AMMAN, 6 October — Saudi Arabia and Iran, the front-runners for a World Cup spot from the Asian Group A qualifiers, stayed in step with crucial wins as the competition wound down the home stretch.
Saudi Arabia rode out a blistering Iraq rally on the twin strikes of striker Abdullah Al-Shaihan for a 2-1 victory here after Iran, their rivals for first place, beat Thailand 1-0 in Tehran earlier yesterday.
Saudi Arabia are top with 14 points from seven games while Iran have 12 points from six. Iraq are third with seven points from seven games and out of contention for a playoff spot. With Iran having a game in hand, the automatic qualifier from the group will be resolved by a lot of ifs. And the permutations and combinations are many. If Saudi Arabia wins its remaining match against Thailand on Oct. 19, the same day when Iran plays Bahrain, it has to hope that Bahrain will pull off a surprise. That is if Iran wins its Oct. 12 match against Iraq. The scenario could change if Iraq wins or draw against Iran leaving the Saudis an easier task of winning their final engagement.
Yesterday’s win, however, guarantees the Saudis a playoff spot in the qualifiers. The winners of Asian Groups A and B automatically qualify for the finals.
The runners-up meet home and away for the right to contest a final playoff against the runners-up from European Group Two - either Portugal or the Republic of Ireland.
Al-Shaihan was the toast of the day with some quicksilver runs and incisive play. But his two clinical finishes proved the key to Saudi Arabia’s victory.
He hit the winner 13 minutes from time, pouncing on a loose ball inside the six-yard box after Iraqi goalkeeper Saad Jameel could only parry a shot on goal.
He provided a flying start for the Saudis by opening the scoring with only 30 seconds on the clock. The Saudi striker ran on to a through ball from Muhammad Shalhoub, turned and fired in a low left foot shot from just inside the Iraqi penalty area.
After the shock of the early goal, the Iraqis regained their composure and had the better of the possession in midfield but could not break down the Saudi defense until the half-hour mark.
Striker Abdul Wahab Aboulheil gave Iraq a deserved equalizer in the 31st minute when he rose above the Saudi defense on the edge of the six-yard box to head home a cross from the left that the diving Saudi keeper Muhammad Al-Daeyea failed to keep out.
Though the Iraqis continued to make most of the running in the first half but the Saudis looked dangerous on the break. The Saudis took the game to the Iraqis in the second half and again went on the offensive early on.
They were denied in the 47th minute by a brave diving save from Iraqi keeper Saad Nasser at the feet of Shalhoub. Then Iraq came close with Qahtan Chathir hitting the post with a blistering left-foot volley.
After Shaihan’s second goal Iraq threw caution to the wind but could not find a way through for a second equalizer.
Iran secured an important 1-0 victory over Thailand to edge closer to qualification. The home team dominated the match and scored the decisive goal when midfielder Ali Vahedi Nikbakht struck in the 32nd minute in front of 70,000 fans in Tehran.
Strikers Ali Daei and Ali Samereh both fired spectacular efforts against the Thailand crossbar soon after as Iran poured forward. They kept up the pressure after halftime and only poor finishing combined with some fine saves by Thailand goalkeeper Kiattisak Rawangpa kept the visitors in the match.
Meanwhile, the party is ready to begin in Beijing as China are just 90 minutes and a single point away from their first-ever World Cup.
The signs for tomorrow evening’s game against Oman could hardly be better for millions of football fanatics across the world’s most populous nation, desperately waiting for the side to finally break their qualification jinx.
China’s neat and well-organized team, expertly marshaled by super-experienced Yugoslav coach Bora Milutinovic, is virtually at full strength and will play in front of 50,000 lung-burstingly loud home fans in the northeastern football hotbed of Shenyang.
Their opponents have thus far picked up just two points and a single goal from five Asian Group B qualifying matches so far, and should be easy pickings for the table-topping Chinese.
Circumstances have conspired to make the task for Bora’s men even easier than they expected, after previous closest rivals Qatar slumped to an unexpected 2-1 home loss to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday.
The Chinese, three points clear at the head of the group, now need just one point from their last three matches to guarantee a berth at next year’s finals in Japan and South Korea.
Although the clear expectation is they will finish the job tomorrow, the widely-traveled Milutinovic has insisted talk of celebration parties is premature.
“I don’t want to talk about that,” he told reporters. “We have to play the game first.” If China succeed they will be the record-breaking fifth nation Milutinovic has guided to the World Cup Finals, after Mexico, Costa Rica, the US and Nigeria.
