Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu urged his side to seal a 2-1 win over Australia that jolted their World Cup qualifying campaign to life as Son Heung-min played South Korea’s 1-match clash with Iran on Tuesday. Scored in a draw by 1. After losing two of their opening three games in Group B, Japan went into the crunch home match, but scored three crucial points after Australia’s Aziz Behich scored in the 85th minute. Japan is still behind Australia and Saudi Arabia in the fight for the group’s two automatic places for Qatar 2022, but the win opened Group B wide and ended the spectator’s record of 11 consecutive wins in a World Cup qualifying campaign. done.
Group A is tight, although Tottenham star Son Heung-min scored for South Korea before they scored against Iran with 14 minutes remaining.
Distressed Japan boss Moriyasu said: “We fought till the end and never gave up. We are determined to go to the World Cup and we showed that tonight.
“It was a great win but we still have a lot of tough games to come. We have to make sure that we use this win and take it forward.”
Japanese media had speculated that Moriyasu might lose his job unless his side beat Australia, and the manager made a special point of applauding fans after the final whistle in Saitama.
“It was a very tough game, but the fact that the players kept going till the end was because of the support they got from the crowd,” he said.
Ao Tanaka gave Japan the right start in the eighth minute, only to level with a free-kick in the 69th minute by Ajdin Harstik of Australia.
But after Takuma Asano’s shot hit the post, Behich converted the ball into his own net with five minutes remaining.
Takumi Minamino played a cross that Uncanny failed to cut for the Japan opener, and Tanaka was on hand to drill the ball in front of goalkeeper Matty Ryan.
But Sokaros bounced back in the second half, thought to have been awarded a penalty when Hidemasa Morita tripped Hurstick.
The referee changed the free kick to the edge of the box after a VAR review, but Hustique slammed the ball regardless of Shuichi Gonda.
Japan went in search of a winner, with Ryan denying Juna Ito and Kyogo Furuhashi being substituted before Behich scored his own goal.
under Saudi control
There was no stopping Saudi Arabia as they beat China 3-2 to secure a three-point lead over Australia in Group B for their fourth straight win.
Sami al-Najei scored in the first half for the Arab giants in Jeddah, while Firas al-Biraqan added the third in Jeddah.
Second-half goals from Aloisio and Wu Xi brought little consolation to the Chinese as they crashed for their third loss and finished one place ahead of Vietnam’s 3-1 loss to Oman on Tuesday.
Nguyen Tien Linh surprised Oman in the 39th minute, but the hosts came back with three goals in the space of seven minutes to secure their second win with Issam Al-Sab, Mohsin Al-Khaldi and Salah Al-Yahye on goal .
In Group A, Lebanon came down from a goal to blow Syria 3-2, with Mohamed Kadouh scoring twice in first-half stoppage time.
Omar Khribin put the Syrian side ahead in the 20th minute before a double strike from Kadouh and Suni Saad’s 53rd-minute goal helped Lebanon win 3-1.
Star striker Omar al-Somah provided some respite to the Syrian side in the 64th minute but Lebanon held on to their first win in four matches.
Meanwhile, Ali Ahmed Mabkhout’s second half stoppage time goal helped UAE hold Iraq in a thrilling 2-2 draw.
Ciao’s first-half goal for the UAE was canceled in the 74th minute by Mohammad Omar, before Ayman Hossain’s strike put Iraq a minute ahead of time.
But UAE talisman Mabkhout saved a point for the Emirates by booting home the equalizer from point-blank range off a cross from Waleed Abbas.
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