KUWAIT CITY, Sept 6: Kuwait kept their hopes of qualifying for the final stage of the Asian Zone World Cup qualifying by holding South Korea to a 1-1 draw at the Kazama Stadium Tuesday. Park Chu-Young and Kuwait’s Hussain Ali scored for their sides. With this result the two teams maintain their positions on the league table with South Korea on top with four points followed by Kuwait also with four points but with inferior goal aggregate. The Azraqs, having won the toss, started the game on a high note with Fahad Al-Enezi already spotted in the Korean vital area in the second minute and Walid firing the first shot at the Korean keeper in the fourth.

The South Korean manager, Cho Kwang-rae who, according to sources believes Middle Eastern teams have a general weakness against fast play, pressed his boys to pile pressure on the home team by sticking to their speed and communication tactics. That indeed worked out for the Koreans, as skipper Park Chu-Young received the ball in the center of the field and quickly took advantage of a momentary loss of focus by the Kuwaiti side which created a defense gap, to strike it straight into the net in the eighth minute, beating the Kuwaiti keeper completely. The Koreans, after scoring the first goal, made several unsuccessful attempts at goal but the Kuwaiti defense was up to the task in ensuring they were not handed another chance on a silver platter.
The Korean goal notwithstanding, the Azraqs or Blues as they are called, refused to be intimidated by the fast tactics of their opponents and kept firing shots to the Korean from the likes of Bader Al-Mutawa, Walid Juma and Yousef Sulaiman. The first half of the encounter ended with the South Koreans still ahead by one goal.

The Azraqs persistence and strict adherence to their 4-4-2 plan paid off when 53rd minute, Bader Al-Mutawa received the ball, lobbed it into the Korean vital area where Youssef Suleiman , well positioned to receive it, collided with the Korean Keeper and two defenders, and with all four of them on the ground, leaving the ball lying loose nearby, Kuwait’s Hussein Ali simply rushed to the spot and tapped it into the Korean net, securing the crucial equalizer for his side.
The outcome of the encounter which went against all predictions puts Kuwait in a very strong and determined position when they travel to Korea for the return encounter in February next year.
These two nations last met at this very stadium in the 2006 Fifa World Cup qualifiers, with Korea winning 4-0. The result saw the visitors clinch World Cup qualification.

Kuwait haven’t lost on home soil since September last year, when they went down 1-0 in Seoul to Iran in a friendly.
Despite bowing out of the 2011 Asian Cup without a point, Al-Azraq are considered one of the dark horses to do well in qualification, having won the 2010 Gulf Cup of Nations.
The west Asian side have taken on North Korea three times in the past 12 months, drawing with them twice and defeating them once.
Kuwait have reached the World Cup finals once, way back in 1982, when they claimed one point, with a 1-1 draw against Czechoslovakia.
South Korea, on the other hand, have qualified for the past seven World Cup finals.

Uzbekistan 1, Japan 1
In Tashkent, Asian champions Japan escaped with a 1-1 away draw against Uzbekistan to leave both teams joint top of their 2014 World Cup qualifying group.
Uzbekistan wasted a string of chances against a weary-looking Japan side yet to taste defeat in 13 games since Italian Alberto Zaccheroni took charge last October.
Captain Server Djeparov volleyed Uzbekistan into the lead after eight minutes, celebrating with a triple back flip as the home fans lit flares and roared with delight.
Shinji Okazaki’s diving header gave Japan a barely-deserved equaliser in the 65th minute, triggering something of a shootout as both teams suddenly threw caution to the wind.

