan right winger Khalil Bani Attiah preserved the tie later in the half as his last-ditch sliding block prevented an Iraqi shot from five yards.  Jordan had a good chance to go ahead near the end of the period, but Abdallah Deeb's dipping effort from outside the box was parried away on the short hop by Sabri.  The half ended scoreless.

In the latter portions of the second half, Shafi was called into action often.  He punched away a strong strike from substitute Amjed Rahdi.  With four minutes left, Iraq's Hammadi Ahmed took advantage of the time and space he had at the left side of the half circle by unleashing a ball that tailed away from a diving Shafi and into the Jordanian net.  Iraq held onto their new-found 1-0 lead for the remainder of the match to grab their first win of the campaign 1-0 over Jordan.

Japan 13 pts +11
Australia 5 pts 0
Iraq 5 pts -1
Oman 5 pts -3
Jordan 4 pts -7

Goals
Japan
Hiroshi Kiyotake 20
Shinji Okazaki 89

Oman
Ahmed Mubarak 77

Iraq
Hammadi Ahmed 86

Match Reports:
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1900115/index.html
http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/soccer/story/Japan-beats-Oman-21-in-WCup-qualifier-20504303
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1900117/index.html
http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Iraq-beats-Jordan-1-0-in-2014-WCup-qualifier-4036526.php

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjCh5aAwS5A&feature=g-all-u (Japan v. Oman)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50I9dCipWRE&feature=relmfu (Iraq v. Jordan)

Full Match Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYeRIiRV-Pw (Japan v. Oman)

Match Schedule: November 2012

Matchday Six of the AFC Fourth Round takes place in November, as do two matches in Europe.  The small slate of six games marks the end of Brasil 2014 matches until February 2013.

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

14 November 2012
Japan at Oman 5:30 Muscat
Jordan at Iraq 7:00 Doha, Qatar
Lebanon at Qatar 8:45 Doha
Uzbekistan at Iran 10:30 Tehran
San Marino at Montenegro 11:00 Podgorica
Azerbaijan at Northern Ireland 13:45 Belfast

Iran 1 - South Korea 0; Uzbekistan 1 - Qatar 0

Qatar welcomed Uzbekistan to Doha for the first qualifier of the day.  Qatar had the majority of the attacking ideas on the night, but that did not stop Uzbekistan from converting one of their few chances  a dozen minutes into the match as a Akmal Shorakmedov cross was laced home on the volley from the penalty spot by Sanjar Tursonov.  Qatar defender Lawrence Quaye had a go from distance, but Uzbekistan goalkeeper Ignatiy Nesterov dove to knock the ball to safety.  Nesterov was called upon again at the stroke of halftime to tip aside a header from Wesam Abdulmajid.  The half ended 1-0 to the visitors.

Uzbekistan had no motivation to go forward in the second half, but their defense was quite stout.  The heat began to slow do the Qataris as they were forced to do all the running in search of the equalizer.  By the end of the match, Uzbekistan were simply knocking the ball around as a tired Qatar were trying to summon energy to steal the ball.  The final whistle blew to give Uzbekistan a 1-0 win and a ticket off the bottom of the table in Group One.

Tehran's famed Azadi Stadium raucously greeted Iran as the home side took on group leaders South Korea. Twenty minutes into the match, Reza Ghoochannejhad ripped a shot from twenty-one yards to force a sprawling save by Korean goalkeeper Jung Sung-Ryong.  From there on out until halftime, the Taeguek Warriors were on the offensive.  A Kim Bo-Kyung header crashed the underside of the bar over the outstretched hands of the Iran goalkeeper, but the ball somehow came down on the line and spun back out without scoring.  Iran were relieved to go into their locker room tied at zero goals apiece.

Masoud Shojaei made a terrible challenge in minute 56 on Oh Beom-Seok, leading to his second yellow card and expulsion.  Team Melli did not suffer as badly from being a man down as one would have expected playing against a powerful team like South Korea.  In fact, Team Melli outplayed the visitors over the final half hour.  With a dozen minutes left in the match, a short free kick for Iran was deflected to the penalty spot, from where Jevad Nekounam half-volleyed into the bottom corner to give Iran a lead they would not relinquish.  Iran win 1-0 to go joint-top of the group with South Korea.

