Japan’s Mike Havenaar fights for the ball with Iraq’s Ahmed Ibrahim (top) during their 2014 World Cup qualifying football match in Doha, yesterday.
Doha: Asian champions Japan finished their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 1-0 win over Iraq here yesterday that ended the West Asian nation’s slim hopes of joining them in Brazil.
Iraq enjoyed plenty of possession and created lots of chances in the searing Qatari heat but could not find a way through and Japan made them pay with an 89th minute goal on the counter from Shinji Okazaki.
The result leaves Japan on 17 points from their eight games with Iraq bottom on five ahead of their eighth and final fixture away to Australia next week.
Iraq knew only victory in front of a handful of fans in their temporary home ground in Qatar would be enough to keep their hopes of claiming a top three finish and a chance of reaching Brazil alive.
The game was stopped for the first of two water breaks with the temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius in the country which will host the 2022 World Cup finals.
Iraq, 2007 Asian champions, were better suited to the heat and wrestled control of the match in the second period with captain Younis Mahmoud looking dangerous in attack.
Iraq’s hopes of finding the necessary win were then hurt by two quick yellow cards that led to Alaa’s dismissal in the 82 minute after he received the second for kicking an opponent in the face when attempting an overhead kick. Despite being reduced to 10 men, Iraq piled forward in the closing stages but Japan caught them on a swift counter with midfielder Yasuhito Endo selflessly squaring the ball for Okazaki to slide home a winner in the final minute.
Meanwhile, Iran thrashed Lebanon 4-0 in Tehran yesterday to move into second place in Asia qualifying Group A and take control of their World Cup destiny.
Goals by Mohammad Khalatbari, Reza Ghoochannejhad and two from captain Javad Nekonam helped Iran move past Uzbekistan into the automatic qualifying places ahead of their final match away to South Korea next Tuesday. The Koreans lead the group on 14 points from seven matches with Iran second on 13 and the Uzbeks third on 11 after their 1-0 loss in Seoul yesterday.
The top two sides are guaranteed a place in Brazil with the third placed team also joining them if they can successfully negotiate a playoff against another Asian country and then a South American nation.
The Uzbeks host Qatar in their final game on Tuesday. Agencies
