Aussies limp bast Bahrain

June 10, 2009

SYDNEY (AFP) – Australia laboured to beat Bahrain 2-0 in a muted celebration of their World Cup Asian qualification here on Wednesday.

The Socceroos, fielding only four survivors from the team that booked their ticket to South Africa 2010 in Qatar at the weekend, were frustrated by the fast-breaking visitors and needed second-half goals to grind them down.

Mile Sterjovski broke the deadlock in the 55th minute after he punished a defensive error inside the six-yard box and beat goalkeeper Sayed Mohamed for his eighth top-level goal.

David Carney doubled the lead in the 88th minute after Jason Culina’s spectacular overhead kick ricocheted off an upright for Carney to ram the ball home for his second international goal.

Bahrain had the ball in the net during the second half from an Abdulla Marzooq header but the defender was ruled offside.

It would have been the first time Australia had conceded a goal in their last seven qualifying games.

Australia hold on to their lead at the top of Asia Group A and will play regional rivals Japan in Melbourne next Wednesday, with both teams already through to the World Cup finals.

The Socceroos could have had a third goal but incredibly the ball stayed out after Harry Kewell and Sterjovski had goalbound chances blocked on the line in the 75th minute.

But for the most part, before just under 40,000 fans at a half-filled Olympic stadium, the Australians played like strangers, with little rhythm and wayward passing.

The surprise omissions from the Australia team were English Premier League stars Tim Cahill and Vince Grella, with Cahill left out entirely and Grella on the bench. Grella came on in the 62nd minute.

Coach Pim Verbeek said Cahill had stiff muscles and would not be risked.

Bahrain, needing a point to lock up third spot in the group and with it a potential World Cup playoff against Oceania champions New Zealand, looked the livelier in the first half.

Skipper Mohamed Salmeen had a free header off an Abdulla Abdi corner in the 24th minute but the chance went over the bar.

Celtic striker Scott McDonald had a glorious chance to break his international goal drought in his 12th game minutes later after being put clear by Brett Holman but he blazed his volley over the bar for the hosts.

Bahrain continued to press and Mahmood Abdulrahman’s free-kick was flicked on, only for goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer to fumble the ball and regather at the second attempt on his line.

Sterjovski had a free header comfortably taken by goalkeeper Sayed Mohamed before Salman Isa blazed just over the bar nearing halftime.

Tags: abdulla, Abdulla Abdi, Abdulla Marzooq, asia group, Australia, australia team, bahrain, david carney, English Premier League, harry kewell, international goal, Japan, jason culina, league stars, mark schwarzer, Melbourne, mile sterjovski, New Zealand, offside, olympic stadium, overhead kick, Qatar, Salman Isa, scott mcdonald, South Africa, south africa 2010, stiff muscles, SYDNEY, tim cahill, time australia, vince grella, World Cup, world cup finals

Japan sink as Australia grind out draw

January 28, 2009

DUBAI (AFP) – Pim Verbeek’s rookie Australian side opened its 2011 Asian Cup qualifying campaign with a gritty 0-0 draw against Indonesia on Wednesday but triple champions Japan slumped to a 1-0 defeat in Bahrain.

In other action, Peter Reid’s Thailand held Ali Daei’s formidable Iran, also three-time champions, to a 0-0 draw in Bangkok while Syria, who are in Group D along with China, kept up their perfect record with a second win, a 2-0 succes in Lebanon.

Playing in Jakarta’s imposing Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Australia were so inexperienced that only six members of the squad had played at senior level before.

It meant the A-Leaguers had little time to gel and the lack of preparation showed early on against a side ranked 144 in the world.

The game opened up in the second half with Indonesian striker Budi Sudarsano finding himself in a great position on 62 minutes, but his close range header lacked power.

Socceroos striker Archie Thompson tested goalkeeper Markus Horison three minutes later and Adelaide United midfielder Paul Reid went close in the 69th minute, but the breakthrough never came.