South Korea 7 pts +5
Iran 7 pts +1
Uzbekistan 5 pts 0
Qatar 4 pts -3
Lebanon 4 pts -3

Goals
Uzbekistan
Sanjar Tursunov 13

Iran
Jevad Nekounam 78

Match Reports:
http://football.thestar.com.my/2012/10/16/uzbekistan-beat-qatar-to-reignite-world-cup-hopes/
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1785975/index.html
http://www.sbnation.com/2014-world-cup-qualifying/2012/10/16/3512734/iran-vs-south-korea-final-score-match-report-result
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/sports/2012/10/16/10-man-iran-downs-south-korea-1-0-in-qualifier/

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OfZqjQeBAM (Uzbekistan v. Qatar)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9HbplOeJbY (Iran v. South Korea)

Australia 2 - Iraq 1; Oman 2 - Jordan 1

Muscat was the scene welcomed Oman home to take on Jordan.  Oman were two points adrift of Jordan for second place in Group Two coming into the night.  The first half was relatively quiet until the final minute, when Fouzi Bashir's shot beat the goalkeeper, but luckily for Jordan fullback Mohammed Al-Dmeiri was on the line to make a clearance.  The half ended scoreless.

In the opening minute of the second half, a long cross from Jordan captain Amer Deeb led to a sliding shot by Ahmad Ibrahim inside the six-yard box, but he knocked the ball wide of frame.  A couple of minutes beyond the hour mark, Oman scored off a messy corner kick play.  Ismail Al Ajmi headed down weakly , but his teammate Ahmed Mubarak was first to go to ground and was able to toe poke through two Jordan defenders and into the goal for the opener.  With three minutes left to play, Oman sealed the victory.  Confusion between a Jordanian center back and his goalkeeper on how to deal with a cross that landed on the six-yard box allowed the ball to bounce to Jumaa Darwish for a sharp-angled tap-in at the far post, leading to a four-person choreographed dance routine in celebration.  In the final minute of regulation, a very smooth one-two-one-three-two play by Jordan led to a goal from Thaer Bawab.  Oman would not allow Jordan to take advantage of any further lapse in concentration in stoppage time, however, so Oman win 2-1 to leapfrog Jordan in the standings.

Doha, Qatar was the nominal home venue for Iraq as Australia came to town.  Both teams were mired in joint last-place on the table coming into the match but knew that a victory could catapult them into second place.  The first half was woefully devoid of offense and ended 0-0.

Robbie Kruse nearly opened the scoring for Australia, but he sent a shot centimeters wide of the post.  Australia looked like the more dangerous side, but it would be Iraq who would come through with eighteen minutes left to play.  A Younis Mahmoud header off a beautiful floated cross half the length of the field from his right back was nodded perfectly behind Matthew Spiranovic, the one defender back, and into the path of substitute Alaa Abdul Zahara.  Zahara slotted to the bottom corner to give Iraq a 1-0 lead and life in the group standings.  A determined Australia were not about to lose again and go bottom of the group, however.  A mistake on the marking scheme on an Australia corner ten minutes from time left forward Zahara on Tim Cahill, one of the best headers of the ball in the history of the sport.  Matt McKay's outswinging corner kick came to Cahill on the penalty spot, and he rose above Zahara to push an excellent header back toward the near post for the equalizer.  The Socceroos were not down scoring.  Spiranovic had a header chance two minutes later but he sent his shot wide.  Two minutes after that, another breakthrough happened when two fresh Australia substitutes combined on the match winner.  A perfect cross from Tommy Oar allowed Archie Thompson to have a free look at a flick header in the six-yard box, and Thompson converted, giving Australia the lead and the fans an opportunity to witness Thompson and Cahill joining forces as they boxed with the corner flag in celebration.  Australia win 2-1.

