SYDNEY (10 Oct 2015) – Asian champions Australia fell to a 2-0 loss to Jordan to lose their leadership of Group B of the 2018 FIFA World Cup/2019 AFC Asian Cup joint-qualifiers.
Following a first half deadlock, Hamza Al Daradreh earned a successfully converted penalty for Jordan in the 52nd minute, before doubling the advantage for the home team six minutes to the end.
The win allowed Jordan to go top of Group B with ten points – one more than former leaders Australia while Kyrgyzstan remain third following their 2-2 draw with Tajikistan in Thursday’s other Group B fixture.
The group winners and four best runners-up (total 12 teams) will advance to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup finals and the final round of qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The next best 24 teams from the preliminary stage of the joint qualifiers will compete in a separate competition for the remaining slots (12 slots or 11 slots + 1 slot for the host) in the 24-team 2019 Asian Cup.
