In the latest round of Asian 2010 World Cup qualifiers on Wednesday Australia got their campaign off to a winning start by handing Uzbekistan a 1-0 defeat in Tashkent.
The victory came thanks to a rare international goal from Scott Chipperfield — playing only his second international in 19 months — as they bid to reach their second successive finals.
The Uzbeks’ hopes of reaching the finals for the first time look remote after two successive defeats, as do those of the UAE — they lost to North Korea in their opening match at the weekend — after they let a 1-0 lead slip, ending up losing 2-1 to Saudi Arabia.
PHOTO: AFP
Meanwhile 10-man Bahrain and Qatar drew 1-1.
Coach Pim Verbeek was delighted with the commitment of his Australian players in the intimidating atmosphere of the Pakhtakor stadium.
“Football-wise we have played better games, but if you look for the commitment and attitude of the boys and the way they worked hard for each other, I think they did a great job,” Verbeek said.
The Saudis’ result saw them go top of Group B alongside North Korea with four points, while UAE are at the bottom of the table, yet to open their account.
Qatar failed to take advantage of several chances, including a penalty, to allow the Bahrainis take a valuable point from their away match.
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