AFC 2014 World Cup qualifying: Bad results for Australia and Japan

Japan looked to be in control and likely to net an equalizer early in the first half, but got taken apart on the counter in the 60th minute. Ahmed Hayel scored what will perhaps go down as the goal of his life if Jordan qualify for the World Cup, skipping past multiple defenders on a long run down the right flank before cutting into the box and finishing to put his side up 2-0.

Shortly after that goal, Jordan’s unsung hero of the night, Odai Al-Saify, was substituted off. While he didn’t score or assist on either of his team’s goals, he provided a constant danger and his work rate was phenomenal. As he left the pitch, he high-fived and hugged his teammates before running to the sidelines, jumping up and down, encouraging the crowd to cheer their team on.

Australia are still in second place in Group B but their continued struggle to get wins have them in a precarious position. In Group A, South Korea and Uzbekistan remained at the top. Here’s a recap of today’s AFC qualifiers.

Server Djeparov’s 64th minute goal was all Uzbekistan needed as they kept their hopes of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup strong. The victory is Uzbekistan’s third of this round and allows them to remain a point ahead of South Korea for first place in Group A. There’s a good chance Korea will jump into the top spot as they’ve played one less game but since the top two teams from the group advance, things are looking good for Mirjalol Qosimov and his side.