Japan 10 pts +10
Australia 5 pts 0
Oman 5 pts -2
Jordan 4 pts -6
Iraq 2 pts -2

Goals
Oman
Ahmed Mubarak 62
Jumaa Darwish 87

Jordan
Thaer Bawab 90

Australia
Tim Cahill 80
Archie Thompson 84

Iraq
Alaa Abdul Zahara 72

Match Reports:
http://main.omanobserver.om/node/115577
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1785977/index.html
http://www.odt.co.nz/sport/football/230713/football-socceroos-back-track-iraq-win
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/no-room-for-complacency-20121019-27wnc.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeqnE9qpNuE (Oman v. Jordan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sN80pWzPaI&feature=related (Australia v. Iraq)

Match Schedule: October 2012

The month of October 12 will see five teams in CONCACAF eliminated from Brasil 2014.  The AFC Fourth Round will make it to its halfway point, as will the CONMEBOL single group phase, and the OFC Third Round.  In OFC, Tahiti will be looking to avoid an early elimination this month.  UEFA Match Days Three and Four will start to clear up the picture in Europe.

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

12 October 2012
New Caledonia at Solomon Islands 23:00 (11 October) Honiara
Portugal at Russia 10:00 Moscow
Georgia at Finland 10:30 Helsinki
Austria at Kazakhstan 11:00 Astana
Italy at Armenia 11:00 Yerevan
Sweden at Faroe Islands 11:00 Torshavn
Iceland at Albania 12:00 Tirana
Romania at Turkey 12:30 Istanbul
Lithuania at Liechtenstein 12:30 Vaduz
Spain at Belarus 13:00 Minsk
Ukraine at Moldova 13:00 Chisinau
Denmark at Bulgaria 13:00 Sofia
Malta at Czech Republic 13:00 Plzen
Latvia at Slovakia 13:15 Bratislava
Germany at Ireland 13:15 Dublin
Hungary at Estonia 13:30 Tallinn
Croatia at Macedonia 13:30 Skopje
Belgium at Serbia 13:30 Belgrade
Norway at Switzerland 13:30 Bern
Andorra at Netherlands 13:30 Rotterdam
Bosnia and Herzegovina at Greece 13:45 Piraeus
Cyprus at Slovenia 13:45 Maribor
Scotland at Wales 13:45 Cardiff
Israel at Luxembourg 14:00 Luxembourg
San Marino at England 14:00 London
Peru at Bolivia 14:00 La Paz
Paraguay at Colombia 15:30 Barranquilla
Chile at Ecuador 16:00 Quito
United States of America at Antigua and Barbuda 18:00 North Sound
Cuba at Canada 18:45 Toronto
Uruguay at Argentina 19:00 Mendoza
Mexico at Guyana 20:00 Houston, United States of America
Costa Rica at El Salvador 20:30 San Salvador
Jamaica at Guatemala 21:00 Guatemala City
Honduras at Panama 21:05 Panama City
New Zealand at Tahiti 1:00 (13 October) Pirae

16 October 2012
Tahiti at New Zealand 1:35 Christchurch
Solomon Islands at New Caledonia 3:30 Noumea
Uzbekistan at Qatar 7:25 Doha
Jordan at Oman 8:00 Muscat
Australia at Iraq 9:15 Doha, Qatar
Azerbaijan at Russia 10:00 Moscow
Luxembourg at Israel 11:00 Tel Aviv
Georgia at Belarus 11:00 Minsk
South Korea at Iran 11:30 Tehran
Liechtenstein at Latvia 12:00 Riga
Estonia at Andorra 12:00 Andorra La Vella
Montenegro at Ukraine 13:00 Kyiv
Norway at Cyprus 13:00 Larnaca
Netherlands at Romania 13:00 Bucharest
Lithuania at Bosnia and Herzegovina 13:00 Zenica
Wales at Croatia 13:00 Osijek
Bulgaria at Czech Republic 13:00 Prague
Ireland at Faroe Islands 13:00 Torshavn
Serbia at Macedonia 13:30 Skopje
Turkey at Hungary 13:30 Budapest
Greece at Slovakia 13:30 Bratislava
Kazakhstan at Austria 13:30 Vienna
Moldova at San Marino 13:30 Serravalle
Switzerland at Iceland 13:30 Reykjavik
Slovenia at Albania  13:45 Tirana
Scotland at Belgium 13:45 Brussels

