Tim Cahill came off the bench to score with only his second touch as Australia edged the United Arab Emirates (UAE) 1-0 in 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying on Tuesday.
The 36-year-old, who replaced Tomi Juric in the 71st minute at the Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, took only four minutes to ensure Australia’s second win in five days in Group B of Asian qualifying.
The goal came when a fine buildup saw Brad Smith freed on the left flank and the AFC Bournemouth winger whipped an excellent ball into the penalty area for Cahill to convert.
The result followed a 2-0 home triumph over Iraq on Thursday last week and it gives Ange Postecoglou’s Socceroos a solid foundation to stay on course for yet another appearance in the finals.
They are level with Saudi Arabia at the top of the group with a maximum six points.
Earlier, Saudi Arabia won 2-1 against Iraq with two late penalties from Nawaf al-Abed giving them the points.
Japan bounced back from an opening home defeat to the United Arab Emirates with a 2-0 defeat of Thailand in Bangkok, as Genki Haraguchi’s first-half opener was followed by a Takuma Asano effort.
In Group A, China’s hopes brightened when they held heavyweights Iran to a 0-0 draw as group rivals South Korea slipped up in an embarrassing stalemate against war-ravaged Syria.
Uzbekistan are top of the group with six points after a 1-0 win in Qatar as Egor Krimets netted the only goal of the game.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
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