Japan show class, Kuwait draw 

(MENAFN - Arab Times) Japan took their recent frustrations out on Tajikistan by thrashing the former Soviet republic 8-0 on Tuesday to seize top spot in their 2014 World Cup qualifying group.

Mike Havenaar, Shinji Okazaki and midfielder Shinji Kagawa scored two apiece in Osaka as hapless Tajikistan suffered a backlash from Japan's recent dip in form.

"We knew we were expected to win but it felt good to win in such emphatic fashion," Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni said in a pitchside interview.

"We expect goals from Shinji (Kagawa) and Okazaki but Havenaar deserves a mention too. All the players stepped up tonight and performed very well."
Beanpole striker Havenaar opened the scoring after 11 minutes with a bullet header, his first goal for Japan throwing the floodgates open.

Okazaki and Yuichi Komano then found the net before an audacious flick from midfielder Kagawa made it 4-0 just before halftime.

Japan had struggled in their first two Asian Group C qualifiers, scraping past North Korea 1-0 at home after an injury-time goal and escaping with a lucky 1-1 draw in Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan beat North Korea 1-0 in Pyongyang earlier on Tuesday to keep pace with Japan on seven points.

However, the Blue Samurai put plenty of daylight between the teams in terms of goal difference, the Peter Crouch-like Havenaar scoring his second before Nakamura Kengo made it 6-0.

Kagawa added a fine curling effort in the 67th minute before Okazaki poached his second, his ninth goal in six games under Italian Zaccheroni, still unbeaten in 15 games since taking charge last October.

"That was deliberate," smiled Borussia Dortmund's Kagawa, who had been suffering from a recent crisis of confidence, when asked about his second goal.

Lebanon 2, Kuwait 2
In Beirut, Lebanon conceded a late own goal to draw 2-2 with Kuwait in third-round Asian qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.

Lebanon started well when Hassan Maatouk scored after 15 minutes at the Sports City Stadium only for Kuwait's Musaed Neda to level in the 50th minute.

The hosts took the lead again in the 86th after being awarded a penalty, which Maatouk converted for his second goal.But Mahmoud Younes allowed the Kuwaitis to come away with a point after scoring into his own net only two minutes later.

South Korea beat United Arab Emirates 2-1 to move top of Group B with seven points. Kuwait is second with five points and Lebanon has four points. UAE is winless through three games to sit last.

Australia 3, Oman 0

In Sydney, Australia maintained their perfect start to World Cup qualifying with a 3-0 win over Oman which makes them odds-on to reach the final round.

Brett Holman settled early nerves with an eighth-minute strike, although it was nearly an hour before tall striker Josh Kennedy guaranteed all three points with Australia's second. Mile Jedinak grabbed the third on 85 minutes.
The Group D leaders now have a maximum nine points from three games and appear certain to progress.

Captain Lucas Neill said the Asian Cup runners-up, who thrashed Malaysia 5-0 last week in a friendly, were keen to put on a good show for their home fans after last month's unconvincing win over Thailand.
"The target was to win and to win well," Neill said.

"We were a bit disappointed after our home game against Thailand but we played well against Malaysia on Friday and we backed it up tonight with another good win and a clean sheet.

"Now we've got one foot in the next round but we've still got a lot of work to do."
Coach Holger Osieck made three changes to the team that crushed Malaysia with Brett Holman and Jedinak returning to the team and Matthew Spiranovic starting in central defence ahead of Sasa Ognenovski.

They opened the scoring when Glasgow Rangers' Matt McKay sneaked in behind the Oman defence and cut the ball back across goal for a simple tap-in for Netherlands-based Holman.

Thailand 0, Saudi Arabia 0

In Bangkok, Thailand held Frank Rijkaard's Saudi Arabia to a 0-0 draw in Bangkok to preserve their second place in Group D of the Asian zone third-round World Cup qualifying.

The result is likely to increase pressure on the ex-Barcelona coach, who was brought in to secure a World Cup berth but remains without a win in three qualifiers so far.

Thailand coach Winfried Schaefer, whose team had been buoyed by last month's comfortable 3-0 victory over Oman, admitted that the Saudis enjoyed the better chances at Rajamangala Stadium.

"Both teams played attacking and defending games very well. The Saudi team had several chances more than our team," said Schaefer, praising his goalkeeper Sinthaweechai Hathairattanakool.

"We knew that the Saudis will play with full attacking," he added. "We made it difficult because we lost control of the game in the midfield easily."
Thailand missed an early opportunity to go ahead when Muangthong United star Teerasil Dangda's shot went wide in the 16th minute, setting the scene for a series of squandered chances by each side.