Sweden at Germany 13:45 Berlin

Denmark at Italy 13:45 Milan
England at Poland 14:00 Warsaw
France at Spain 14:00 Madrid
Uruguay at Bolivia 14:00 La Paz
Northern Ireland at Portugal 14:45 Porto
Panama at Cuba 15:00 Havana
Canada at Honduras 15:00 San Pedro Sula
Peru at Paraguay 17:00 Asuncion
Ecuador at Venezuela 17:00 Puerto La Cruz
Antigua and Barbuda at Jamaica 18:15 Kingston
Guatemala at United States of America 18:15 Kansas City
Argentina at Chile 19:05 Santiago
El Salvador at Mexico 20:00 Torreon
Guyana at Costa Rica 20:00 San Jose

Jordan 2 - Australia 1; Japan 1 - Iraq 0

Japan welcomed Iraq, the charges of their former coach Zico, to Saitama for Matchday Four of the AFC Fourth Round.  2011 AFC Asian Cup champion goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima won on his game in the first half, saving Ahmed Ibrahim's forceful header off a corner kick and then Ahmed Yaseen's middle-range effort on a semi-breakaway on a full stretch dive.  Sandwiched in between, Japan stole a goal when Shinji Okazaki flicked a volley off a high bounce to an unmarked Ryoichi Maeda from point-blank range.  Japan took the undeserved 1-0 lead into the break against the young Iraq team.

Keisuke Honda nearly had Japan's second goal, but his diving header off a floating cross was saved onto and off the post by Iraq goalkeeper Noor Sabri.  The rest of the half passed with little action.  Japan win 1-0.  Japan, with more than double the points of their nearest competitor, are clearly going to be booking a place at Brasil 2014.  They very well may pull it off by the end of Matchday Seven.

Australia made the short trip from their friendly in Lebanon to Amman to take on Jordan for the first time ever.  The home side were looking to jump off the bottom of the Group Two table with an upset of the Socceroos.  Jordan had shouts for a penalty when Tim Cahill handled a ball inside his penalty area when he was the outside man of a five-man wall, but Jordan were unluckily not given their reward.  Brett Holman nearly added to the injustice immediately thereafter, but his shot was blocked by Basem Othman.  The half ended with no scores.

In the second half, delayed justice was Jordan's.  Mile Jedinak come on to begin the second period for Australia, and his presence nearly paid immediate dividends, but he missed an unmarked header.  A shameful dive by Odai Alsaify (pictured, white) led to the penalty kick Jordan should have had in the first half, and the spot kick was pushed home for a 1-0 lead to Jordan.  Jedinak nearly equalized from almost thirty yards, but his effort struck the post and bounced all the way out of the penalty area untouched.  On a Jordan counterattack, Alsaify went up the left side of the box, broke down Lucas Neill, and drew out the goalkeeper before slotting to an onrushing Amer Deeb, who tapped home for a massive second goal.  A smooth backheel layoff by Alex Brosque allowed an onrushing Archie Thompson to surge into the Jordanian box and slot home to the far post to close the gap to 2-1.  Australia's last surge did not result in a second goal, however.  Jordan win 2-1 in the biggest victory in their country's history.

Japan 10 pts +10
Jordan 4 pts -5
Australia 2 pts -1
Iraq 2 pts -1
Oman 2 pts -3

Goals
Japan
Ryoichi Maeda 25

Jordan
Hasan Abdel-Fattah 50 PK
Amer Deeb 73

Australia

Archie Thompson 85

Match Reports:
http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/09/11/soccer-worldcup-japan-iraq-idINDEE88A09K20120911
http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/soccer/story/Jordan-beats-Australia-21-in-WCup-qualifier-48386960

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JufHVAygA5I (Japan v. Iraq)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4CAzTQadog (Jordan v. Australia)

