Asian World Cup Qualifiers

John Duerden reports on November's Crunch Games

Thirty-two Asian World Cup hopefuls are about to be cut down to eight. These eight teams, winners of their respective groups in the first stage, will be put into two groups with the top two from each going to Germany. The two third-placed teams will battle each other and the fourth place team from CONCAFAF.

Five teams have already booked their places in the next round - Japan, Bahrain, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan. However, with one game still to play, a number of traditional Asian powerhouses have still another obstacle to negotiate in order to keep their world cup dreams alive.

If China, Iran and South Korea fail to win their last remaining group game then all three regional powers could be left with not much more than the 2007 Asian Cup to look forward to.

Group 1

Iran v Laos

Iran and Jordan are scrapping it out on twelve points each but the Persians have the advantage with a superior head-to head record between the two teams. This means that Iran only have to beat Laos to guarantee a place in the last eight.

Back in March in the Laotian capital of Vientiane, the Iranians triumphed 7-0 so the return fixture in Teheran should hold few fears for Branco Ivancovic's boys, especially as star striker; Bayern Munich's Vahid Hashemian has ended his self-imposed exile from the national team.

Laos made it through the preliminary stages as a 'lucky loser' but in the group stage the latter label has been more apt than the former as the South-East Asian minnows have conceding twenty-six goals in five games. A few more could be on the cards as the hosts have promised their visitors a bombardment in Teheran.

Qatar v Jordan

It looks like the 2006 World Cup could be one too soon for the fast-improving Jordanians. A quarter-final spot in July's Asian Cup shows how for they have come under Egypt's 1990 World Cup coach Mahmoud Al Gohary. However, September's 2-0 home defeat to Iran will probably prove to be the point when dreams of Germany came to an end. Jordan have the tougher game in Qatar but they must, and probably will, win and hope that somehow Iran slip up at home against group whipping-boys Laos.

Group 1 Table

Group 4

China v Hong Kong

Few would have thought that the Asian Cup runners-up would be on the brink of elimination at such an early stage but after a 1-0 defeat in Kuwait City in round 5 that is precisely what has happened. The Chinese face an uphill battle to qualify for their second consecutive World Cup and coach Arie Haan's bid to make China an Asian footballing giant rest on his team's ability to score at least two more against Hong Kong than the Kuwaitis manage against Malaysia. The Dutchman has been criticised of late, largely due to his reluctance to play Manchester City defender Sun Jihai, which is no longer a problem as the former Dalian Shide star is now out for the rest of the season which cruciate ligament damage.

There have been a few damaging whispers that the Chinese and Hong Kong may collude to produce a 'result' and the AFC hopes to reduce this risk by insisting that the two games kick-off simultaneously despite the fact that they will take place in cities separated by five different time-zones.

Kuwait v Malaysia

When Waleed Ali's shot flew into the Chinese net in Kuwait City it gave Kuwait a real chance to reach the next stage and a first World Cup since 1982. Mohammed Ibrahim's team control the group and have one game left, that of the visit of Malaysia. The Kuwaitis won 2-0 in the former British colony and should, in theory, be able to score more against the Malaysians than the Chinese can against Hong Kong though it's difficult to shake the feeling that this could be the group where the team currently lying in first placed doesn't advance.

Group 4 Table

Group 7

South Korea v Maldives

No-one thought it would come to this; the 2002 World Cup semi-finalists needing to beat the lowly Maldives to ensure a place in the last eight. It is not a foregone conclusion either as the corresponding fixture in Male, the Maldivian capital ended up goalless and also ended up costing Humberto Coelho his job. This time around the East Asian stars will pay a little more respect to their visitors especially after the Maldives beat Vietnam 3-0 in October.

The Koreans haven't come close to recapturing their World Cup form in any of the games since that tournament. The team's problems are clear; a mere seven goals from five games against the Maldives, Vietnam and Lebanon is not good enough for a team wishing to make an impact on its second consecutive World Cup.

New coach Jo Bonfrere knows that his team can't afford any more slip-ups and failing to beat the small island nation in Seoul would be the biggest of them all even when considering the team's form in the capital's World Cup Stadium. The Koreans haven't won at the 64,000 Sangam Stadium since its inaugural game back in March 2001 when Croatia were vanquished 2-0. A similar result would be less impressive this time around but much more important.

Lebanon v Vietnam

A home game against bottom team Vietnam should provide three points for a Lebanese team that Korea has been unable to shake off. Ultimately, Mohammed Quwaid knows that his team's chances rest on the Maldives getting a result in Korea but will be delighted with the progress his team has made in this group.

Vietnam should present few problems to the improving Middle Easterners and are likely to use the game as a warm up exercise for December's Tiger Cup - a competition in which the communist country have a much greater chance of making progress in.

Group 7 Table

John Duerden

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