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)

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

Australia 1 - Thailand 0; Oman 0 - Saudi Arabia 0

Australia needed to rebound from their loss to Oman on Friday by earning at least a draw in Bangkok. A draw on the road to Thailand would be enough to see Australia through to round four of Asian qualifying with a game to spare. Thailand had to move their match from the larger national team stadium due to its use as a refugee center for those displaced by the massive flooding in the capital city. Josh Kennedy was a first-half menace, rising above the shorter Thai defense to knock two headers on frame, but goalkeeper Sinthaweechai Hathairattanakool was up to the challenge. Thailand forward Suree Sukha blew a one-on-one six yards out from the Australian goal by firing over the bar. The half ended knotted at zero.

In the second period, Brett Emerton put in a great cross to the head of an open Brett Holman, who nodded home the eventual game-winner with a quarter hour left in the match. The 1-0 road victory gives Australia the Group D title and a spot in the AFC Fourth Round. Thailand have to hope that Saudi Arabia do not win at home to Oman later today, or else Thailand will be eliminated.

Saudi Arabia hosted Oman in Riyadh, with a win being enough to secure the home side a spot in the next phase of qualifying. Saudi Arabia thought they had done enough to grab a lead in the twenty-fifth minute, but their chance went begging off a post. The half ended in a 0-0 tie.

Saudi Arabia pushed for a win in front of their home fans, mindful that anything less would necessitate Saudi Arabia getting a positive result in Australia come Matchday Six. However, it was Oman that earned the best chance of the second period with a free kick in the seventy-fourth minute. The dipping kick was turned away, however, and the match ended 0-0. A frustrated Saudi Arabia picked up four yellow cards in the final fifteen minutes plus stoppage time. With this result, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Thailand are all still in contention for the final round of Asian qualifying come the final matchday in February.

Australia 12 pts - IN

Saudi Arabia 6 pts +1

Oman 5 pts -5

Thailand 4 pts -2

Goals

Australia

Brett Holman 76

Match Reports:

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1542918/index.html

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/emerton-admits-socceroos-not-pretty/story-e6frf9if-1226199171976

http://www.theroar.com.au/2011/11/18/socceroos-performances-need-some-perspective/

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/11/15/177380.html

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcP5isJSnHc&feature=related (Australia v. Thailand)

Qatar 0 - Bahrain 0; Iran 4 - Indonesia 1

Iran made the trip to Jakarta looking for a win that would all but assure themselves of a spot in the AFC Fourth Round. Iran made sure that there would be no slip-up today as there was in Bahrain on Friday. Iran blitzed the Indonesia goal and scored three times in the first hour of play, sapping all hope from their opponents. Indonesia did manage one goal just before the halftime whistle, and the hosts went into the locker room down 3-1.

It nearly took another half hour, but Iran were able to extend the lead on a converted penalty kick. Their fourth goal ended the scoring, and Iran win 4-1 on the road. So long as Bahrain do not win in Qatar later today, Iran will advance into the AFC Fourth Round on the back of this result.

Qatar hosted Bahrain in Doha in the final Group E match of 2011. Qatar knew that a win would be enough to qualify them for the next phase of qualifying. They also knew that a loss would leave them level on points with Bahrain and facing a difficult situation where they would be needing points on the road against Iran in the final group match. However, Qatar went onto the pitch with the purpose of playing for a draw and Bahrain went all out in attack. A draw would maintain Qatar's three-point lead on Bahrain going into the final matchday next February, and along with overcoming the three-point deficit, Bahrain would have to overcome a nine-goal deficit to Qatar in the goal-differential compartment in order to advance. Qatar's strategy to play defensively and risk nothing resulted in a safe 0-0 halftime score, though they had to survive a scare in the twenty-third minute when a Bahrain player blew a tap-in goal at the far post.

Qatar continued to play defensively and frustrate Bahrain. A Qatar counterattack sprang a one-on-one situation with Sayed Jaffer, who made a great save to deny Qatar the victory. However, Qatar achieved their mission on the day with the 0-0 home draw. Barring a pair of blowouts through which Bahrain can overcome their goal differential issue (Iran 5, Qatar 0 and Bahrain 5, Indonesia 0 for instance), Qatar have assured themselves of a spot in the final round of Asian qualifying. This scoreless draw guarantees Iran its spot in the final round.