Lebanon 1 - Iran 0; Uzbekistan 2 - South Korea 2

Uzbekistan welcomed Group One leaders South Korea to Tashkent in the third qualifier of round four for both sides.  Uzbekistan are off to a much slower start than anticipated, but South Korea entered with a 100 percent record with six points from two matches played.  Uzbekistan came out with a purpose early on, and their reward came before the quarter hour mark.  Sanjar Tursonov flicked on an underhit corner, which was then dealt with poorly by a South Korea defender as he headed into his own net.  The Taegeuk Warriors were not about to rush or alter their game plan in panic.  Perhaps they should have, for Tursonov found himself loose in the box after he shook his marker to the ground, but his rocket shot was palmed away by an alert goalkeeper, Jung Sung-Ryong.  Near the conclusion of play, a long South Korean free kick was misread by the Uzbekistan goalkeeper, and Kwak Tae-Hwi won the header to fire into a vacated net for the equalizer.  The halftime scoreboard read 1-1.

A dozen minutes in, South Korea again took advantage of a missed clearance, this team a defender the culprit when he leaped and missed the ball with his head.  The ball fell to a calm and collected Lee Dong-Gook, who pushed the ball under the goalkeeper for a 2-1 lead to the visitors.  Two minutes later, the score would change again.  On another purposely underhit corner, Tursonov again flicked on a header, except this time he needed no touch from a defender as the ball flew into the net for the goal of the contest.  The 2-2 score was a bit flattering to South Korea at this point, but they looked deserving off a third late in the match. It never came, so the match saw the teams share the spoils 2-2.

An unfancied Lebanon side welcomed Iran to Beirut.  Lebanon had been without captain Roda Antar (pictured, red) for their previous three qualifiers, but he was finally suited up again for this match.  His goalkeeper Abbas Hassan kept Lebanon in contention with a sharp save.  It was a Lebanon free kick swung to the back post by Mohammad Haidar that found Antar's head.  Antar, leaning away from goal, snapped his header just hard enough to elude any touch as it nestled itself in the net and in Lebanese history.  Lebanon took the 1-0 advantage in their locker room.

Upon returning, a revitalized Iran was in control of the second half.  Iran's Mohammad Noori had a header cleared off the line and then a volley parried away by Hassan.  Iran captain Javad Nekounam nearly equalized in stoppage time with his own goalkeeper coming into the attack, but the low driven shot was batted aside by Hassan.  Lebanon record the most important win in their history, 1-0 at home to Iran.

South Korea 7 pts +6
Iran 4 pts 0
Qatar 4 pts -2
Lebanon 4 pts -3
Uzbekistan 2 pts -1

Goals
Uzbekistan
Ki Sung-Yeung 13 OG
Sanjar Tursonov 59

South Korea
Kwak Tae-Hwi 43
Lee Dong-Gook 57

Lebanon
Roda Antar 27

Match Reports:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/soccer/wires/09/11/2080.ap.soc.uzbekistan.south.korea.1st.ld.writethru.362/index.html
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jo5w7fRZAxC94_nuBmobWk1hKaAA?docId=CNG.b0a4c50ba027557db7c59fa615ce7509.c31
http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Lebanon-upsets-Iran-1-0-in-WCup-qualifier-3856479.php
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Sports/Football/2012/Sep-11/187519-lebanon-beat-iran-1-0-to-keep-world-cup-hopes-alive.ashx#axzz26Sjx59Va

Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=6B9T9l4QGv0 (Uzbekistan v. South Korea)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLMDRqo7sj4 (Lebanon v. Iran)

Match Schedule: September 2012

September 2012 will forever be known as the month when Europe began their qualification cycle for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.  Defending world and European champions Spain will make the latest 2014 debut of any team that played in South Africa 2010 when they open their tournament on 11 September 2012.  Every team in the UEFA zone will make their debut this month.

In South America, Matchdays Seven and Eight are on deck.  Oceania open their Third Round of qualifying with a double matchday.  Asia have only one matchday on tap, the fourth of ten in their final round of qualifying.  North America push beyond the midway mark of their Third Round as they play Matchdays Three and Four.

