Kuala Lumpur: A look at the teams in Group B of Asia's third qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
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GROUP B
AUSTRALIA
Opening game: September 1 v Iraq (HOME)
The reigning AFC Asian Cup champions lived up to their status as continental champions by winning seven out of eight of their Group B matches with the only slip coming away to Jordan, a defeat later avenged with an emphatic 5-1 hammering of the Hashemite Kingdom in the return fixture as the Socceroos sealed top spot in style.
After first appearing at the FIFA World Cup finals in 1974, Australia didn’t feature again until the tournament returned turned to Germany 30 years later, reaching the Round of 16 in 2006. They failed to get out of the Group Stage in the next two tournaments, although the ‘next generation’ Socceroos that would go onto win the 2015 AFC Asian Cup caught the eye with some impressive performances at Brazil 2014.
JAPAN
Opening game: September 1 v UAE (HOME)
Four-time Asian champions Japan stumbled at the first hurdle on the road to a sixth successive FIFA World Cup finals appearance when they were held to a goalless draw at home by Singapore. The stalemate in Saitama was a wake-up call for the Samurai Blue, who went on to top Group E after scoring 27 times without reply to win their next seven games, a run that ended with a 5-0 hammering of second-placed Syria in their final match.
After failing to reach the FIFA World Cup at their first nine attempts, Japan have been ever-presents since first qualifying for the finals at France ’98. They made it to the Round of 16 on two occasions, firstly in 2002 when they co-hosted the tournament with Korea Republic and then again in South Africa 2010, where they lost on penalties to Paraguay having been knocked out by Turkey on home soil eight years earlier.
SAUDI ARABIA
Opening game: September 1 v Thailand (HOME)
Boosted by the prolific form of Mohammed Al Sahlawi, the leading scorer in Preliminary Round 2 of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Asian Qualifiers, Saudi Arabia advanced to the final round as Group A winners, with a surprise goalless draw with Palestine and an ultimately academic 1-1 draw with runners-up the UAE on the final match day representing the only points dropped by the Green Falcons.
The three-time Asian champions last appeared at the FIFA World Cup in 2006, ending a run of four successive appearances in the finals which began when the Saudis reached the Round of 16 at USA ’94, a campaign remembered for Saeed Owairan’s stunning solo effort in the 1-0 win over Belgium, a goal often regarded as one of the greatest in World Cup history.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Opening game: September 1 v Japan (AWAY)
A 1-1 draw at home with leaders Saudi Arabia on the final day of Round 2 of qualifiers saw the UAE miss out on top spot in Group A as the 2015 AFC Asian Cup semi-finalists were left counting the cost of a goalless draw with Palestine as well as a last-gasp defeat to the Saudis in Jeddah. Nevertheless, their record was still strong enough to see them through as the third-ranked, second-placed side.
Just four years after missing out on Mexico ’86 in their first full FIFA World Cup finals qualification campaign, having withdrawn from the 1978 qualifiers, the UAE made their tournament debut at Italia ’90, where they lost to Colombia, Yugoslavia, and eventual champions West Germany, against who Khalid Ismail Mubarak scored the UAE’s first-ever World Cup goal.
IRAQ
Opening game: September 1 v Australia (AWAY)
Little separated Iraq and Group F winners Thailand during Round 2 of the qualifiers as the 2007 AFC Asian Cup champions and the Thais played out 2-2 draws in both fixtures. However, Iraq’s 1-1 draw in Vietnam saw the 2015 AFC Asian Cup semi-finalists ultimately have to settle for second in the four-team table, advancing to the Final Round as the highest-ranked of the top-four, group runners-up.
After failing in their attempts to reach the FIFA World Cups in 1974 and 1982, Iraq reached the finals for the first and so far only time, when they defeated Syria 3-1 on aggregate in the final round of Asian qualifiers to book their place at Mexico ’86, where Ahmad Rahdi made history as the scorer of Iraq’s first-ever World Cup goal.
THAILAND
Opening game: September 1 v Saudi Arabia (AWAY)
The four-time ASEAN champions topped four-team Group F ahead of Iraq, after drawing 2-2 twice with the 2007 AFC Asian Cup winners and recording home and away victories over regional rivals Vietnam as well as Chinese Taipei.
Thailand have missed out on becoming only the second Southeast Asian nation to take part in the FIFA World Cup finals, following the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) in 1938, on 11 consecutive occasions, bowing out in the qualifying rounds of every tournament from West Germany ’74 to Brazil ’14.
Source: the-afc.com