Iran 11 pts - IN

Qatar 9 pts +5

Bahrain 6 pts -4

Indonesia OUT

Goals

Iran

Milad Midavoodi 7

Mojtaba Jabari 19

Gholam Rezaei 24

Javad Nekounam 72 PK

Indonesia

Bambang Pamungkas 43

Match Reports:

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1542961/index.html

http://www.payvand.com/news/11/nov/1162.html

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/soccer/wires/11/15/2080.ap.soc.qatar.bahrain.0136/index.html

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FhC1uWJuMI (Iran v. Indonesia)

Iraq 3 - Jordan 1; China 4 - Singapore 0

China paid a visit to Singapore knowing that only a huge margin of victory in Singapore could keep their hopes of advancing alive. China needed to win their final two qualifiers and overcome their deficit in goal differential to Iraq to advance. They also needed Iraq to lose their final two matches. As has been the case throughout round three, Singapore were thoroughly dominated in all aspects of the match, though China only broke the deadlock late in the first half to take a 1-0 lead into the locker room.

In the second period, China's superiority continued to shine through. An early second-half scare from Singapore hit the crossbar, but after that China began to coast through the match. Goal number two came ten minutes into the half and was followed by a brace from Zheng Zheng to give China a 4-0 lead, a margin of victory large enough to give China a simple formula for advancing to the next phase of qualifying. If China win their final match and Iraq lose both of their last two, China will advance.

Jordan came home to Amman to take on Iraq. A home victory would secure the Group A crown for Jordan; a draw or better would seal progression for Iraq and end China's hopes of survival. The crowd exploded upon Jordan scoring the opener after Hasan Mahmoud broke the offside trap and calmly finished a one-on-one with the goalkeeper with a chipped shot. Jordanian fans continued to rock the stadium for the remainder of the half as the team lead 1-0 after forty-five minutes of play.

Iraq had to change the tide in the second half, and that they did. After a cross was headed down at the far post, the ball bounced to star Iraq midfielder Nashat Akram (pictured, green) who volleyed the ball into the side netting for an equalizer, stunning the crowd ten minutes into the half. A dozen minutes later, a close range free kick was headed down in the box from where it was volleyed home for a 2-1 Iraq lead. Akram added the third with less than ten minutes on the clock after shooting into an open net. Iraq win the match 3-1 and earn their ticket into the AFC Fourth Round.

Jordan 12 pts - IN
Iraq 12 pts - IN
China OUT
Singapore OUT

Goals

China

Yu Hai 42

Li Weifeng 55

Zheng Zheng 73, 82

Iraq

Nashat Akram 55, 81

Qusai Munir 67

Jordan

Hasan Mahmoud 17

Match Reports:

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1542934/index.html

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_734178.html

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/soccer/wires/11/15/2080.ap.soc.jordan.iraq.1st.ld.writethru.0292/index.html

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGGQGGXYSrg&feature=related (China v. Singapore)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gyUtbFpJXU (Iraq v. Jordan)

Lebanon 2 - South Korea 1; Kuwait 2 - United Arab Emirates 1

Red-hot Lebanon welcomed group leaders South Korea into Beirut. In the opening match of the group, South Korea stomped Lebanon 6-0, but this Lebanon team has made significant strides since the start of group play. In the fifth minute, a mishit shot turned into a chipped pass onto which Lebanon defender Ali Al Saadi (pictured, white #2) swung his boot and blasted the ball into the goal for Lebanon's opener. Al Saadi undid his good work earlier in the match fifteen minutes later when his overeager challenge brought down a South Korean in the penalty box, conceding a penalty that was converted for 1-1. Lebanon found themselves at the penalty spot just ten minutes later, and they restored their advantage with a conversion, giving the home crowd a 2-1 halftime lead to cheer.

In the second half, neither team could breach the other's defense, and Lebanon held on for the greatest win in their national team's history, 2-1 over South Korea. The loss left South Korea's coach pitifully looking for excuses, but nevertheless his team need only a draw at home to Kuwait to advance to the AFC Fourth Round. Forward Park Chu-Young will return for that match after he served a yellow-card suspension against Lebanon. Lebanon are now joint top of the table with South Korea and need only a draw at the United Arab Emirates to advance to the final round of Asian qualifying for the first time ever.

Kuwait saw the early group result and knew that in order to avoid elimination they had to win at home against UAE. The crowd in Kuwait City surely must have been having metaphorical heart attacks when UAE scored a goal less than twenty minutes into the match. The 1-0 halftime score certainly did not calm their nerves.

