Four talking points from dramatic week of Asian World Cup qualifiers

Analysis Four talking points from dramatic week of Asian World Cup qualifiers
Saudi forward Feras Al-Buraikan in action during the 0-0 draw with Japan in Tokyo. (X/@SaudiNT)
Short Url
Updated 27 March 2025
Follow

Four talking points from dramatic week of Asian World Cup qualifiers

Four talking points from dramatic week of Asian World Cup qualifiers
  • Saudi Arabia desperately need a prolific goal scorer as Palestine keep unlikely dream alive with Iraq win
  • Indonesia’s Kluivert suffers rude awakening in debut, whilst Qatar’s struggles continue 

AUSTRALIA: Remember when critics of FIFA’s decision to expand the World Cup to 48 teams claimed it would spell the end of the qualifying stages?

That the bloated tournament would make qualifying “easy”and remove any of the drama or jeopardy we normally associate with the marathon effort to reach football’s global showpiece?

Try telling that to fans of Asian football who, for the past six months, have endured one of the most hotly contested qualifying campaigns in recent memory.

There are just two matches remaining in June to determine which six sides will progress automatically, and which six will progress to the next round, where the final two automatic spots for Asia will be decided.

Remarkably, 17 of the 18 teams are still in contention heading into the final fixtures, with only Japan and Iran safely through to the finals next year.

After another frenzied week of action, this is what we learned.

Palestine keeps the fairytale alive

To say you could not script it would be a boringly inaccurate cliche, but if you were going to, you could not have scripted it any better.

One-nil down with 90 minutes on the clock approaching, Palestine’s campaign looked to be done and dusted. Failure to take a point off Iraq would have seen their campaign officially ended.

But this fairytale had another ending, a joyous one for a people so depraved of happiness for the last 18 months. Goals fron Wessam Abou Ali in the 88th minute and Ahmeed Mahajna in the 97th minute saw Palestine record one of their most famous victories.

To see the smiles and ecstasy on the faces of Palestinian players, coaches and fans alike was to witness something so unbridled it brought a tear to the eye of even the hardest of hearts.

After Oman’s win, they are still a long shot to qualify for the next round. But they kept the hope alive for another few months; a currency, sadly, in short supply in Palestine right now.

Kluivert’s baptism of fire

Welcome to Asian football, Patrick Kluivert. The Dutch legend with a patchy coaching record was a surprise choice to replace the popular Shin Tae-yong as Indonesia coach, but after seven crazy minutes in Australia it looked like a masterstroke.

Tim Garuda had knocked Australia around with a blistering start, and as Kevin Diks stood over the spot kick to give Indonesia an unexpected early lead, Kluivert must have been in dreamland.

The dream soon became a nightmare. Diks missed his spot kick, and in the blink of an eye Indonesia went from a chance to go 1-0 up to being 2-0 behind. It was 3-0 by the half-hour mark and Australia were out of sight.

It ended 5-1, and with the incredibly strong Indonesian crowd in Sydney chanting the name of Shin Tae-yong and booing Kluivert whenever he appeared on the big screen at Allianz Stadium.

It is hardly the environment you want heading into your first home game; no wonder the TV cameras caught the sweat pouring down his brow early in the first half. The pressure was well and truly on the former Barcelona striker.

Winning cures all, however, and a 1-0 win over Bahrain in front of almost 70,000 in Jakarta to cement fourth spot, which would see them progress to the fourth round, has Indonesian fans putting the pitchforks down for now.

Wanted: A Saudi goal scorer

To apply, please send your resume to the Saudi Arabian Football Federation marked “Attention: Herve Renard.”

We joke, but Saudi Arabia’s goalscoring woes will be no laughing matter for the Frenchman, with the Green Falcons scoring just one goal in their past six fixtures, coming in the 1-0 win over China last week.

Renard shook up his selection for this camp, hoping to find a spark to ignite their campaign and while four points from China at home and Japan away is a very healthy return, one goal is six is the opposite.

With Australia taking maximum points, Saudi Arabia’s destiny is out of their hands. All they can do is win both games and hope for the best. But to state the obvious, to win games first you must score, and that is where Saudi Arabia are falling down at the moment.

Firas Al-Buraikan is having a tough time at Al-Ahli this year. Saleh Al-Shehri was dropped from the latest squad, while the leading Saudi scorer this season, Al-Khaleej’s Abdullah Al-Salem made his debut off the bench against China and is untested at international level.

