Heavyweights Aussies, Japan go through – China, Syria advance as Philippines dash NKorea hopes

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HONG KONG, March 29, (Agencies): Asian heavyweights Australia and Japan booked their places in the next round of World Cup qualifying with big wins on Tuesday.

Veteran striker Tim Cahill scored twice as Australia eased past Harry Redknapp’s Jordan 5-1, while Borussia Dortmund’s Shinji Kagawa also netted a double in Japan’s 5-0 win over Syria.

Eight group winners and the four best-performing second-placed teams go through to the third round and also earn a berth at the 2019 Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

War-torn Syria made it through as one of the best second-placed teams despite the late flurry of goals which consigned them to a 5-0 defeat in Saitama.

A freak own goal from Hamdi Al Masri after 17 minutes put Japan in front, before Kagawa’s double alongside late strikes from Keisuke Honda and Genki Haraguchi gave the scoreline gloss.

Japan ended the second round of qualifiers with 27 goals scored and none conceded from their eight games, but Honda warned the Blue Samurai would face tougher challenges ahead.

“It was a goal to go through qualifying with no goals against so that was satisfying,” AC Milan’s Honda told Japan’s NHK Television.

“But there are still some things we need to work on. We got caught on the counter several times and stronger opponents will make us pay so we need to be wary of that.” Japan and Australia, the Asian champions, finished top of Group E and B respectively to reach the next stage as they bid for one of the region’s 4.5 qualifying spots for Russia 2018.

In Sydney, Cahill, now 36 and playing for China’s Hangzhou Greentown, struck twice in the first half against Jordan to stretch his record Australian tally to 47 goals in 89 games.

Australia’s other scorers were home-based midfielder Aaron Mooy, Glasgow Celtic’s Tom Rogic and QPR youngster Massimo Luongo, while Bayer Leverkusen’s Robbie Kruse added three assists.

Redknapp, in only his second game with Jordan after being hired to steer them into the next phase, said Asian Cup-holders Australia were a “different class”.

“They had a bit too much quality and they looked a lot fitter than us, they were sharper … there was a big gulf in class tonight,” he told reporters.

South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Uzbekistan and Thailand are also through to the next phase as the final evening of games unfolds across the region.

China, helped by a slip-up from North Korea, scraped through to the final phase of World Cup qualifying in Asia on Tuesday after beating future hosts Qatar 2-0 in a nervy Group C showdown between the continent’s super rich.

While the Qataris could relax having already qualified for the 12-team third round as group winners, China needed to win in Xi’an and hope other results went their way in order to grab one of the four best runners-up spots across the eight groups.

Failure to advance would have been a backward step for a country that has flushed their domestic game with millions of dollars spent on foreign talent and youth academies following a soccer reform plan backed by President Xi Jinping. Their blushes were spared, however, as Huang Bowen scored in the 58th minute and Wu Lei notched in the dying stages to grab the required win, which, coupled with Jordan’s 5-1 loss to Australia, North Korea’s surprise 3-2 defeat in the Philippines and Oman’s failure to win in Iran, sent them through.

Huang told Xinhua that head coach Gao Hongbo, who stepped in for the final two games after Alain Perrin’s sacking, deserved praise.

“He told us maybe 2018 was the last edition for the players of the age group from 1985 to 1989 and encouraged us not to give up even if there was only one percent of hope,” the Guangzhou Evergrande midfielder said.

Former Asian champions Iraq were another side to scrape through in second place after they edged Vietnam 1-0 in Tehran to join pool winners Thailand in escaping Group F.

Saudi Arabia drew 1-1 with United Arab Emirates having needed to avoid defeat to ensure they won Group A in a clash between two sides who were guaranteed to advance.

Iran, who qualified for the last World Cup in Brazil, topped Group D after beating runners-up Oman 2-0 in Tehran thanks to a Sardar Azmoun brace, while Uzbekistan advanced from Group H following a 1-0 win over Bahrain.

China have only ever qualified for one World Cup in 2002 despite the game enjoying widespread popularity in the world’s most populous nation.

The 2002 campaign was also the last time they had reached the final stages of qualifying in Asia.

The draw for the third round, where the 12 teams will be split into two groups and the top two from each advance to Russia 2018, will take place next month.

Iain Ramsay’s last-minute winner put paid to North Korea’s World Cup hopes on Tuesday as the substitute clinched a shattering 3-2 upset victory for the Philippines in Manila.

Ramsay rounded off a flowing team move in the 90th minute as the hosts completed a comeback from a goal down and ended North Korea’s qualifying campaign.

The visitors had been expected to easily beat the Philippines as they seek to return to the World Cup, after appearances in 1966 and 44 years later at South Africa in 2010.

But they let a place in the next round, as well as a berth at the 2019 Asian Cup, slip through their fingers as they failed to go through as one of the four best-performing group runners-up.

“If we had at least gotten a draw today we would still have been hopeful to qualify for the next stage. But we did not and I think there’s hardly a hope of going to the final stage,” North Korean coach Kim Chang Bok told reporters immediately after the game.

“The problem was, in the first half we lost two absolute chances of scoring and I think that became the turning point,” he added. Misagh Bahadoran put the Philippines in front in the 43rd minute, heading into an empty net after North Korean keeper and captain Ri Myong-Guk parried Javier Patino’s stinging shot with his right foot.

The Koreans had been the better team until then, hitting a post and having another shot cleared off the line.

And the visitors were level in first-half injury time as So Kyong-Jin smashed home after the Philippine defence could only half-clear the midfielder’s initial shot. Within seconds of the restart North Korea were ahead after a free kick caused panic in the Philippine goalmouth, presenting midfielder Ri Hyok-Chol with a simple tap-in.

But the Philippines rallied and midfielder Manuel Ott levelled in the 84th minute.

And as the seconds ticked down, a sweet move highlighted by a back-heeled assist from forward Miguel Tanton put Ramsay through for the raucously celebrated winner.

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