“Uzbekistan pushed us around a bit,” Zaccheroni told reporters. “Give them credit; they are a very good side. We were better in the second half but we must play better than that.”
Uzbekistan could have killed off the game inside the hour with some end product to match their slick build-up play before Okazaki struck to keep Zaccheroni’s unbeaten record intact.
“We were chasing a goal so it was a relief to score,” said Okazaki. “We thought we would come here and play them off the pitch. If we want to advance we have to improve.”
Uzbekistan had beaten fellow former Soviet republic Tajikistan 1-0 away in their first match in the third round of Asian qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Australia 3, Saudi Arabia 1
In Dammam, Australia came away with an impressive 3-1 win over Saudi Arabia.
Joshua Kennedy gave the visitors the lead before the break, and added a second on 56 minutes.
Saudi Arabia’s Nassir Al Shamrani reduced the deficit nine minutes later with Luke Wilkshire wrapping up the three points from the penalty spot.

Iraq 2, Singapore 0
In Singapore, Iraq beat Singapore 2-0 but wasted several chances in a foul-tempered match.
Newly-appointed Iraq coach and Brazilian legend Zico had lamented his side’s propensity to squander goalscoring chances in a pre-match press conference, and the evidence was in full display at Singapore’s Jalan Besar Stadium.
Iraq pressured the Singapore goal from the starting whistle, laying siege for long periods of the game, but wayward finishing and determined defending kept the scoreline level at halftime.
Iraq’s persistence finally paid off in the 49th minute when forward Ala’a Abdulzehra put them ahead, heading an inswinging cross to the left corner of Singapore’s goal and beating keeper Lionel Lewis.
Lewis, a replacement for injured goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud, pulled off a string of vital saves throughout the match to prevent the scoreline from widening.
Singapore took the game to Iraq after conceding the first goal, but were unable to convert a series of golden opportunities.
And Iraq put the game away in the 85th minute after a seemingly innocuous chip by Iraqi striker Younus Mahmood sailed past a rooted Lewis and bounced into the goal.
The match was a foul-tempered affair, with the players facing off on three occasions. Iraq played a physical came, felling the Singapore players with full-blooded challenges.

The home side also accused the Iraqis of time wasting and Singapore’s frustrations came to a head in the 90th minute in the worst of the three confrontations.
A shoving match ensued between two of the players after a member of the visiting side was brought down at the touchline and remained on the ground.
Almost all members of both teams rushed to the touchline but referee Tojo Minoru managed to defuse the situation before it got further out of hand.
The result means Singapore drop to last place in the standings as the only team with no points in the group, in a setback to their World Cup ambitions.
Singapore coach Raddy Avramovich watched his side from the stands as he served a one-match touchline ban after being sent off in the opening game.
Also present was newly-elected Singapore president Tony Tan, who shook hands with players from both sides before the match commenced.

Qatar 1, Iran 1
In Doha, Qatar held continental giants Iran to a 1-1 draw in their group E Asian qualifying game in hot and humid conditions here.
This was Qatar’s second successive draw after their goalless encounter with Bahrain last week, while Iran had beaten Indonesia 3-0.
Bahrain, who beat Indonesia 2-0 earlier on Tuesday, and Iran now top the group with four points, while Qatar are third with two points from their two games.
Iran struck in the opening minute after half-time following a scrappy first session when Hadi Aghili’s powerful header off a corner left the Qatari goalkeeper Qassim Burhan rooted to his spot.
Carlos Queiroz’s side however failed to keep the momentum going with Mohamed El Sayed finding the net from the top of the penalty area following some sloppy defending by the Iranians.
Iran held a slight edge throughout the match but the Qatari defence held firm, although with a bit of luck either team could have walked away with three points.
Iranian captain Javad Nakonen fired a thunderous 30-yard shot just over the post in the 31st minute, and in the dying minutes the team again saw a couple of powerfully stuck long-rangers testing the Qatari goalkeeper.

Bahrain 2, Indonesia 0
In Jakarta, Indonesia, Bahrain battled low-flying fireworks and a smoke-filled stadium to win 2-0 against Indonesia.
The game was abruptly suspended in the 76th minute when Bahrain’s players left the field in protest at the sporadic fireworks and red flares set off throughout most of the game. After a 15-minute break, play resumed.
Teenage midfielder Sayed Dhiya Saeed put Bahrian ahead seconds before halftime and Ismaeel Abdullatif scored the second goal in a counterattack in the 71st, prompting a fresh barrage of fireworks from angry home fans.
An on-field appeal from Tri Goestoro, the secretary-general of the Indonesian Soccer Association, helped calm the crowd.

