Japan and UAE in fight for World Cup survival<\/p>\n
TOKYO (AFP): Japan and United Arab Emirates will fight a
\nbattle for World Cup survival this weekend in the Asian
\nqualifying tournament.<\/p>\n
Saudi Arabia and Iran play an equally important match in the
\nsecond group today, as the Asian qualifying contest reaches its
\ndecisive phase. Uzbekistan plays Kazakhstan tomorrow in the third
\nmatch of the latest round.<\/p>\n
The UAE's surprise 3-0 defeat by Kazakhstan last weekend
\nrevived Japan's flagging World Cup hopes. Sunday's match at
\nTokyo's National Stadium will be their final chance however.<\/p>\n
Only a major upset will stop South Korea taking Group B's
\nsingle automatic qualifying spot. But the battle is on to get the
\nsecond place and a playoff against the second team from Group A.<\/p>\n
The UAE defeat left it with seven points, Japan with six
\npoints and Kazakhstan with six points.<\/p>\n
\"We are lucky,\" said Japan's manager Takeshi Okada, who had
\nexpected the Emirates to beat Kazakhstan.<\/p>\n
\"The UAE defeat gave us a chance again to win second place. We
\nstill have to win our remaining three games, but first of all,
\nwe'll give 100 percent in our attempt to beat the Emirates.\"<\/p>\n
The Emirates will be without suspended super-sub Bakhit Saad
\nMubarak Saad, a star performer in the tournament, who was sent
\noff against Kazakhstan for fighting.<\/p>\n
Japan will be without skipper Masami Ihara, a key defender,
\nbecause of accumulated yellow cards.<\/p>\n
Okada tried a new formation in a practice match, moving
\nstruggling striker Kazuyoshi Miura back to midfield and sending
\nBrazilian-born Lopes Wagnar and Shoji Jo forward in an attempt to
\nfind more aggression.<\/p>\n
Okada would not say what tactics would be used Sunday.<\/p>\n
Miura scored four goals in the opening match against
\nUzbekistan, but nothing since.<\/p>\n
The 30-year-old star is now isolated in the team, with even
\nsquad goalkeepers reportedly refusing to practice penalty shots
\nwith him.<\/p>\n
Emirates coach Lori Sandri said: \"I think Miura will not play
\nin midfield as well as he did in the front. It will be very
\ndifficult for him to play well in a new position.\"<\/p>\n
Sandri added: \"Our goal is to win and secure second place. The
\nlevel of our team is almost the same as the Japanese, but we have
\na one-point advantage. Anyway, the winners will take second
\nplace.\"<\/p>\n
Their match in the sweltering heat of Abu Dhabi ended in a 0-0
\ndraw with Japan struggling. This time it will be the Emirates
\nturn to suffer on a cold Tokyo evening.<\/p>\n
A Japanese win would secure South Korea's top spot in the
\nround robin tournament, ensuring its fourth straight appearance
\nin the World Cup finals.<\/p>\n
But if Japan wins, it will still have to beat South Korea in
\nSeoul on Nov. 1 and the Koreans are never in a mood to do favors
\nto their old rivals.<\/p>\n
There is similar tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran which
\nrisks boiling over during their Group A match.<\/p>\n
Iran leads that group and a victory would almost seal its
\nqualification while boosting the hopes of China and Kuwait of
\novertaking the Saudis into second place.<\/p>\n
Saudi Arabia is hugely talented but looked demoralized in its
\n2-1 defeat to the Kuwaitis last week.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/japan-and-uae-in-fight-for-world-cup-survival-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}