Saudi Arabia down Indonesia; Qatar, Oman draw in AFC World Cup qualifiers

Saudi Arabia bushed Indonesia 3-2 portion Qatar and Oman extremity goalless arsenic 4th circular of qualifiers begin.

Saudi Arabia person fought backmost to gain a 3-2 triumph implicit Indonesia successful Group B of Asia’s World Cup qualifiers arsenic Feras Al-Brikan’s treble boosted their hopes of securing a spot astatine adjacent year’s finals successful North America.

Kevin Diks enactment Indonesia up from the spot successful the 11th infinitesimal connected Wednesday, but Saleh Abu Al-Shamat levelled six minutes aboriginal earlier Al-Brikan scored either broadside of half-time to unafraid the points contempt a 2nd Diks punishment 2 minutes from time.

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Saudi Arabia adjacent look Iraq successful Jeddah connected Tuesday and cognize that a triumph implicit Graham Arnold’s broadside volition warrant their spot successful December’s gully for the finals successful the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Indonesia and Iraq volition look 1 different connected Saturday.

The Indonesians went successful beforehand erstwhile Hassan Al-Tambakhti stuck retired an limb arsenic Dean James swung successful his escaped footwear from the close and Diks stepped up to clinically spot his spot footwear beyond Nawaf Al-Aqidi.

The pb was short-lived arsenic Al-Shamat steered his right-footed onslaught from the borderline of the country beyond Maarten Paes’s dive to his left.

With 9 minutes near successful the half, the location broadside went successful front. Yakob Sayuri’s needless propulsion connected Al-Brikan’s garment saw referee Ahmad Al-Ali called to the pitch-side monitor, and the Kuwaiti awarded a punishment that Al-Brikan slammed home.

Al-Brikan enactment the effect beyond uncertainty successful the 62nd infinitesimal with a objective close-range finish.

Paes threw himself to his close to support retired Musab Al-Juwayr’s debased thrust lone for Al-Brikan to pounce connected the rebound and nonstop the shot backmost nether the assemblage of the Indonesia goalkeeper.

Diks struck again from the punishment spot aft Nawaf Bu Washl deed the shot with his limb arsenic helium went down successful his ain country successful a tussle with Ole Romeny portion Mohammed Kanno’s injury-time reddish paper made for a tense decorativeness for Herve Renard’s side.

Saudi Arabia’s Salem Al-Dawsari reacts arsenic Saudi Arabia are awarded a punishment [Reuters]

Qatar’s World Cup hopes deed by plucky Oman

Oman kept hosts Qatar astatine bay to gain a 0-0 gully successful the countries’ opening clash successful Group A of the 4th circular of Asia’s World Cup preliminaries earlier connected Wednesday, denting some nations’ hopes of automatic qualification for the 2026 finals.

Qatar skipper Akram Afif went closest to claiming the points for Julen Lopetegui’s broadside astatine Doha’s Jassim bin Hamad Stadium erstwhile helium wastefully steered his changeable wide 49 minutes into a tense crippled of fewer chances.

The Carlos Queiroz-coached Omanis, who are looking to suffice for the World Cup for the archetypal time, volition look the United Arab Emirates connected Saturday successful the adjacent crippled successful the three-team group. Qatar volition instrumentality connected the Emiratis connected Tuesday.

The winners of the radical volition suffice straight for the finals portion the squad finishing 2nd advances to a playoff with the runner-up from Group B, which is being played successful Saudi Arabia.

Qatar dominated the opening exchanges but struggled to crook that superiority into opportunities. Only midfielder Boualem Khoukhi threatened the Oman extremity with a onslaught from region successful the 13th infinitesimal that flew wide of the target.

The Omanis were mostly kept connected the backmost ft though Issam Al-Sabhi did manner an opening successful the 27th infinitesimal that goalkeeper Mahmud Abunada gathered, and Amjad Al-Harthi steered a header implicit the barroom precocious successful the half.

Afif should person enactment the hosts up soon aft the interval erstwhile the Omanis talented him possession successful their ain half, but the Asian Player of the Year uncharacteristically side-footed his changeable the incorrect broadside of the post.

Japan, South Korea, Australia, Iran, Jordan and Uzbekistan person already claimed six of Asia’s 8 guaranteed berths astatine the expanded 48-team finals. A imaginable ninth spot is disposable via an intercontinental playoff successful March.