Kuwait found the equalizer less than five minutes into the second half, giving themselves forty minutes in which to take the lead. An Emirati own goal would provide the difference as a ball took a funny spin of Walid Abbas's leg and over the goal line. Abbas did his best to clear the ball with a bicycle kick, but it had already broken the plane of the goal. Kuwait ended up winning today's match 2-1, with the own goal being the winner. This was the second own goal that has saved Kuwait already in qualifying; the first came in the closing minutes of their 2-2 home draw against Lebanon. Without the own goals, Kuwait would be on five points instead of eight and would be eliminated. However, as it stands, a win in South Korea on the final matchday would send Kuwait into round four of Asian qualifying.

South Korea 10 pts +8

Lebanon 10 pts -2

Kuwait 8 pts +1

UAE OUT

Goals

Lebanon

Ali Al Saadi 5

Abbas Atwi 31 PK

South Korea

Koo Ja-Cheol 20 PK

Kuwait

Fahad Al Enezi 49

Walid Abbas 68 OG

United Arab Emirates

Ismail Matar 18

Match Reports:

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1543009/index.html

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/soccer/wires/11/15/2080.ap.soc.lebanon.south.korea.2nd.ld.writethru.0478/index.html

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/soccer/wires/11/15/2080.ap.soc.kuwait.uae.0126/index.html

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39j-c_GJBGw&feature=related (Lebanon v. South Korea)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZQVz3xGKeA (Kuwait v. UAE)

Full Match Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0i5mtdx54Q (Lebanon v. South Korea)

North Korea 1 - Japan 0; Uzbekistan 3 - Tajikistan 0

North Korea welcomed group leaders Japan to a packed stadium in Pyongyang in today's first FIFA World Cup qualifier. Surprisingly, North Korea were more dangerous in attack from the get-go, and a couple of free kicks went close to the goal in the first period. North Korea were obviously amped up and ready to go, perhaps too much so as they received eight yellow cards during the match. The young Japanese team held for a 0-0 halftime score, but they were really up against the wall, the score notwithstanding.

Five minutes into the second period, a North Korea free kick was headed twice in the box, and as they saying goes, two headers in the box equal a goal. Pak Nam-Chol (pictured, red #4) finished with a vicious header from the penalty spot, and North Korea were leading. Both of North Korea's goals in the tournament thus far have been scored by a Pak Nam-Chol, but there are two players with that name. In minute 77, Jong Il-Gwan was ejected for his second yellow card, leaving North Korea down a man and the crowd antsy. However, North Korea's vaunted defense held firm, and the crowd got to celebrate a well-earned 1-0 victory over the 2011 AFC Asian Cup champions. Although North Korea have already been eliminated from the 2014 FIFA World Cup, they do take away the Unofficial Football World Champions title from Japan. This marks North Korea's first reign holding the title.

Uzbekistan were warming up for their home match in Tashkent against last-place Tajikistan when news of Japan's loss came in. Uzbekistan knew that a would win put them three points clear in firs place. Uzbekistan were completely dominant in this matchup, but were only able to put one goal in the net in the first period.

In the second period, Uzbek dominance continued over their hapless neighbors. Uzbekistan converted goals on two more occasions, taking the victory by a 3-0 scoreline. Eraj Rajabov had taken a red card for Tajikistan, leaving his side down a man for the final four minutes of play. Uzbekistan move to thirteen points in the group and need only a tie in Japan to clinch the group title. One can only imagine how the group would have played out had Syria been allowed to compete in place of Tajikistan.

Goals

North Korea

Pak Nam-Chol (midfielder) 50

Uzbekistan

Sanjar Tursunov 34

Odil Ahmedov 60

Alexandr Geynrikh 72

Match Reports:

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1542794/index.html

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/soccer/wires/11/15/2080.ap.soc.nkorea.japan.2nd.ld.writethru.0468/index.html

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/soccer/wires/11/15/2080.ap.soc.uzbekistan.tajikistan.1st.ld.writethru.0247/index.html

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59_dg-5mL8o (North Korea v. Japan)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y82uV3oBkI4 (Uzbekistan v. Tajikistan)

Full Match Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqvmB622Pb8 (Uzbekistan v. Tajikistan)

Oman 1 - Australia 0; Saudi Arabia 3 - Thailand 0

Australia were riding high on three consecutive victories as the paid a visit to fourth-place Oman in Muscat today. However, the form that all had been expecting from an under-performing Oman side finally manifested itself today. Australia were playing their typical high offside trap, but the speed of Oman were able to break the trap. A long through ball was latched onto by speedster Amad Ali before twenty minutes had elapsed. Mark Schwarzer, Australia's goalkeeper, was more severely tested throughout the match, and the first goal was no flash in the pan. Oman took their 1-0 lead into the locker room.

