JEDDAH — Yahya Al Shehri scored the only goal of the game as Saudi Arabia backed up last week’s win over Thailand with a 1-0 victory over Iraq at the King Abdullah Al Jawhara International Stadium that puts Bert van Marwijk’s side in a strong position to qualify for next year’s FIFA World Cup.
Al Shehri netted in the 53rd minute with a curling left foot strike from outside the penalty area that left Mohamed Hameed sprawling in the Iraqi goal as the Saudis moved onto 16 points with three games remaining.
Saudi Arabia, aiming to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 2006, are now level on points with Japan and three ahead of third placed Australia, while the United Arab Emirates are a further four points adrift.
Japan confirmed Thailand's elimination with a 4-0 thumping at Saitama Stadium in Group B that strengthened their own qualifying hopes. Australia, picked up their first win in five games with a 2-0 victory over the United Arab Emirates, whose coach Mahdi Ali resigned after the game. "Very proud of the players, it was a challenging 10 days for us," Australia coach Ange Postecoglou told Fox Sports.
"We always know at home we're a dominant team. We worked awfully hard, we pressed the way we wanted to and created opportunities. And we deserved the victory," added Postecoglou, whose side won with goals from Jackson Irvine and Mathew Leckie.
They got the best possible start on Tuesday when James Troisi swung in the first corner of the match and Irvine got up well to head the ball off the chest of a defender and into the net.
Postecoglou stuck with the tactical switch to wing backs he introduced in last week's 1-1 draw away to Iraq and the players were still clearly struggling to find a rhythm in the unfamiliar formation.
They dominated possession but gave the ball away too frequently and the deft skills of UAE midfielder Omar Abdulrahman were always a threat.
The Asian Player of the Year drew a brilliant save out of Australia goalkeeper Mat Ryan from a free kick in the 17th minute and was constantly probing for openings.
Despite the dominance of the hosts, the longer the match went on without a second goal, the more nervous the crowd became. Talismanic Socceroos striker Tim Cahill came on to huge applause with 20 minutes remaining and the home side immediately looked more energetic.
Playmaker Troisi blasted a decent chance over the bar after good work down the right flank by Leckie and Irvine nearly added a second goal from another header. Troisi swung in the ensuing corner, however, and Leckie rose above the defense to make the victory safe.
United Arab Emirates coach Mahdi Ali resigned on Tuesday after a loss to Australia dealt an all but fatal blow to the country›s chances of reaching next year's World Cup in Russia. Ali, who led the UAE to a third-place finish at the Asian Cup in 2015, called time on a highly successful stint in charge of his country. Ali said he had offered to resign after the UAE beat Iraq in a qualifier last November but had been persuaded to stay on. “I think after five years, I have done my best, we have many achievements,” he told reporters.
“This is a very bad time for me, I wish I could leave the national team in a better condition. But this is life, we have to accept it. I tried my best with all the tools I have. But the coach is only one part of the team. I thank the staff, the team but I think it is time for me to leave.”
Iran took a significant step towards qualifying for next year's World Cup finals with a 1-0 win over China that pushed Marcello Lippi's team closer to the brink of elimination. Mehdi Taremi scored the only goal of the game less than a minute after halftime.
Carlos Queiroz's team moved on to 17 points from seven games, four clear of second-placed South Korea, who got their own campaign back on track with a 1-0 win over Syria that reduced the mounting pressure on coach Uli Stielike.
China, however, failed to build on last week's morale-boosting win over Stielike's side in front of a packed-out Azadi Stadium. They remain fifth in the group, eight points adrift of the Koreans, who occupy the second of the two automatic qualifying berths.
"The experience of the last two rounds has shown that there is still room for us to improve," said Lippi, who took over as China coach in October. "They were two good matches, but when facing a strong side like Iran our defense needs to improve."
Uzbekistan put a disappointing run of results behind them with a 1-0 win over Qatar thanks to Shanghai SIPG midfielder Odil Ahmedov's curling free kick.
Qatar, who will host the 2022 World Cup finals, are bottom of the group with four points, nine outside the automatic qualification places with three games remaining.
Brazil close in on qualification for 2018
Brazil could become the first side to guarantee qualification for the 2018 World Cup on Tuesday if they beat Paraguay at home and both Ecuador and Chile drop points. Group leaders Brazil face Paraguay in Sao Paulo and will move on to 33 points if they win what would be their eighth consecutive qualifier.
Ecuador and Chile are tied in fifth place with 20 points, behind Uruguay on 23, Argentina 22 and Colombia 21. If Ecuador does not beat Colombia and Chile fail to take maximum points from Venezuela then they would not both be able to overtake Brazil.
The top four teams in the South America region qualify automatically for Russia 2018 and the fifth-placed side go into a playoff against a side from Oceania. There will be four more rounds of games after Tuesday's matches.
Brazil are the only team to play in every World Cup but they were humiliated on home soil in 2014 when eventual winners Germany hammered them 7-1 in the semifinals.
Coach Tite has got them back on track after Dunga's unhappy spell in charge and their recent form — a South American record seven qualifying wins in a row — has established them as one of the favorites to win the World Cup for a record-extending sixth time.
They are strongly fancied to beat seventh-placed Paraguay, even though the visitors have won or drawn their last four competitive fixtures in Brazil.
Thirty two teams will take part next year's tournament, with hosts Russia already assured of a place.
Senegal-Ivory Coast friendly abandoned
An international friendly between African rivals Senegal and the Ivory Coast near Paris was abandoned on Monday as fans invaded the pitch and confronted the players, local media reported.
A group of spectators outside the ground climbed over security fences and entered the stadium just before the trouble began as the match entered the final two minutes, level at 1-1.
Stewards struggled to keep the pitch invaders under control, with one fan appearing to rugby tackle Senegal›s Lamine Gassama at the Charlety Stadium on the outskirts of the French capital.
The players were told by French referee Tony Chapron to return to the dressing rooms before the game was abandoned. Sadio Mane had opened the scoring for Senegal with a penalty after 68 minutes but Gohi Cyriac equalized three minutes later.
It is the second time in five years that a game between the two countries has been called off because of crowd disturbances. — Reuters
