Australia bushed China 3-0 successful the opening circular of Asian World Cup qualifying, portion Japan amazingly mislaid 1-0 to Oman.
Awer Mabil and Martin Boyle scored first-half goals for the Socceroos successful a crippled played successful Doha, Qatar, due to the fact that of question restrictions limiting introduction into Australia. Mitchell Duke added a 3rd with 20 minutes remaining.
It was Boyle's 4th extremity successful conscionable 8 appearances for the greenish and gold.
Australia had 21 shots successful each - but Graham Arnold volition beryllium hoping for a much objective show aft mediocre finishing and decision-making outgo the Aussies much goals.
China went into the crippled connected a five-match triumph streak and had 12 days of mentation compared to conscionable 2 Australian grooming sessions.
The triumph enactment Australia successful archetypal spot successful Group B supra Oman. Substitute Issam Al-Sabhi swept location from adjacent scope successful the 88th infinitesimal for Oman successful rainy Osaka to assertion triumph against Asia's top-ranked team.
It could person been worse for Japan arsenic Oman, ranked 55 places lower, saw a second-half punishment overturned by VAR aft the referee initially pointed to the spot pursuing a handball by Yuto Nagatomo.
Japan has made six consecutive World Cup appearances, but Oman has ne'er qualified. The Japanese enjoyed the bulk of possession but struggled to make wide chances against their well-organized opponent.
"It was a disappointing defeat," Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu said. "Now the absorption is to bounce backmost to instrumentality 3 points successful the adjacent game."
That comes against China connected Tuesday portion Australia faces Vietnam successful Hanoi. Vietnam, playing for the archetypal clip astatine this signifier of qualification, mislaid 3-1 to Saudi Arabia contempt taking an aboriginal pb done Nguyen Quang Hai.
The crippled successful Riyadh turned aft 55 minutes arsenic Vietnamese defender Do Duy Manh was adjudged to person handled successful the country and was besides shown a 2nd yellowish card. Salem Al-Dawsari scored from the spot and soon aft Yasser Al-Shahrani headed the big into the lead. The triumph was sealed with 10 minutes remaining arsenic Saleh Al-Shehri fired location a penalty.
In Group A, South Korea was frustrated aft being held by Iraq to a 0-0 gully successful an bare Seoul World Cup Stadium.
The host, aiming for a 10th successive quality astatine the World Cup, was successful complaint for overmuch of the crippled against the hard-working visitors but could not interruption the deadlock.
Lee Jae-sung came closest, blasting implicit successful the archetypal fractional from adjacent scope aft a goal-line clearance.
Hwang Hee-chan, who precocious signed with English Premier League squad Wolverhampton, headed consecutive astatine the goalkeeper from a bully presumption aft the break.
Iran boosted its chances of a 3rd successive qualification run with a 1-0 triumph implicit Syria successful Tehran. Alireza Jahanbakhsh scored the lone extremity conscionable earlier the hour. The United Arab Emirates drew 0-0 with Lebanon successful Dubai.
The apical 2 from some six-team groups suffice automatically for adjacent year's World Cup. The third-place teams conscionable successful a playoff and the victor past faces an hostile from different confederation.
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