It leaves Salem Al-Dawsari as the man shouldering the goalscoring burden, unless Renard can conjure a little bit of magic, because it feels like Saudi Arabia are going to need something supernatural if they are to finish second and qualify automatically.

From champs to chumps

It has been a miserable old campaign for Qatar. They have lost half the games they have played, conceded the most goals and were humbled this week by a Kyrgyzstan side ranked 59 places lower in the FIFA rankings.

All this, let us not forget, and they are still the Asian champions. How is that even possible?

Qatar seem devoid of direction. It is becoming increasingly obvious that the World Cup in 2022 was an endpoint, not the beginning of a bright new future for Qatari football.

Four coaches in three years, all with different tactical ideals, will attest to that.

Last year’s Asian Cup success was seen as wiping the slate clean after their World Cup embarrassment; proof again that this team was good enough on the international stage, and that the World Cup was just an aberration.

But it is becoming increasingly obvious that their Asian Cup successes are the exception, not the norm. While winning a tournament is one measure of a good team, so is consistency of performance across a multi-year campaign, and Qatar has failed at that.

They will likely still make it through to the next round, largely on the back of the generational talent that is Akram Afif, but they have lost the benefit of the doubt when it comes to trusting them to perform when it matters. The World Cup next year looks a long way away.


Verschoor storms to F2 victory as Weug claims historic win in F1 Academy in Jeddah

Verschoor storms to F2 victory as Weug claims historic win in F1 Academy in Jeddah
Updated 20 April 2025
Follow

Verschoor storms to F2 victory as Weug claims historic win in F1 Academy in Jeddah

Verschoor storms to F2 victory as Weug claims historic win in F1 Academy in Jeddah
  • The victory moves Verschoor into the lead of the F2 Drivers’ Championship
  • With her victory, Weug also snatched a narrow lead at the top of the F1 Academy standings

JEDDAH: Richard Verschoor produced a masterclass in tire management and racecraft to win the Formula 2 feature race in Jeddah, fighting back from ninth on the grid to claim victory for MP Motorsport.

The Dutch driver rebounded impressively after heartbreak in Saturday’s Sprint Race, where he crossed the line first but was demoted to second by a five-second penalty for an earlier incident.

Determined to make amends, Verschoor ran the alternative strategy, starting on medium tires and extending his first stint deep into the race.

Despite his aging rubber, Verschoor consistently set fastest laps, showing blistering pace while others pitted early for fresher tires.

His strategy paid off, and after switching to supersofts, he rejoined the track just a few seconds behind leader Jak Crawford with four laps to go.

Once his tires were up to temperature, Verschoor rapidly hunted down the DAMS Lucas Oil driver, closing within DRS range and executing a clinical move into Turn 1 on the final lap to secure a stunning win.

The victory moves Verschoor into the lead of the Drivers’ Championship, with Josep Maria Marti — who finished fifth in the Feature Race — second overall and Leonardo Fornaroli third.

Earlier in the day, Maya Weug made history by becoming the first Ferrari driver to win an F1 Academy race in Jeddah, prevailing in a dramatic and incident-packed Race 2.

Starting from pole for the first time in the series, Chloe Chambers looked to have the race under control after a clean getaway, keeping ahead of a fierce scrap for second between Weug and Mercedes’ Doriane Pin. Amid soaring track temperatures, Weug showed relentless pace, reeling Chambers in and battling wheel-to-wheel for the lead by Lap 3.

Weug briefly seized the lead before being forced wide by Chambers, who was later handed a five-second penalty for the incident. That opened the door for an intense battle between Weug and Pin, with the two repeatedly exchanging P2 as Chambers tried to maintain her advantage.

Despite crossing the finish line first, Chambers’ time penalty demoted her to second, handing victory to Weug. Pin completed the podium for Mercedes.

The race saw further drama as Rafaela Ferreira was hit with a 10-second penalty for spinning Emma Felbermayr of Kick Sauber, dropping both out of the points contention.

Behind the front three, Alisha Palmowski secured fourth place, with Alba Larsen fifth and Aston Martin’s Tina Hausmann sixth. Alpine’s Nina Gademan finished seventh, while Ella Lloyd was promoted to eighth after Ferreira’s penalty. Joanne Ciconte and Chloe Chong rounded out the points-scoring positions.

With her victory, Weug also snatched a narrow lead at the top of the F1 Academy standings, setting up an intriguing battle for the rest of the season.