Iraq 1, China 0
In Shenzhen, China, veteran striker Younus Mahmood scored the only goal of the game as 10-man Iraq dented China's World Cup qualification hopes with a 1-0 defeat.

Mahmood struck from close range on the stroke of half-time to give the Zico-coached Iraqis the lead after China had dominated the opening period but were unable to find the back of the net.

Iraqi defender Basem Abbas' sending-off with 25 minutes left for a second bookable offence gave the Chinese a numerical advantage, but Jose Antonio Camacho's team was unable to make it count.

The defeat leaves China struggling in third place in Group A of the third phase of Asia's qualifying tournament for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Only the top two teams progress to the final phase of qualifying and Jordan lead the group with nine points and three games left to play. Iraq are second on six points, three ahead of China, with Singapore in last place on zero.

Qatar 3, Indonesia 2

In Jakarta, Mohammed Razarak's second-half strike snatched a 3-2 win for Qatar in Jakarta and left Indonesia rooted to the foot of their World Cup qualifying group.

Uruguay-born Cristian Gonzales got both of Indonesia's goals in the first half but the home side had no answer to Razarak's winning score on 59 minutes, which put Qatar provisionally top of Group E before Iran play Bahrain later.
At a rain-soaked Bung Karno Stadium, both teams attacked aggressively from the off with Qatar's Abdulaziz Al Sulaiti getting the first goal in the 13th minute.

Indonesia responded with a goal from Gonzales, who exploited a goalkeeping fumble. Khalfan Ibrahim restored Qatar's lead on 32 minutes but Gonzales was again on hand to level the scores with his second strike two minutes later.

However, Razarak's score near the hour-mark was to prove decisive and left Indonesia contemplating their likely elimination from the qualifying process with zero points from three games.

Jordan 3, Singapore 0
In Singapore, Jordan beat Singapore 3-0 on Tuesday to stay undefeated in third-round Asian qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.

Striker Abdallah Deeb opened the scoring for Jordan in the 11th minute by heading in a cross from about 10 yards in front of about 4,000 fans at Jalan Besar Stadium. Anas Bani Yaseen beat goalkeeper Mohamad Izwan bin Mahbud with a header in the 54th minute to make it 2-0 before Ahmad Hayel added the third 10 minutes later by beating the Singapore 'keeper with a left-footed shot from 18 yards (meters).

Despite Jordan coach Adnan Hamad's worries over Jalan Besar artificial turf, the visitors looked comfortable throughout the game and limited the hosts to few scoring chances. Singapore were without coach Radojko Avramovic, who is serving a four-game suspension.

South Korea 2, UAE 1

In Suwon, South Korea, Arsenal striker Park Chu-young scored his seventh goal in four games for South Korea as the hosts defeated the United Arab Emirates 2-1 on Tuesday in an Asian Group B qualifier for the 2014 World Cup. The Koreans have seven points from three games, while the UAE has lost three straight.

Seo Jung-jin, making his first full appearance for South Korea, threaded a pass through the middle of the UAE defense and Park rolled the ball past the goalkeeper from the edge of the area after 51 minutes.

South Korea extended their lead after 64 minutes as Ismail Hamdan headed a Ki Sung-yung corner into his own net.

Ismai Matar scored from close range in the 92nd minute for the visitors. South Korea travel to UAE for the next match in the group in November.

Iran 6, Bahrain 0

In Tehran, Iran thrashed 10-man Bahrain 6-0 to go top of Group E in third round Asian qualifying for the 2014 World Cup. Bahrain were reduced to 10 men after just 43 seconds when defender Rashid al-Hoti was shown a straight red card for his tackle on midfielder Andranik Teimourian.
Iran took advantage of the superior numbers from the 22nd minute when defender Jalal Hosseini scored from a rebound.

The hosts were ahead 3-0 by the break after midfielder Mojtaba Jabbari scored from a right-footed shot inside the box in the 34th. Defender Hadi Aghili then headed home a corner in the 42nd.
Midfielder Andranik Teimourian sent a 61st-minute shot from outside the area into the top corner of goal to open Iran's second half burst.

Striker Karim Ansarifard scored from close range in 75th before fellow substitute Gholamreza Rezaei headed in the last with seven minutes to play at the Azadi Stadium, where the match was played without incident after FIFA had appointed a security expert for the "high risk" game.

Iran lead Group E with seven points from three games. Qatar is second with five points after beating Indonesia 3-2. Bahrain have four points and winless Indonesia are last.