SYDNEY (13 Nov 2015) – Asia’s reigning champions Australia reignited their FIFA World Cup 2018/AFC Asian Cup 2019 joint-qualifying campaign on Thursday thanks to a 3-0 defeat of Kyrgyzstan which saw the Socceroos move to within one point of Group B leaders Jordan.
Strikes from Mile Jedinak, Tim Cahill and an own goal from Ildar Amirov helped Ange Postecoglou’s charges put last month’s surprise defeat in Jordan well and truly behind them as they took their points haul to 12 from five games ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Bangladesh.
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Eager to amend for that loss in Amman, Australia began brightly at the Canberra Stadium with visiting goalkeeper Pavel Matiash saving superbly from Tim Cahill after only two minutes.
Shanghai Shenhua striker Cahill then hit the post after Matiash had reacted well to deny Aaron Mooy, before the Kyrgyzstan custodian impressed yet again with a fine double save from first Massimo Luongo and then Cahill.
The breakthrough was to come in the 40th minute however, Jedinak calmly converting from the spot after substitute Nathan Burns – on for the injured Tomi Juric – had been upended in the area by Islam Shamshiev.
Australia, who famously beat Korea Republic to lift the AFC Asian Cup in January, duly doubled their advantage within five minutes of the restart when Cahill calmly converted Mooy’s pinpoint pass.
With the Socceroos in the ascendancy, the unfortunate Amirov headed Mooy’s whipped corner into his own net in the 69th minute, before James Troisi and Cahill were both denied yet again by Matiash in the game’s final moments.
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.
IN THE MEANTIME, two goals in a two-minute spell from second-half substitutes Adisak Kraisorn and Tana Chanabut saw Thailand tame a tenacious Chinese Taipei, with Thursday’s 4-2 victory taking the ASEAN champions eight points clear of Iraq at the top of Group F in the 2018 FIFA World Cup/2019 AFC Asian Cup joint-qualifiers.
Yen Tavio stunned the home side when the Spain-born defender put Chinese Taipei one up with just three minutes at the Rajamangala Stadium gone only for Teerasil Dangda, who scored both goals as the Thais defeated the visitors 2-0 in Taipei earlier in the campaign, to cancel out the naturalised defender’s opener with four minutes of the first half remaining.
Pokklaw A-nan, scorer of Thailand’s winner over Vietnam in the first match of the second round of joint-qualifiers back in May, put the 2014 AFF (ASEAN Football Federation) Suzuki Cup champions 2-1 up seven minutes after the interval only for Huang Kai-chun to pull Chinese Taipei level in the 65th minute.
But the Thais were not to be denied their fourth win of the qualifiers and after Adisak – a 63rd minute replacement for Mongkol Tossakrai – had restored Thailand’s lead in the 72nd minute fellow substitute Tana gave the hosts some breathing space with number four two minutes later, having only entered the fray four minutes earlier when he came on for Kroekrit Thawikan.
The win took Kiattisuk Senamuang’s undefeated side to 13 points from five matches, eight clear of 2007 AFC Asian Cup winners Iraq, who have played to games less than the Thais.
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.
RESULTS
Group A
Palestine 6-0 Malaysia
UAE 8-0 Timor Leste
Group B
Australia 3-0 Kyrgyzstan
Tajikistan 5-0 Bangladesh
Group C
Maldives 0-1 Hong Kong
China 12-0 Bhutan
Group D
Iran 3-1 Turkmenistan
India 1-0 Guam
Group E
Singapore 0-3 Japan
Afghanistan 3-0 Cambodia
Group F
Thailand 4-2 Chinese Taipei
