Kuala Lumpur: This coming Thursday will see Asia’s twelve remaining Russia 2018 hopefuls do battle across the length and breadth of the continent in the hope of getting off to the perfect start in the final Group Stage.
FULL SCHEDULES & RESULTS
Group A
Korea Republic v China
Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul
The Taeguk Warriors haven’t missed a World Cup for over thirty years, appearing in eight successive tournaments since 1986, and Uli Stielike’s current crop are widely expected to continue that streak by qualifying for Russia 2018.
By way of contrast, China have tasted the rarified air of the World Cup finals just once, on Korean soil in 2002, but football is undergoing a rapid growth in the world’s most populous country, one that would be enhanced further by a second appearance on the global stage.
Korea Republic were the only team to win all eight matches in the first Group Stage, scoring 27 unanswered goals in the process, and their squad includes Europe-based stars Son Heung-min, Ki Sung-yueng and Koo Ja-cheol as well as uncapped 20-year-old striker Hwang Hee-chan.
China’s squad all play for locally-based clubs, except for 19-year-old Vitesse forward Zhang Yuning, with red-hot Shanghai SIPG winger Wu Lei likely to cause headaches for the Korean defence.
Wu is no stranger to the majority of Korea’s defenders, four of whom play for Chinese Super League clubs themselves.
Uzbekistan v Syria
Bunyodkor Stadium, Tashkent
Uzbekistan recovered from a shock 4-2 loss to DPR Korea to comfortably advance from the first Group Stage and give themselves another shot at history in 2018 after narrowly missing out on qualifying for their first ever FIFA World Cup four years ago.
Their opponents, Syria, defied the odds, and immense obstacles at home, to win six from eight matches in the first Group Stage, and qualify for Asia’s final 12 as one of the best runners-up.
Uzbekistan feature an imposing mix of experienced stars such as former AFC Player of the Year Server Djeparov and long-term goalkeeper Ignatiy Nesterov as well as a new wave of young talent, headlined by Beijing Guoan pair Igor Sergeev and Egor Krimets.
Syria are largely devoid of such high-profile names, but possess a genuine goal threat in Omar Khribin. The 22-year-old has already scored seven goals on the road to Russia 2018 and looms large as Syria’s key player in the first competitive meeting between the two nations since the 1996 AFC Asian Cup.
Iran v Qatar
Azadi Stadium, Tehran
Iran have regularly had the better of Qatar in recent years and haven’t lost to their West Asian counterparts in a competitive encounter since 1997, but Qatar have shown steady improvement and were the equal highest scorers in the first Group Stage with 29 goals.
Team Melli’s squad is one of considerable quality; midfield stars Ashkan Dejagah and Andranik Teymourian are still going strong and the young talent in Carlos Queiroz’s squad is equally exciting.
Wingers Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Mehdi Torabi have already shown their quality on the Asian stage, as has 21-year-old starlet Sardar Azmoun, who has been in sparkling form for FC Rostov in UEFA Champions League qualifying.
Azmoun’s 19-year-old Rostov teammate Saeid Ezatolahi became Iran’s youngest international goalscorer when he found the net against Turkmenistan in the first group stage of 2018 qualifying.
Qatar’s 3-0 promising win friendly win over Thailand last week suggests they will arrive at one of Asia’s most imposing venues, the Azadi Stadium, confident of a favourable result against Asia’s highest-ranked national team.
Veteran striker Sebastian Soria netted a hat-trick in Qatar’s 3-2 win over Jordan a week earlier, and the 32-year-old is now within four caps of Wesam Rizik’s all-time national team appearance record.
Group B
Australia v Iraq
Perth Rectangular Stadium, Perth
Like Qatar, Ange Postecoglou’s team scored 29 goals in the first qualifying Group Stage, but a poor performance in a home friendly loss to Greece in June brought the 2015 AFC Asian Cup winners down to earth somewhat.
Still, Australia are undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with.
Goalkeeper Mat Ryan is closing in on undisputed number one status at Valencia, China-based central defensive pairing Trent Sainsbury and Matthew Spiranovic complement Postcoglou’s game plan perfectly, creative midfielders Tom Rogic and Aaron Mooy are making waves in the United Kingdom, and the Socceroos still have all-time top scorer Tim Cahill at their disposal.
Cahill, who has just joined Melbourne City in the A-League, is one of just two locally based players in a 23-man squad spread throughout Europe and Asia.
Iraq’s squad features a number of players fresh from a promising, but ultimately frustrating Rio Olympics campaign where three draws, including one against gold-medalists Brazil saw them eliminated in the group stage.
Saad Abdulameer was the outstanding player of Iraq’s Rio 2016 campaign and he will be joined by talents like England-based Yaser Kasim and Udinese star Ali Adnan.
Interestingly, Iraq will feature a player with Australian citizenship in their ranks; Pohang Steelers recruit Ali Abbas holds dual nationality after spending seven years playing in Australia’s A-League.
Japan v United Arab Emirates
Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama
On a fixture list brimming with quality and interest across Asia, the Japan-United Arab Emirates meeting is, perhaps, the must-see game of the opening Matchday.
Mahdi Ali’s Emirati team pulled off one of the shocks of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup by eliminating the star-studded Samurai Blue on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Sydney, and will be hopeful of an equally strong performance in Saitama.
History aside, each team features genuine stars of Asian football and the likes of Keisuke Honda, Shinji Kagawa and Shinji Okazaki going to head to head with Omar Abdulrahman, Ali Mabkhout and Ahmed Khalil is a mouthwatering prospect for fans of the Asian game.
Japan recovered from an early 0-0 draw with Singapore to comfortably advance from the Group Stage and are expected by many to qualify for a sixth successive FIFA World Cup, while United Arab Emirates haven’t appeared on world football’s biggest stage since 1990.
With a highly talented generation of players reaching their peak, 2018 may be the tournament that breaks the drought for the Emiratis, but the journey begins with one of the most challenging away trips in Asian football.
Saudi Arabia v Thailand
King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh
Once regular qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup, Saudi Arabia missed out of South Africa 2010 and were eliminated in the first Group Stage of qualifying four years later, but will be looking to return to the big stage in Russia.
The Saudis have been impressive so far in qualifying, winning a tricky group - with a last-gasp win over United Arab Emirates in Jeddah, and prolific striker Mohammad Al-Sahlawi’s 14 goals the highlights
Their opponents, Thailand, are looking to become the first team Southeast Asian team to appear at a FIFA World Cup since Indonesia (as Dutch East Indies) broke new ground in 1938.
The War Elephants – under the stewardship of former star player Kiatisuk Senamuang - surprised many in the first group stage by going unbeaten, and topping a group featuring Iraq, Vietnam and Chinese Taipei.
Recent warm-up matches have seen sharply contrasting results for the two sides, with the Saudis thumping Laos 4-0, while Thailand suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Qatar.
Interestingly, in something of a rarity in modern international football, every player in each of the two squads plays their club football on home soil.
Source: the-afc.com