The second-half was surprisingly quiet for both teams, and Australia never came that close to scoring. Perhaps the heat was too much for them. Oman achieve a one-goal shutout victory (their first victory against Australia) and look to build upon the result with a good performance in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia had a month to stew after their near victory in Bangkok in October. The scene shifted to Riyadh, and the Saudis welcomed Thailand for Matchday Four of round three. A scorless first half meant that the two teams had faced either for three halves without conceding a single goal.

In the second half, a goalmouth was finally breached. Deservedly so, it was Saudi Arabia who ended the drought after having thoroughly outplayed Thailand for two games. A lofted pass was headed home at the near post for a 1-0 lead. A second goal came for the Saudis with ten minutes left to play after Ahmed Al Fraidi gathered a pass at the eighteen-yard box and calmly slalomed through five defenders before beating the goalkeeper from six yards out. A third goal came in the way of a penalty kick with a minute to go, and Saudi Arabia win the match 3-0.

Australia 9 pts +5

Saudi Arabia 5 pts +1

Thailand 4 pts -1

Oman 4 pts -5

Goals

Oman

Amad Ali 18

Saudi Arabia

Naif Hazazi 59

Ahmed Al Fraidi 80

Mohammed Noor 89 PK

Match Reports:

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1541368/index.html

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sport/socceroos-suffer-shock-10-loss-to-oman-20111112-1nce6.html

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/socceroos-lose-1-0-to-oman-in-world-cup-asian-group-qualifier/story-e6frg7mf-1226193288515

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/sports/Passage-to-World-Cup-looks-rocky-after-debilitatin-30169798.html

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOF9loswPuw (Oman v. Australia)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CHvqAnasl4 (Saudi Arabia v. Thailand)

Full Match Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g873er4vrbk (Oman v. Australia)

Bahrain 1 - Iran 1; Qatar 4 - Indonesia 0

Bahrain desperately needed a win at home to Iran in Manama to push for a top-two finish in Group E. Iran played well below their potential as demonstrated in their previous five qualifying matches, and Bahrain knew that a win would move them level on points with Iran. Bahrain kept pushing, and their opener came in first half stoppage time. A free kick was miraculously saved, but the rebound fell to the side of the far post, from where a Bahrain played passed the ball across the face of the open goal for a tap-in score. The halftime score read Bahrain 1, Iran 0.

Bahrain pushed forward for a while, but Iran eventually became too strong on the attack and Bahrain had to throw more players into defense. Bahrain looked ready to escape with an enormous victory, but Iran struck the crossbar in second half stoppage time, and the rebound fell perfectly for a volley into an open net for a composed Mojtaba Jabari, who now much surely be a national icon after securing the 1-1 draw for Iran. After the match, Bahraini fans threw water bottles at Iranian players and burned Iran flags, leading to official complaints being filed by Iran's national football federation. Possible sanctions include removal of Bahrain's right to host Indonesia in February for the group finale.

Qatar were looking to capitalize upon the tie in the previous match to move joint top of the table with Iran. Qatar welcomed last-place Indonesia to Doha, but they were not kind hosts. A goal at the half hour mark and a penalty kick conversion three minutes later were enough for a 2-0 lead at the half.

Midway through the second period, Qatar added the third. Qatar's fourth fell in stoppage time, and with it fell the curtain on Indonesia's FIFA World Cup aspirations. The 4-0 win sets Qatar up nicely for their Tuesday home encounter against Bahrain, where a win would be enough to put Qatar into the final phase of Asian qualifying for the second successive tournament.

Iran 8 pts +9

Qatar 8 pts +5

Bahrain 5 pts -4

Indonesia OUT

Goals

Bahrain

Mahmood Mirza Al Ajami 45+1

Iran

Mojtaba Jabari 90+3

Qatar

Mohammed Razak 30

Ibrahim Khalfan 33 PK, 64

Sebastian Soria 90+2

Match Reports:

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1541325/index.html

http://www.persianfootball.com/live/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3926:bahrain-and-iran-share-points&catid=13:team-melli-news&Itemid=175

http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1756604

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhUKYi16IkE (Bahrain v. Iran)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWz5rR0c1rk (Qatar v. Indonesia)

Iraq 1 - China 0; Jordan 2 - Singapore 0

Iraq faced off against China in Doha with second place in Group A on the line. China, the more desperate team, were supremely dangerous in the first half. A glancing header was not enough to direct a ball onto the open net midway through the period. Younis Mahmoud (pictured, white) launched two solo attacks with around ten minutes left in the period, but the first resulted in a great save and the second in an awful miss off a deflection rebound by a teammate. The game was tied 0-0 at the break.