Play resumed after the smoke cleared the 88,000-capacity Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. By then the stadium was nearly a quarter empty.
“I have to apologize for the behavior,” Indonesia’s coach Wilhelmus Rijsbergen. “Even if we are losing we should behave and of course accept the situation.”
The embarrassment of the episode was compounded by the presence of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who attended the game with his family.
An otherwise uneventful first half ended with a goal from Bahrain’s Sayed Dhiya Saeed from the right side of the penalty box in the 45th minute, silencing the home crowd seconds before halftime.

Thailand 3, Oman 0
In Bangkok, Thailand kept their 2014 World Cup dreams alive on Tuesday with a comfortable 3-0 win over Oman in the third round of Asian qualifying.
The victory eased some of the pain of a 2-1 loss to Australia last week that had left the three-time ASEAN champions in need of vital points if they are to go to Brazil.
“I’m very impressed with the match today. It’s because of our hard work after the match with Australia,” said Thai coach Winfried Schaefer.
“We have three points today but we still have a tough job ahead playing Saudi Arabia. We have to keep working hard.”
Sompong Soleb blasted the ball past Omani goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi, of English side Wigan, in the 35th minute while Muang Thong United’s Teerasil Dangda outran the defence to ease the ball into the net six minutes later.
An own-goal by Rashid Al Farsi in injury time rounded off a poor performance by Oman, who have a tough road ahead if they are to advance to Asia’s final qualifying stages, after a goalless draw against Saudi Arabia last week.

Jordan 2, China 1
In Amman, Jordan took control of their World Cup qualifying group with a 2-1 win over China Tuesday.
Baha Abdul Rahman put the hosts ahead in the 49th minute with a powerful shot after Abdullah Deeb’s pass before Amer Deeb added the second six minutes later as China pressed forward in search of an equalizer.
Hao Junmin pulled one back in the 57th when he caught goalkeeper Amer Shafee by surprise with a shot that went through the defensive wall, but Jordan held on for its first win over China in nine attempts.
Jordan have six points from two games and are three points clear of China at the top of Group A. Iraq have three points, while Singapore are without a point.

“We had a very tough match,” Jordan coach Adnan Hamad told The Associated Press. “The Chinese played well in the first half but we managed to regroup and play as we planned.
“The result took us to the top of the group and we are really excited.”
China had 70 percent of the possession in the first half at Amman International Stadium, but several good saves by Amer Shafee kept the scoreline blank at halftime. “We had a good start but somehow we lost the rhythm,” China coach Jose Camacho said.
Jordan next travel to Singapore on Oct. 11, while China host Iraq on the same day.

Lebanon 3, UAE 1
In Beirut, Lebanon came from a goal down to beat the United Arab Emirates 3-1 on Tuesday in the third round of Asian qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.
Lebanon, which were routed 6-0 by South Korea in their opening match in Group B, trailed 1-0 after UAE defender Mahmoud Al Hammadi scored in the 15th minute.
But Mohamed Ghadar leveled from the penalty spot in the 37th minute and midfielder Akram Moghrabi put Lebanon ahead with a close-range finish in the 52nd minute.
The home side put the game out of reach when skipper Roda Antar headed home with seven minutes remaining.

North Korea 1, Tajiks 0
In Pyongyang, North Korea, a first-half goal by midfielder Pak Nam Chol gave North Korea a 1-0 win over Tajikistan on Tuesday and their first points in third-round Asian qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.
Pak scored in the 14th minute and North Korea were then able to use its trademark strong defense to maintain the advantage.
The win gave North Korea three points from two games, having lost its group opener away to Japan after a stoppage time goal.
Tajikistan, which only advanced to this stage after Syria were disqualified for fielding an ineligible player in the previous round, have lost both its games.