Kohli, Padikkal guide Bengaluru to revenge win over Punjab in IPL

Kohli, Padikkal guide Bengaluru to revenge win over Punjab in IPL
Updated 20 April 2025
Follow

Kohli, Padikkal guide Bengaluru to revenge win over Punjab in IPL

Kohli, Padikkal guide Bengaluru to revenge win over Punjab in IPL
  • Bengaluru avenged their loss to Punjab at home on Friday and the two teams, both seeking their first IPL title, are level on points

CHANDIGARH: Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal hit half-centuries to steer Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a seven-wicket win over Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League on Sunday.
Chasing 158 for victory, Bengaluru were propelled by a 103-run second-wicket stand between Kohli, who made an unbeaten 73, and Padikkal to reach their target with seven balls to spare at Mullanpur, near Chandigarh.
Bengaluru avenged their loss to Punjab at home on Friday and the two teams, both seeking their first IPL title, are level on points.
The in-form Kohli, 36, struck his fourth half-ton of the season and surpassed Australia’s David Warner for the most 50-plus scores in the popular T20 tournament.
Kohli has now made it past the 50-mark 67 times, including eight centuries.
Left-handed Padikkal made 61 off 35 balls, his first fifty of the season, after Bengaluru lost opener Phil Salt in the first over to Arshdeep Singh.
Padikkal fell to Harpreet Brar, leaving Kohli to play the anchor in a 54-ball knock laced with seven fours and a six.
Bengaluru spinners Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma took two wickets each to set up victory as they helped restrict Punjab to 157-6.
Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh started aggressively in an opening stand of 42 before Pandya was introduced in the fifth over.
The left-arm spinner struck with his second ball to send back Arya for 22.
Pandya struck again in his next over to dismiss Prabhsimran, who hit 33 off 17 balls, and finished with figures of 2-25.
West Indies fast bowler Romario Shepherd, in his first Bengaluru outing this season, had skipper Shreyas Iyer out for six and Nehal Wadhera was run out soon after.
England’s Josh Inglis attempted to hit back, smashing 29 off 17 balls, but was bowled by leg-spinner Suyash.
Suyash hit the stumps again three balls later to remove Marcus Stoinis as Punjab slipped to 114-6.
Shashank Singh, who made 31, and Marco Jansen, who hit 25, put on an unbeaten stand of 43 to boost the total but it was not enough to challenge Bengaluru.


De Bruyne ‘surprised’ over Man City exit

De Bruyne ‘surprised’ over Man City exit
Updated 20 April 2025
Follow

De Bruyne ‘surprised’ over Man City exit

De Bruyne ‘surprised’ over Man City exit
  • Kevin De Bruyne has revealed he was “a bit surprised” to be told his glittering Manchester City career will finish at the end of this season

LONDON: Kevin De Bruyne has revealed he was “a bit surprised” to be told his glittering Manchester City career will finish at the end of this season.
De Bruyne recently announced he will leave the Etihad Stadium once the current campaign is over, bringing the curtain down on a memorable era in Manchester for the Belgian midfielder.
The 33-year-old arrived from German club Wolfsburg in 2015 and has been instrumental in City’s incredible success during boss Pep Guardiola’s reign.
De Bruyne has won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five League Cups and the 2023 Champions League — which capped an incredible treble-winning season.
Guardiola hinted it was his decision to end De Bruyne’s stay after the playmaker’s struggles with injuries and inconsistent form over the last two seasons.
City have dipped dramatically this term, surrendering their four-year spell as champions and were reduced to focussing on the battle to qualify for the Champions League.
But De Bruyne admitted he was shocked not to receive a new contract offer because he believes he can still shine at the highest level.
“I have not had any offer the whole year, they just took a decision,” he said after City’s 2-0 win at Everton on Saturday.
“Obviously, I was a bit surprised but I just have to accept it. Honestly I still think I can perform at this level like I’m showing but I understand clubs have to make decisions.
“Maybe if the team didn’t struggle and I came back like I did this year and bedded in like normal then maybe they take another decision.”
De Bruyne said he has not made any decisions about his future as he is concentrating on the race to secure a top-five spot to extend City’s run in the Champions League into a 15th successive season.
He has already been linked with moves to Major League Soccer in the United States but he hasn’t ruled out staying in the Premier League or joining a major European club.
“I feel like I still have a lot to give. Obviously I know I’m not 25 any more but I still feel like I can do my job,” he said.
“I’m open for anything. I have to look at the whole picture. I’m looking at sporting, family, everything together, what makes the most sense for me and my family.
“I like to compete. That’s what I feel so I can’t say that I want to quit because I still feel that whenever I’m in training I want to beat the guys.
“I feel like I’m doing really well and that’s why I’ve also played a lot lately.”
De Bruyne applauded off at Goodison Park after Saturday’s win, with his performance a bright spot in another spluttering City display.
“It’s something really rare to come out and get an applause from another team so I just want to say thank you to them. I think they appreciate the way that I play,” he said.


