Syria rock China World Cup hopes – YAMAGUCHI RESCUES JAPAN VS IRAQ; S. KOREA SINK QATAR

This news has been read 7805 times!

XIAN, China, Oct 6, (Agencies): Syria dented China’s bid to reach a second World Cup when they pulled off a stunning 1-0 qualifying upset on Thursday.

Mahmoud Al-Mawas’s breakaway goal in the 54th minute settled a gritty game in Xian which left China stranded on one point from their first three games in Group A.

Seventy-eighth ranked China have ambitions of hosting and even winning a World Cup, but Al-Mawas dented their hopes of reaching the tournament for a second time at Russia 2018.

The bustling, bearded forward latched onto a long ball and prodded his first touch past on-rushing goalkeeper Gu Chao before controlling the bouncing ball into the net.

Syria should have made the game safe in the 73rd minute but Omar Kharbin managed to miss an open goal from Al-Mawas’s inviting cutback.

Syria, despite playing their home games at neutral venues because of the conflict in their country, now climb above China in Group A to draw level on four points with mighty Iran, who play Uzbekistan later.

Japan 2, Iraq 1

In Saitama, Japan, Substitute Hotaru Yamaguchi’s 95th-minute winner rescued Japan and their stuttering World Cup qualifying campaign as they escaped with a 2-1 victory over Iraq.

The Blue Samurai were headed for an ignominious draw in Saitama when Yamaguchi smashed a loose ball from a corner through a forest of legs and into the Iraqi goal.

The result gave Japan their second win in three final-round qualifiers and boosted under-fire coach Vahid Halilhodzic, who has endured calls for his resignation and has suffered reported player unrest.

It also lifts Japan’s hopes of reaching a sixth straight World Cup at Russia 2018 as they draw temporarily level on points with Group B pace-setters Australia and Saudi Arabia, who face each other later.

As Borussia Dortmund forward Shinji Kagawa watched from the bench, Japan dominated the early possession but rarely threatened, with Hiroshi Kiyotake’s 11th-minute piledriver their closest sight of goal.

But Genki Haraguchi put the hosts ahead with a brilliant piece of skill as he flicked Kiyotake’s cross through his legs and beneath the diving body of goalkeeper Mohammed Hameed on 26 minutes.

AC Milan’s Keisuke Honda should have made it 2-0 a minute later but he hit his close-range half-volley straight at the busy Hameed.

Iraq nearly equalised in first-half injury-time but Alaa Abdul-Zahra’s volley, from a sweeping ball that dropped over his head, bounced kindly for Japan ‘keeper Shusaku Nishikawa.

However, Iraq rocked the four-time Asian champions on 60 minutes when Saad Luaibi nodded Ahmed Yaseen’s free kick just inside the post and past the diving Nishikawa.

Not content with a draw, Iraq poured forward in search of a shock victory, but it was Honda who very nearly grabbed the clincher when his header came off the post in the 80th minute.

And as six minutes of injury-time ticked away, Hiyotake’s cross rebounded to 67th-minute substitute Yamaguchi, who buried the winner to send the stadium into ecstasy.

The top two sides from two groups of six book their ticket to Russia, while the two third-placed teams go into a play-off series.

Korea 3, Qatar 2

In Seoul, South Korea got their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign back on track with a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Qatar on Thursday as Son Heung-min maintained his red-hot club form by grabbing a second-half winner in Suwon.

After being held to a surprise 0-0 draw with Syria in their last Group A game, the Koreans were determined to get on the board quickly and got off to a great start when Ki Sung-yueng fired home from outside the box with 11 minutes gone.

That lead lasted just five minutes however, as Korean defender Hong Jeong-ho impeded Andres Quintana in the box and Hasan Al Haydos equalised from the penalty spot.

Qatar stunned the home crowd for a second time by taking the lead on the stroke of halftime.

The impressive Quintana harried Hong out of possession on the right and after his first attempt at goal was blocked, Qatar worked the ball back to him and he flicked it confidently over Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu.

Korea coach Uli Stielike brought on Kim Shin-wook for the second half and the towering hitman made an instant impact, standing his ground well to nod Hong Chul’s cross back across goal and Ji Dong-won swooped to make it 2-2 in the 56th minute.

Two minutes later, Korean skipper Ki released Son into the box with a clever pass and the Tottenham Hotspur forward curled home into the far corner of the net.

Son’s goal settled Korean nerves, but not for long.

Hong, who had been booked for hauling down Quintana for the penalty, then picked up a second yellow card in the 66th minute for fouling the same player.

Qatar pressed hard for the equaliser and Quintana spurned their best chance late on when he bulleted a header straight at Kim from close range.

Son, who has scored five goals in six games for Tottenham Hotspur this season, paid tribute to his captain for steadying their nerves when Korea fell behind.

“The players were very surprised but Ki held us together,” he told local media.

Coach Stielike said he never lost belief despite falling behind.

“Even when we were 2-1 down I kept encouraging the players that we could do it,” he said. “This is the first comeback win since I took over. It will give the players confidence before we head to Iran.”

Korea, top of the group on seven points from three games, travel to Tehran for their next fixture on Oct 11. Iran are playing Uzbekistan later on Thursday. In the day’s other group game, Syria stunned hosts China 1-0.

Uzbekistan 0, Iran 1

In Tashkent, Iran overtook Uzbekistan and moved into first place in Group A with a 1-0 win in Tashkent.

Jalal Hosseini scored the only goal in the 27th minute.

The win gives Iran seven points from three games. Uzbekistan, with six points, is third.

This news has been read 7805 times!