The only three teams in danger of elimination this month are Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, and Guyana.

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

7 September 2012
Tahiti at Solomon Islands 23:00 (6 September) Honiara
New Zealand at New Caledonia 4:00 Noumea
Northern Ireland at Russia 10:00 Moscow
Ireland at Kazakhstan 11:00 Astana
Israel at Azerbaijan 11:00 Baku
Belarus at Georgia 12:00 Tbilisi
Bosnia and Herzegovina at Liechtenstein 12:00 Vaduz
Romania at Estonia 13:00 Tallinn
Armenia at Malta 13:00 Ta'Qali
Slovakia at Lithuania 13:15 Vilnius
Macedonia at Croatia 13:15 Zagreb
Greece at Latvia 13:30 Riga
France at Finland 13:30 Helsinki
Poland at Montenegro 13:30 Podgorica
Cyprus at Albania 13:30 Tirana
Switzerland at Slovenia 13:30 Ljubljana
Turkey at Netherlands 13:30 Amsterdam
Hungary at Andorra 13:30 Andorra La Vella
Italy at Bulgaria 13:45 Sofia
England at Moldova 13:45 Chisinau
Faroe Islands at Germany 13:45 Hanover
Portugal at Luxembourg 13:45 Luxembourg
Belgium at Wales 13:45 Cardiff
Norway at Iceland 13:45 Reykjavik
Honduras at Cuba 14:00 Havana
Uruguay at Colombia 15:30 Barranquilla
Bolivia at Ecuador 16:00 Quito
Paraguay at Argentina 18:10 Cordoba
Panama at Canada 18:45 Toronto
United States of America at Jamaica 19:00 Kingston
Venezuela at Peru 20:25 Lima
Guyana at El Salvador 20:30 San Salvador
Antigua and Barbuda at Guatemala 21:00 Guatemala City
Mexico at Costa Rica 21:05 San Jose

8 September 2012
Serbia at Scotland 9:00 Glasgow
Czech Republic at Denmark 13:15 Copenhagen

11 September 2012
Solomon Islands at New Zealand 2:35 Auckland
Iraq at Japan 5:34 Saitama
South Korea at Uzbekistan 8:00 Tashkent
Iran at Lebanon 9:00 Beirut
Australia at Jordan 11:00 Amman
Russia at Israel 12:00 Ramat Gan
Iceland at Cyprus 12:00 Larnaca
Spain at Georgia 12:30 Tbilisi
Andorra at Romania 12:30 Bucharest
Estonia at Turkey 13:00 Istanbul
Armenia at Bulgaria 13:00 Sofia
Latvia at Bosnia and Herzegovina 13:00 Zenica
Slovenia at Norway 13:00 Oslo
Liechtenstein at Slovakia 13:15 Bratislava
Wales at Serbia 13:30 Novi Sad
Netherlands at Hungary 13:30 Budapest
Kazakhstan at Sweden 13:30 Malmo
Albania at Switzerland 13:30 Lucerne
Montenegro at San Marino 13:30 Serravalle
Germany at Austria 13:35 Vienna
Lithuania at Greece 13:45 Piraeus
Moldova at Poland 13:45 Wroclaw
Malta at Italy 13:45 Modena
Croatia at Belgium 13:45 Brussels
Luxembourg at Northern Ireland 13:45 Belfast
Belarus at France 14:00 Saint-Denis
Macedonia at Scotland 14:00 Glasgow
Ukraine at England 14:00 London
Azerbaijan at Portugal 14:15 Braga
Colombia at Chile 14:30 Santiago
Ecuador at Uruguay 16:30 Montevideo
Guatemala at Antigua and Barbuda 18:00 North Sound
Venezuela at Paraguay 18:25 Asuncion
El Salvador at Guyana 19:00 Providence
Jamaica at United States of America 19:11 Columbus
Costa Rica at Mexico 20:00 Mexico City
Canada at Panama 20:05 Panama City
Argentina at Peru 20:25 Lima
Cuba at Honduras 20:30 San Pedro Sula
New Caledonia at Tahiti 1:00 (12 September) Pirae