Final heartbreak for Saudi Arabia against nine-man Uzbekistan

Final heartbreak for Saudi Arabia against nine-man Uzbekistan
Updated 3 min 51 sec ago
Follow

Final heartbreak for Saudi Arabia against nine-man Uzbekistan

Final heartbreak for Saudi Arabia against nine-man Uzbekistan
  • Saudi Arabia began the tournament with a 2-0 win over China in the first round

TAIF: There was heartbreak for Saudi Arabia with a 2-0 loss to Uzbekistan in the final of the U17 Asian Cup on Sunday. The defeat at the King Fahd Sports City in Taif means that the 37-year wait for a third title goes on despite the fact that the victors had two men sent off in the first half.

Uzbekistan somehow regrouped to score twice in the second half to repeat their 2012 success for a second continental crown.

It was a tough road to the final for the hosts who needed penalties to get past Japan in the quarter-finals and then South Korea three days previously. Perhaps there was some fatigue against an Uzbekistan team that strolled past the United Arab Emirates and North Korea in the knockout stages.

That didn’t matter too much however as, five minutes before the end of a fairly even first half, Uzbekistan had a man sent off as Nurbek Sarsenbaev saw red for kicking out, while on the floor, at Adel Hibah.

Seconds before half-time and it got worse for the Central Asians as they lost another man. This time,a last-ditch tackle on Sabri Dahal was enough to get Miraziz Abdukarimov sent off.

It seemed at half-time as if Saudi Arabia were going through but incredibly, it didn’t take the Central Asians long to break the deadlock in the second half though it was perhaps a little harsh on the Saudi Arabians. The ball bounced up in the area and Yazeed Al-Dosari was adjudged, after a VAR intervention, to have handled and the referee eventually gave a penalty, much to the delight of the small contingent of Uzbekistan fans.

Up stepped Mukhammad Khakimov to fire home, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way.

With the hosts pushing forward in search of an equaliser, the win was sealed with 20 minutes remaining and in fine fashion. Sadriddin Khasanov picked up possession just over the halfway line, skipped past Al Waleed Al-Awfi on the left, cut inside the area and then shot through the legs of Abdulrahman Al-Otaibi.

Saudi Arabia threw everything forward in an attempt to get back in the game but, in the end, were unable to find a way through a committed Uzbekistan defence.

There is some consolation for the hosts however, as they have the U17 World Cup to look forward to, later this year in Qatar.


Top F1 qualifiers face intense competition in Jeddah

Top F1 qualifiers face intense competition in Jeddah
Updated 20 April 2025
Follow

Top F1 qualifiers face intense competition in Jeddah

Top F1 qualifiers face intense competition in Jeddah

Jeddah: After Max Verstappen secured pole position in the top qualifiers for the F1 Saudi Arabian GP on Saturday night, the leading three drivers said that the competition was very intense for Sunday’s race.

Speaking to the media during the post-qualifying conference, Verstappen (Red Bull Racing), Oscar Piastri (McLaren), and George Russell (Mercedes) discussed how optimistic they were for Sunday’s race and other challenges.

“I am very happy,” Verstappen said. “I definitely didn’t expect to be on pole here after FP3 as well and looking at how the whole weekend was. We made some final changes, and it was a lot more enjoyable to drive.”

Speaking about Sunday’s race, Verstappen said: “I think in the race it will be tough to keep them behind, but we’re going to give it a good go.”

“It is much better than what we had in Bahrain, of course. And, yeah, let’s see what we can do tomorrow in the race,” he added.

Russell said: “If Oscar gets into the lead, you’ll probably see a repeat of Bahrain. If we stay in the order we qualified, I think it could be a tight race until the pit stops.”

Meanwhile, Piastri said that it would be a long and tough race. “I’m happy with the job I did,” he said. “I think it was playing catch-up a little bit through the first part of qualifying and then, yeah, that last lap felt more or less like the best I could have done. So, you know, I think Max has done a good job.”

He added: “Yes, we will fight hard for the final. I think our pace is good. It’s going to be a tough race and the tires are a bit softer than last year, so we’ll see if that plays to our advantage.”

The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is known for its high-speed turns, creating challenges for drivers. All three top qualifiers emphasized the need for rhythm and precision on the track.