Australia are second in Group B ahead of newly-crowned Gulf Cup winners Oman’s trip to Kuwait later Wednesday.

Japan, who were Asian champions in 1992, 2000 and 2004, went down to a 1-0 defeat to Bahrain in Manama with Salman Isa scoring the winner in the 25th minute to give Bahrain their second successive victory.

It was Japan’s first defeat following a 2-1 victory over Yemen in the first match at home while Bahrain, who lead Group A, won their opener against Hong Kong 3-1.

Isa headed in a Hussain Baba free kick from 20 metres outside the penalty area.

The diminutive striker timed his jump to perfection and not only beat Uchida Atusto for the ball but also Eiji Kawashima, who stood in for injured first and second-choice goalkeepers Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi and Seigo Narazaki.

For Japan, playing without their Europe-based stars, captain and defender Yuji Nakazawa was in the thick of the action but with Okazaki Shinji and Tamada Keiji off colour most of their moves lacked cohesion.

It was Bahrain’s second victory over Japan in seven encounters and ended a poor run of straight defeats in World Cup qualifying last year.

In Sana’a, Yemen kept up their outside hopes of making the finals in Qatar with a 1-0 win over Hong Kong.

Iran were expected to take all three points after running riot in a 6-0 drubbing of Singapore in their opening qualifier, but the Thais battled hard for a point to stay second in Group E.

Iran lead with four points while Singapore are second with four points after knuckling down to post a hard-fought 2-1 home victory over Jordan.

Agu Casmir got their opener after 21 minutes but Jordan were level four minutes before the break when Hatem Aqel made no mistake from the penalty spot.

Singapore pressed forward and were rewarded when Noh Alam Shah scored the winner on 63 minutes.

In Group C, a 30th-minute goal from Farhod Tadijev gave Uzbekistan a 1-0 win over the United Arab Emirates in Sharjah in their first match.

The UAE stay top of the three-team section after a 5-0 mauling of Malaysia in their opener.

Five teams have already booked their tickets with Qatar qualifying automatically as hosts while Iraq, Saudi Arabia and South Korea are assured of their places after finishing as the top three in the 2007 tournament.

India make the finals after winning the AFC Challenge Cup last year.

Written by: AFP

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China crush Vietnam as Bahrain ease past Hong Kong

January 21, 2009

BEIJING (AFP) – China crushed Vietnam 6-1 for a morale-boosting win in qualifying for the 2011 Asian Cup Wednesday, while Bahrain kicked off their quest with a comfortable 3-1 win over Hong Kong.

Chinese striker Gao Lin scored a hat-trick in Hangzhou as Yin Tiesheng’s men bagged three crucial points after losing to Syria 3-2 in the opening match of their drive to make the finals in Qatar.

Gao put the hosts ahead two minutes into the game, but Vietnam levelled 10 minutes later with Nguyen Vu Phong’s low drive from inside the box.

China took the lead again on 21 minutes when Gao burst through two defenders before sidefooting home a low drive.

Du Wei and Jiang Ning added two more before the break.

Midfielder Hao Junmin contributed the fifth soon after the restart following fine work from Qu Bo, before Gao rounded off the night with his third, firing a fierce shot inside the area.

In Hong Kong, Milan Macala’s Bahrain buried the memory of their disappointing showing at the Gulf Cup, with first-half goals from Ismaeel Abdullatef and Abdulla Baba before Salman Isa added a third late in the game.

Substitute Cheng Siu Wai claimed an injury-time consolation for a Hong Kong side that was ill-equipped to handle the Bahrainis.

Five teams are already through to the finals.

Qatar qualify automatically as hosts while Iraq, Saudi Arabia and South Korea are assured of their places after finishing as the top three teams in the 2007 tournament.

India make the finals for the first time since 1984 after winning the AFC Challenge Cup last year, an event featuring second-tier Asian nations. The winner of the 2010 tournament will also go through to the finals.

Written by: AFP