At the hour mark, Mahmoud was pull down on a breakaway at midfield, leading to a yellow card for his defender. A free kick with ten minutes to go was struck toward the far post upper nintey by Hao Junmin, but Iraq goalkeeper Mohammed Kassid saved his team from doom. Late in the second half, the ever-present Mahmoud was on a solo breakaway after latching onto a through ball when Chinese defender Zhang Linpeng had to take him down from behind to save an open chance. Linpeng was sent off for the tackle with five minutes left in regulation. Nashat Akram hit a shot off the post soon after the foul, but China continued to survive without having conceded. Mahmoud, released on another long run down the right side of China's box, unleashed a rocket into the top of the next in stoppage time to secure full points for Iraq with a 1-0 win.

For Jordan, the task was straightforward: defeat Singapore at home in Amman and go to the next round of qualifying. Jordan did not dominate quite as much as they had in Singapore in October, but the resulting effort was good enough. After a quarter hour, Jordan scored the goal that made the score at the half 1-0.

In the second period, the Jordan defense continued to hold strong except for one slip-up in the 57th minute. In Singapore's only attack of the match, a cross was headed in superbly by the first of three open men in the box, but the offside flag went up for an offside infraction by the second player. Jordan learned their lesson that keeping a team close on the scoreboard is a dangerous proposition, and eight minutes later they banged home the second goal to seal the victory and progression to the next stage. With the 2-0 loss, Singapore are eliminated from the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Jordan 12 pts -IN

Iraq 9 pts +2

China 3 pts -2

Singapore OUT

Goals

Iraq

Younis Mahmoud 90+2

Jordan

Ahmad Ibrahim 15

Amer Deeb 65

Match Reports:

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/sunday/2011-11/13/content_14084758.htm

http://redsports.sg/2011/11/12/football-world-cup-qualifiers-singapore-jordan/

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTHxVaDvSx0&feature=related (Iraq v. China)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y25k8Jtn7Cw (Jordan v. Singapore)

Lebanon 1 - Kuwait 0; South Korea 2 - United Arab Emirates 0

South Korea traveled to Dubai to take on the United Arab Emirates. UAE had the greater share of chances in the first half, although they did almost put the ball in the back of their own net on one occasion late in the half as well. The South Koreans were lucky to have ended the first half tied at zero.

In the second half, the Taegeuk Warriors came out much stronger, and the momentum shifted to the South Korean side. Park Chu-Young felt he was tripped in the box for what would have been a penalty, but the referee thought otherwise and waved play on. The game was still delicately poised with two minutes left to play when a run down the left side of the pitch led to a cross across the face of goal and an easy tap-in for South Korea. Park Chu-Young added another tap-in in stoppage time to give South Korea a 2-0 victory. UAE are eliminated from the 2014 FIFA World Cup with this result.

Lebanon visited Kuwait City to take on group rivals Kuwait. Lebanon could not like what it saw as it had to make two injury substitutions within the first twelve minutes of the match. Kuwait certainly were salivating at their chance to consolidate second place in the group. Kuwait tried their hardest to capitalize on a shaken Lebanon. Slaloming runs, headers in the box just over the bar, and shots just wide of the post were the Kuwaiti trademark in the first half, which miraculously ended scoreless.

Lebanon played much better after the restart. Their short passing game returned, and with it came their attack. A cross to the back post off a short corner served as a warning shot to their hosts. A sweet one-two-three-one passing triangle allowed Lebanon to cut through four defenders and finish a one-on-one with the goalkeeper for the opener. Even after their goal, Lebanon remained the stronger side, and they were closer to a second than Kuwait were to a first. Lebanon won the match 1-0 to take control of second place in Group B. Lebanon host South Korea on Tuesday with advancement to the next phase on the line. Kuwait host UAE in what amounts to a must-win situation as they still have to travel to South Korea in February.

