Jordan celebrate historic World Cup qualification, King Abdullah II leads tributes
Jordan's King Abdullah II led the tributes as his nation celebrated reaching the Fifa World Cup for the first time in their history.
Ali Olwan was the hero for the Jordanians as he netted a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Oman in Muscat on Thursday night.
The jubilant away supporters were joined by Crown Prince Hussein, who was seen celebrating in the stands.
The win put the 2023 Asian Cup runners-up into a commanding position to secure a top-two finish in AFC qualifying Group B behind leaders South Korea, and their progress was confirmed a few hours later when the Koreans beat Iraq 2-0 in Basra.
Jordan's King Abdullah II congratulated the team on social media.
'This historic qualification is well-deserved by our team, which includes stars and cadres of whom we are proud,' he wrote on X.
'Special thanks go to our loyal fans who have been our support and encouragement.'
Jordan's qualification for the expanded 48-team tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico extends a rewarding period for the national team after their run to the Asian Cup final in 2023.
In that competition they eliminated South Korea in the last four before eventually losing to hosts Qatar in the final.
The South Koreans cemented top spot in AFC Group B and consigned Iraq to another round of qualifying with a routine victory at the Basra International Stadium.
The Iraqi cause was not helped by a first-half red card for Ipswich striker Ali Al Hamadi and goals after the break from Kim Jin-gyu and Oh Hyeon-gyu confirmed their defeat.
The Iraqis will drop into the fourth round of qualifying where they will be joined by either Palestine or Oman who meet next week in a winner-takes-all clash.
Palestine kept their hopes alive with a 2-0 win over Kuwait on Thursday thanks to goals from Tamer Seyam and Wessam Abou Ali.
The six teams who finish third and fourth across the three AFC groups will enter a fresh phase of qualifying featuring two groups of three with the winners of each section sealing a place at the finals.
Four of the six teams – UAE, Qatar, Indonesia and Iraq – are already known, with most likely Saudi Arabia and one of Palestine and Oman to complete the line up.
Saudi Arabia alive but face steep task
Saudi Arabia and Australia will go head-to-head next Tuesday for the second automatic spot in Group C.
Australia remain in pole position following their last-gasp win against group leaders Japan in Perth.
Defender Aziz Behich was the home hero in front of more than 57,000 fans, rifling into the corner in the 90th minute to give Tony Popovic's side a crucial 1-0 victory.
'We know there's room to grow and room to improve, but we've done something special tonight,' said Popovic, who saw his team outplayed for long periods by an experimental Japan side.
Saudi Arabia ensured the race for second place will go down to the wire courtesy of a 2-0 win against Bahrain in Riffa. Goals in either half from Musab Al Juwayr and Abdulrahman Al Obud saw Herve Renard's men stay three points behind second-placed Australia.
However, the Saudis will have to win in Jeddah by five goals to leapfrog the Socceroos.
Popovic, who replaced Graham Arnold in the dugout in September, added: 'We've all played a part in getting us to this point. We want to go to Saudi Arabia and really finish the job off.'
Also in Group C, Patrick Kluivert's Indonesia kept alive their hopes of reaching a first World Cup since the country's independence in 1945 with a 1-0 win over China.
That leaves Indonesia fourth in the group, one point behind Saudi. Ole Romeny scored the only goal, his controversial penalty just before half time following a VAR check leaving China rooted to the bottom of the group and thus ending their hopes of making a second World Cup.
UAE and Qatar will move into the next round of qualifying.
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