Mile Sterjovski and David Carney scored second-half goals as Australia beat Bahrain 2-0 in a World Cup qualifier yesterday.
Bahrain must now avoid defeat at home in their final match against Uzbekistan next Wednesday if they are to keep third place in the group.
The third-place teams in both Asian qualifying groups will play off, with the winner advancing to a playoff against Oceania champions New Zealand for a spot at the World Cup.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Sterjovski put the Socceroos ahead in the 55th after winger Harry Kewell got behind the defense on the left and passed into the area.
Bahraini defender Fouzi Aaish couldn’t control the ball and Sterjovski swooped with an angled left-foot shot past Jaffer.
Carney sealed the result in the 89th minute when he followed up on a bicycle kick from Jason Culina that hit the post and pushed the rebound into an open goal.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Meanwhile, Japan dashed Qatar’s hopes of reaching the play-off round as the two drew 1-1 yesterday in Yokohama.
The visitors needed to win to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the World Cup via a playoff spot.
The Japanese took a 1-0 lead two minutes into the game when Atsuto Uchida sent a cross into the Qatar area, where Ahmed Ali al-Binali put the ball into his own net.
In the 53rd minute, the visitors equalized when Yahya Afif scored from the spot after Magid Mohamed Hassan was brought down in the area.
In another qualifier yesterday South Korea and Saudi Arabia drew 0-0 in Seoul.
The 2025 International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Mr Universe Chinese Taipei competition began yesterday at Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City, with more than 150 athletes showcasing their physiques. It is the first time in 16 years that the IFBB has held a competition in Taiwan, the last being the 2009 World Games in Kaohsiung. The professional bodybuilding contest is bringing together athletes from Taiwan and 16 other countries, including Malaysia, Japan, the US, France and Mexico. IFBB Chinese Taipei president Hsu An-chin said in an interview yesterday that the event came to Taiwan thanks to his lobbying efforts at last
Top seeds Alexander Zverev of Germany and American Coco Gauff on Tuesday advanced to the third round of the Canadian Open after both players were pushed hard by their opponents. World No. 3 Zverev, playing in his first match since his first-round loss at Wimbledon, was far from his best, but emerged with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 win over Adam Walton under the lights in Toronto. Momentum shifted firmly in Zverev’s favor when he won a 52-shot rally in the first set tiebreak and he sealed the win on a double fault by the Australian in the second set. “It was a very
Cycling great Marianne Vos won the opening stage of the women’s Tour de France with a brilliant late attack on Saturday. The 38-year-old Dutchwoman overtook her Visma–Lease a Bike teammate Pauline Ferrand-Prevot approaching the line, and then held off Mauritian rider Kim Le Court in the closing meters of a grueling uphill finish. Ferrand-Prevot looked set to win the stage, but the Frenchwoman attacked too early from 600m and could not withstand the late surge from Vos, who punched the air with her left fist as she crossed the line. Moments later, Vos hugged an exhausted-looking Ferrand-Prevot, the Paris-Roubaix winner. “I didn’t know if
TAIWANESE EXITS: Fellow Australian Christopher O’Connell joined Tristan Schoolkate as a winner following his 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Tseng Hsin-chun Australian qualifier Tristan Schoolkate on Monday dispatched rising Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 at the ATP Toronto Masters, ensuring a breakthrough into the world top 100. The 24-year-old from Perth moved to 98th in the ongoing live rankings as he claimed his biggest career victory by knocking out the ATP NextGen champion from November last year. Schoolkate, son of a tennis coach, won his first match over a top-50 opponent on his sixth attempt as he ousted the world No. 49 teenager from Brazil. The qualifier played a quarter-final this month in Los Cabos and won through qualifying for his
RSS