South Korea 10 pts +9

Lebanon 7 pts -3

Kuwait 5 pts 0

UAE OUT

Goals:

South Korea

Lee Keun-Ho 88

Park Chu-Young 90+3

Lebanon

Mahmoud El Ali 51

Match Reports:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/soccer/11/11/skorea.uae.ap/

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Sports/Football/2011/Nov-12/153875-lebanon-pull-off-win-in-kuwait.ashx

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOYoI-6sozg (South Korea v. UAE)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WChCXft68gk (Lebanon v. Kuwait)

Full Match Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp_gyDL40Og (South Korea v. UAE)

Uzbekistan 1 - North Korea 0; Japan 4 - Tajikistan 0

Tajikistan came home looking to flip the script on Japan after having lost 8-0 against Japan in their previous meeting. The pitch in Dushanbe was balding in many places, so the lack of a smooth surface seemed to slow down the Japanese playing style for the first half hour or so. The impetus to break the deadlock came from left back Yasuyuki Konno (pictured, blue). Konno slid tackled a ball away from a Tajikistan player and started a break up the left side of the pitch. Konno followed the play though he was never involved on the attack. Eventually, a shot was fired, and Konno alerted put away the rebound for his first career goal for the Blue Samurai. The half ended at 1-0, but Japan were supremely confident of adding more.

In the next forty-five minutes, Japan showed their superiority. Shinji Okazaki notched a brace on the second and fourth goals with the third coming from Ryoichi Maeda. The final strike came from Okazaki in stoppage time, resulting in a muted celebration. Japan win 4-0. After the match, Japan waited for the result in Tashkent to see if they had clinched advancement.

Uzbekistan played host to North Korea in Tashkent knowing that a win over their visitors would give them an early ticket to the next phase of Asian qualifying. Per their modus operandi, North Korea sat back and defending, waiting to spring a counterattack that never came. Uzbekistan were unable to break the North Koreans down before the halftime whistle, which blew with the score 0-0.

Four minutes into the half, and Alexandr Geynrikh corner kick found the head of Timur Kapadze who redirected the ball for the match's only goal. Uzbekistan, who have scored exactly one goal in each of their four matches, win the match 1-0 over North Korea. As a result of today's action in Group C, Tajikistan and North Korea find themselves eliminated as Japan and Uzbekistan have successfully navigated their way into the AFC Fourth Round.

Japan 10 pts - IN

Uzbekistan 10 pts - IN
North Korea OUT
Tajikistan OUT

Goals:

Japan

Yasuyuki Konno 36

Shinji Okazaki 61, 90+2

Ryoichi Maeda 82

Uzbekistan

Timur Kapadze 49

Match Reports:

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1541127/index.html

http://news.bostonherald.com/sports/soccer/general/view.bg?articleid=1380166

http://uza.uz/en/sport/2264/

Match Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaNzgTARyog (Japan v. Tajikistan)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tjNAWjvHGFM (Uzbekistan v. North Korea)

Match Schedule: November 2011

November marks the start of qualifying for both Africa and Oceania, meaning that only Europe will have yet to start its qualifying campaign. The Third Round in Asia goes through Matchdays Four and Five. The CONCACAF Second Round draws to a close this month. CONMEBOL will witness Matchdays Three and Four of its eighteen-matchday marathon. This month is guaranteed to provide four eliminations in North America, three in Oceania, and a whopping twelve in Africa. A few Asian teams are likely to fall by the wayside as well.

