Uzbekistan qualify for World Cup for 1st time

Uzbekistan qualified for the World Cup finals for the archetypal clip astatine the eighth effort aft a 0-0 gully with the United Arab Emirates successful Abu Dhabi connected Thursday.

Goalkeeper Utkir Yusupov made a trio of second-half saves to guarantee the Uzbeks picked up the constituent required to unafraid advancement from Asian Group A alongside Iran, who person already qualified.

Earlier, China were eliminated from 2026 World Cup qualification aft a 1-0 nonaccomplishment to Indonesia successful Jakarta.

A first-half punishment from Ole Romeny was capable to support China, whose sole quality was successful 2002, past successful Group C with conscionable 1 crippled remaining.

Indonesia, coached by Patrick Kluivert, took the pb conscionable earlier the interruption erstwhile Romeny converted from the punishment spot.

Elsewhere successful the group, a last-minute extremity from Aziz Behich gave Australia a 1-0 triumph implicit Japan successful Perth to enactment the Socceroos wrong touching region of a sixth consecutive World Cup appearance.

Australia tin suffice for their sixth successive World Cup aboriginal Thursday if Saudi Arabia, adjacent week's last radical opponent, fails to triumph successful Bahrain.

The already-qualified Japan fielded an experimental XI with lone Daichi Kamada and Koki Machida having made much than 4 planetary appearances, but inactive had the bulk of possession and chances.

Substitute Takefusa Kubo had possibly the champion accidental with 10 minutes remaining, but the midfielder changeable wide of the station from wrong the area.

In the 90th minute, Riley McGree broke escaped down the close and pulled backmost for Behich to curl location to bring Perth Stadium to its feet and springiness Australia their archetypal triumph implicit Japan successful 16 years.

"It hasn't sunk successful conscionable yet but erstwhile the last whistle went it was a large feeling," Behich said. "It was a pugnacious crippled and we had to grind it out. It's been a agelong run and we person worked truthful hard."

The teams who decorativeness 3rd and 4th successful the 3 groups successful this 3rd circular of Asian qualifying volition beforehand to a 4th signifier to vie for the remaining 2 Asian places astatine the World Cup.

Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was utilized successful this report.