Yesterday, on March 20, matches of the 7th round of the third round of the World Cup qualifiers were held across our continent. According to the results of the 7th round, the Japan national team, which won at home, became the first team in the world to secure a spot in the World Cup.
Results of Group "A" and upcoming matches
- Uzbekistan - Kyrgyzstan 1:0
- Iran - UAE 2:0
- Qatar - North Korea 5:1
As expected, the hosts won all three matches in our group. Our national team achieved a hard-fought victory, earning three important points. The UAE's defeat also benefited us, increasing the points difference to 6. However, we should not be too relaxed, as there are still three rounds left and only tough matches ahead.
Ghalenoi dedicated the victory to Beyranvand
Iran hosted the UAE and celebrated a 2:0 victory. In the post-match press conference, Iran's head coach Amir Ghalenoi said:
"We are happy with the victory and we can confidently dedicate this win to our goalkeeper Alireza Beyranvand. Thanks to his skillful saves, the ball did not enter our goal. We have a very good team, and with this team, we can easily achieve our goals."
Paulo Bento did not criticize his players
Although they lost, the UAE national team coach expressed warm thoughts about his players:
"We had a great first half, but Iran had more possession of the ball. I think we played beautifully in the second half as well. I do not want to criticize my players; everyone played with all their might. Only in terms of skill did Iran have the advantage. Now we will think about the match against North Korea."
In the third match of the group, Qatar defeated North Korea with a large score, bringing their points total to 10. Thus, both the UAE and Qatar have the same number of points, 10.
Matches of the 8th round. March 25
- Kyrgyzstan - Qatar
- Iran - Uzbekistan
- North Korea - UAE
Results of Group "B" and upcoming matches
- South Korea - Oman 1:1
- Iraq - Kuwait 2:2
- Jordan - Palestine 3:1
South Korea's draw at home was a surprise of the round. Nevertheless, the Koreans remain at the top and are likely to advance to the World Cup in first place from the group.
The match between Iraq and Kuwait, held in Basra, ended in a 2:2 draw, with around 63,000 fans in attendance. The Kuwait team was leading 2:0, but the Iraqi players scored goals in the 90+3 and 90+11 minutes to turn the defeat into a draw. After that, a scuffle and a controversial situation arose on the field. The referee sent off a Kuwaiti player.
In the third game of the group, Jordan scored three goals against Palestine to secure victory. Looking at the situation in the group, four teams are competing for two spots. We can even say that Kuwait has a chance. It is not difficult to predict that the struggle in this group will continue until the last round.
Matches of the 8th round. March 25
- South Korea - Jordan
- Palestine - Iraq
- Kuwait - Oman
Results of Group "C" and upcoming matches
- Australia - Indonesia 5:1
- Japan - Bahrain 2:0
- Saudi Arabia - China 1:0
The significant victory over Indonesia provided Australia with their second three points. This team did not start the qualifiers well, drawing four times, but has now climbed to second place.
The Japan national team triumphed over Bahrain and secured a spot in the World Cup. It was clear that the "Samurais" would finish the group stage at the top. With three rounds left in the group stage, Japan accomplished their task.
Saudi Arabia, having narrowly defeated China, climbed to third place in the group. Now Australia and Saudi Arabia will compete for second place. We believe Indonesia has dropped out of the race, as the team changed coaches at a time when they were doing well, and everything changed with that.
Matches of the 8th round. March 25
- Japan - Saudi Arabia
- China - Australia
- Indonesia - Bahrain
Source: Championat.asia