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

11 November 2011 (AFC Third Round Matchday Four)

Japan at Tajikistan 3:00 Dushanbe

South Korea at United Arab Emirates 6:45 Dubai

North Korea at Uzbekistan 7:00 Tashkent

Australia at Oman 8:00 Muscat

China at Iraq 8:15 Doha, Qatar

Lebanon at Kuwait 8:30 Kuwait City

Singapore at Jordan 9:00 Amman

Iran at Bahrain 9:30 Manama

Indonesia at Qatar 10:00 Doha

Thailand at Saudi Arabia 10:30 Riyadh

11 November 2011 (CAF First Round First Legs)

Namibia at Djibouti 6:00 Djibouti

Mozambique at Comoros 6:00 Mitsamiouli

Rwanda at Eritrea 6:30 Asmara

Kenya at Seychelles 7:00 Roche Caiman

Liberia at Mauritius 8:00 Bellevue

Madagascar at Equatorial Guinea 9:00 Malabo

Tanzania at Chad 9:00 N'Djamena

Congo at Sao Tome and Principe 9:00 Sao Tome

Togo at Guinea-Bissau 10:00 Bissau

DR Congo at Swaziland 11:00 Lobamba

Burundi at Lesotho 12:00 Maseru

11 November 2011 (CONCACAF Second Round Matchday Five)

Cayman Islands at Dominican Republic 14:00 San Cristobal

Curacao at U.S. Virgin Islands 14:30 Frederiksted

El Salvador at Suriname 16:00 Paramaribo

St. Vincent and the Grenadines at Belize 16:00 Belmopan

Puerto Rico at St. Lucia 17:00 Gros Islet

Barbados at Bermuda 18:00 Hamilton

Haiti at Antigua and Barbuda 18:00 North Sound

Trinidad and Tobago at Guyana 19:00 Providence

Canada at St. Kitts and Nevis 19:00 Basseterre

Dominica at Nicaragua 20:00 Managua

Grenada at Guatemala 21:00 Guatemala City

11 November 2011 (CONMEBOL Matchday Three)

Bolivia at Argentina 14:00 Buenos Aires

Chile at Uruguay 16:00 Montevideo

Venezuela at Colombia 18:00 Barranquilla

Ecuador at Paraguay 18:00 Asuncion

12 November 2011 (CAF First Round First Legs)

Ethiopia at Somalia 6:45 Djibouti, Djibouti

14 November 2011 (CONCACAF Second Round Matchday Six)

Bermuda at Barbados 18:00 Hamilton, Bermuda

St. Lucia at Puerto Rico 18:00 Bayamon

Dominican Republic at Cayman Islands 18:30 George Town

15 November 2011 (AFC Third Round Matchday Five)

Japan at North Korea 1:00 Pyongyang

Australia at Thailand 5:00 Bangkok

South Korea at Lebanon 5:30 Beirut

China at Singapore 5:30 Singapore

Iran at Indonesia 6:00 Jakarta

Tajikistan at Uzbekistan 7:00 Tashkent

United Arab Emirates at Kuwait 8:30 Kuwait City

Iraq at Jordan 9:00 Amman

Bahrain at Qatar 10:00 Doha

Oman at Saudi Arabia 10:30 Riyadh

15 November 2011 (CAF First Round Second Legs)

Equatorial Guinea at Madagascar 5:30 Antananarivo

Chad at Tanzania 7:00 Dar Es Salaam

Seychelles at Kenya 7:00 Nairobi

Lesotho at Burundi 7:30 Bujumbura

Eritrea at Rwanda 7:30 Kigali

Swaziland at DR Congo 8:30 Kinshasa

Sao Tome and Principe at Congo 8:30 Pointe-Noire

Guinea-Bissau at Togo 9:30 Lome

Comoros at Mozambique 11:00 Maputo

Djibouti at Namibia 12:00 Windhoek

Mauritius at Liberia 14:00 Monrovia

15 November 2011 (CONCACAF Second Round Matchday Six)

Guatemala at Grenada 14:00 St. George's

Belize at St. Vincent and the Grenadines 14:00 Kingstown

Guyana at Trinidad and Tobago 16:00 Port of Spain

St. Kitts and Nevis at Canada 18:00 Toronto

U.S. Virgin Islands at Curacao 19:00 Willemstad

Antigua and Barbuda at Haiti 19:00 Port-au-Prince

Dominica at Panama 20:00 Panama City

Suriname at El Salvador 20:30 San Salvador

15 November 2011 (CONMEBOL Matchday Four)

Argentina at Colombia 15:00 Barranquilla

Peru at Ecuador 15:00 Quito

Paraguay at Chile 17:30 Santiago

Bolivia at Venezuela 19:00 San Cristobal

16 November 2011 (CAF First Round Second Leg)

Somalia at Ethiopia 7:00 Addis Ababa

22 November 2011 (OFC First Round Matchday One)

Tonga vs. American Samoa 19:00 Apia, Samoa

Cook Islands at Samoa 21:30 Apia

24 November 2011 (OFC First Round Matchday Two)

Cook Islands vs. American Samoa 19:00 Apia, Samoa

Tonga at Samoa 21:30 Apia

26 November 2011 (OFC First Round Matchday Three)

American Samoa at Samoa 19:00 Apia

Cook Islands vs. Tonga 21:30 Apia, Samoa

Iran 6 - Bahrain 0; Qatar 3 - Indonesia 2

Qatar visited Indonesia before 85,000 spectators in rainy Jakarta. Uruguayan-born Cristian Gonzales did his very best to do his adopted home country proud. Qatar must have thought a rout was possible when they scored a goal just before the quarter hour mark, but Gonzales would not let the match get out of hand. He scored twelve minutes after the opener to equalize at 1-1. Ibrahim Khalfan would chip the Indonesia goalkeeper from outside the penalty area for a 2-1 lead just six minutes later, but again Gonzales responded, this time after a three-minute wait. Indonesia were thankful for the 2-2 scoreline at the half.

In the second half, Qatar superiority eventually shone through. A breakaway occurred when Mohammed Razak received a throughball and outran two Indonesian defenders, after which he fired home into the upper ninety in the face of an onrushing keeper. The 3-2 result held up as Gonzales could not replicate his magic for a hat trick. Qatar look to be in good shape with home matches remaining against Indonesia and Bahrain.

Iran were prepared for an important and tough test against Bahrain at home in the cavernous Azadi Stadium in Tehran. However, the task was made simpler when Rashid Al Hooti got himself thrown out of the match in the first minute, leaving Bahrain with ten men for a full ninety minutes against the best team in their group. Al Hooti set the FIFA World Cup qualifying record by getting a red card at forty-three seconds for his two-legged spikes up tackle from the side into Iranian star midfielder Andranik Teymourian. Teymourian emerged healthy from the tackle, luckily. Bahrain cannot be said to have emerged in quite as good of condition. Iran punished Bahrain with three goals in the first half to take a 3-0 lead into the break.

In the second half, Iran did not let up, scoring yet another trio of goals. Teymourian, as if to prove his health, scored the fourth goal of the match. The final score was 6-0, and a humiliated Bahrain side left with over 83,000 smiling faces applauding the triumph of Iran.

Iran 7 pts +9

Qatar 5 pts +1

Bahrain 4 pts -4

Indonesia 0 pts -6

Goals

Qatar

Abdulaziz Al-Sulati 14

Ibrahim Khalfan 32

Mohammed Razak 59

Indonesia

Cristian Gonzales 26, 35

Iran

Seyed Hosseini 22

Mojtaba Jobari 34

Hadi Aghili 42

Andranik Teymourian 62

Karim Ansari 75

Gholam Rezaei 83

Match Reports:

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/international-sport/168752-attacking-game-lifts-qatar-in-pouring-rain-.html

http://www.the-afc.com/en/tournaments/men-a-youth/fifa-world-cup/36744-iran-v-bahrain

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72WfNcLJvcA (Qatar v. Indonesia)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOfGjswpJpQ (Iran v. Bahrain)

Lebanon 2 - Kuwait 2; South Korea 2 - United Arab Emirates 1

South Korea came home to Suwon to face underperforming United Arab Emirates. Ahmad Khalil was out injured for UAE, leaving their star striker Ismail Matar (picture, white) alone up top. UAE proved to be stronger defensively than South Korea had anticipated, meaning that the Taegeuk Warriors had to adjust their offensive formation for the second half after a scoreless first forty-five minutes.

The two South Korean attackers were moved further up the pitch for the second half of play. A mistaken backward pass from Matar led to the break that allowed Park Chu-Young to score his fifth goal in Group B play. Disaster struck UAE with an unfortunate own goal hit the net thirteen minutes later. To their credit, UAE kept pushing, and Matar scored on a beautiful sombrero one-two-one play in stoppage time. However, South Korea win and take the full three points.

Surprising Lebanon, losers of both road matches in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, have been great at home with wins against Bangladesh and UAE. Lebanon got off to a great start against Kuwait in Beirut, striking the net from a Hassan Maatouk shot one quarter of an hour into the match. Lebanon controlled the ball for the rest of the half and led 1-0 at halftime.

Lebanon had the game won were it not for a couple of killer mistakes. A Kuwaiti free kick five minutes into the half was not threatening the goal until it was headed high by a Lebanese player onto his own far post, where it was headed down into the goal by a Kuwait player. With four minutes left in the second half, Lebanon believed themselves to have won the match after Maatouk stepped up and nailed a penalty shot after a near-paradinha run up. However, a low cross rolling toward a Kuwaiti player who actually fell down injured on the play was nevertheless turned into the Lebanese goal but a sliding defender. Lebanon and Kuwait had to navigate eight minutes of second half stoppage time after play was stopped for six minutes earlier in the half due to fireworks in the stands. Kuwait were able to escape with an undeserved 2-2 draw and remain in second place in the group.

South Korea 7 pts +7

Kuwait 5 pts +1

Lebanon 4 pts -4

UAE 0 pts -4

Goals

South Korea

Park Chu-Young 50

Ismail Hamdan 63 OG

United Arab Emirates

Ismail Matar 90+1

Lebanon

Hassan Maatouk 15, 86 PK

Kuwait

Musaed Nada 50

Mahmoud Younes 88 OG

Match Reports:

http://gulfnews.com/sport/football/south-korea-dash-uae-s-2014-world-cup-hopes-1.889940

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Sports/Football/2011/Oct-11/151031-lebanon-draws-2-2-with-kuwait.ashx#axzz1agrDd6eS

Highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xiFdk-6l5s (South Korea v. UAE)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUD8VSnOWH4 (Lebanon v. Kuwait)