UAE and Uzbekistan play draw at Asian Qualifiers as Australia, Jordan close in
Uzbekistan qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in the nation's history on Thursday as a 0-0 draw with the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi ensured Timur Kapadze's side claimed a top two finish in Group A of the AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to 26.
A trio of saves by goalkeeper Utkir Yusupov kept the Emiratis at bay in the second half to take Uzbekistan onto 18 points from nine games and maintain their four-point lead over third-placed UAE with only Tuesday's matches remaining in the third phase of qualifying.
The qualification is Uzbekistan's first in eight attempts since the Central Asian nation joined the Asian Football Confederation. The UAE, meanwhile, will advance to the fourth phase of qualifying, where new head coach Cosmin Olaroiu will continue the nation's attempt to book a FIFA World Cup berth for the first time since 1990.
With the UAE needing a win to keep alive their hopes of automatic qualification alongside Group A leaders the Iran, it was Fabio Lima who had an early sight of goal for the hosts, the striker shooting straight at Yusupov.
An early injury saw Oston Urunov replaced by Abbosbek Fayzullaev and the substitute almost unlocked the UAE defence in the 26th minute, exploiting the space down the left to pull the ball across the face of goal. But none of his teammates were able to capitalise.
It was Uzbekistan who went closest in the 54th minute as Khojiakbar Alijonov slipped the ball through Majed Hassan's legs before curling over a cross that Fayzullaev rose to meet with a powerful header, only for the ball to thump back off the bar.
The hosts, however, started to turn the screw as Olaroiu's side pushed for the goal that would deliver a win that would keep the UAE's dwindling chances of automatic qualification alive.
Yusupov was on hand to prevent the UAE from taking the lead as the game approached the hour mark, diving to his left to keep out Lucas Pimenta's close range header after Fabio Lima's testing free kick into the penalty area.
And the Uzbekistan goalkeeper saved another strike by Fabio Lima that the Brazil-born attacker attempted to bend into the bottom corner with time ticking down, Yusupov pushing the ball to safety to seal his nation's historic progress.
Earlier, Aziz Behich's last-minute winner earned Australia a 1-0 victory over already-qualified Japan in Perth on Thursday as the Socceroos took a huge stride towards claiming an automatic berth at next year's FIFA World Cup from Group C of the AFC Asian Qualifiers - Road to 26.
The Melbourne City defender bent in a 90th minute winner from 12 yards out to delight the 57,226 crowd at Perth Stadium, moving Tony Popovic's side onto 16 points from nine games with the Socceroos due to play Saudi Arabia in Jeddah on Tuesday.
Australia now stand on the cusp of qualifying after handing the Japanese their first defeat of the campaign, and Saudi Arabia must win against Bahrain later on Thursday to delay the Socceroos' celebrations.
Popovic made three changes to the side that won 2-0 against China PR in March, with Jackson Irvine and Nishan Velupillay ruled out due to injury, prompting the selection of Connor Metcalfe and Alessandro Circati.
With qualification secured, Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu made a host of changes to his starting line-up with Daichi Kamada and Koki Machida the only recognisable regulars selected.
Despite fielding a side featuring newly capped players Hiroki Sekine, Yu Hirakawa and Kota Tawaratsumida, it was the Samurai Blue in the ascendancy throughout the opening 45 minutes as Moriyasu's side dominated without possessing a cutting edge.
Yuki Ohashi, making only his second appearance for Japan, launched a speculative effort from wide on the left in the 16th minute that flew over Maty Ryan's crossbar while Sekine was quick to snuff out a glimmer of an opportunity for Martin Boyle at the other end.
Yuito Suzuki powered towards the Australian goal in the 29th minute only to pull his shot wide of Ryan's left post from the edge of the area.
The Socceroos had seen little of the ball but, on a rare sortie into Japanese territory, Ryan Teague delivered a corner into the penalty area that Connor Metcalfe glanced wide of Kosei Tani's goal.
A diving Ryan was relieved to see Hirakawa's low strike from 25 yards out drift wide while Kamada dragged his attempt off target on the turn with a little over two minutes left in the half. Hirakawa then warmed Ryan's hands with another effort moments later.
Australia failed to make the most of a mistake by Tani early in the second half, the goalkeeper gifting possession to the Socceroos but Behich thumped woefully off target as he ventured forward.
Ohashi blazed another attempt wide before the introduction of Takefusa Kubo and Keito Nakamura briefly injected added creativity into the Japan team.
Kubo almost struck with 10 minutes remaining after the Australian defence only half-cleared a ball into the penalty area, the Real Sociedad man shooting wide with Ryan little more than a spectator. Suzuki ballooned his attempt into the sky soon after.
Australia pushed forward in the dying moments and, after substitute Riley McGree cut the ball back from the byeline towards Behich, the full-back swept his right-foot shot past Tani to spark scenes of jubilation on the bench.
Meanwhile, a year out from kick-off, Iranian football fans are watching their World Cup dream slip away after a US travel ban barred them from entering the land of "Great Satan" to cheer on their team.
The 2026 tournament will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, but most matches, including the final, are scheduled to be played on American soil.
Many in Iran had clung to hopes of cheering from the stands until Wednesday when US President Donald Trump rolled out a new travel ban on 12 countries including Iran, which will take effect from Monday.
"My friends and I have been waiting for years to watch Team Melli (a nickname for the national team) play in a World Cup on US soil, and when they qualified, it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Sohrab Naderi, a real estate agent in Tehran, told AFP.
Now with the new travel ban, that dream is shattered because of politics that we don't care about and have no control over," said the 46-year-old who attended the 2022 World Cup in Qatar which saw the US side defeat Iran 1-0 in the group stage.
The prospect of Iran competing in a US-hosted tournament comes against the backdrop of a decades-long enmity, with diplomatic ties broken since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
The two sides are currently engaged in high-stakes talks over Iran's nuclear programme, with the United States threatening military action if no deal can be reached.
Trump said the new travel ban was prompted by a makeshift flamethrower attack on a Jewish protest in Colorado that US authorities blamed on a man they said was in the country illegally.
The ban will not apply to athletes competing in either the 2026 World Cup or the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the order said.
Nonetheless, supporters who had dreamed of crossing the Atlantic to cheer on their team will no longer be able to make the trip.
"Every Iranian has the right to support their team, just as much as any other country, whether the game is in America or in any other country," said Hasti Teymourpour, a 16-year-old football fan.
Since his return to office in January, Trump has reinstated his "maximum pressure" policy of sanctions against Iran and vowed that "something bad" would happen unless the Iranians "move quickly" towards a nuclear deal.
Naderi, who called the ban "inhumane" and "degrading to all Iranians", still hopes the Iran-US nuclear talks will yield a deal that might persuade Trump to reconsider.
The outcome of the US-Iran talks that began in April remains unclear, and many fans worry that even if they result in a deal, it may be too late for them.
Some Iranians have refused to give up hope, however, seeing in the World Cup an opportunity to thaw relations.
"Sports diplomacy can act as a strong catalyst and bring the efforts of political diplomats to fruition sooner," said political commentator Mohammad Reza Manafi.
It could be "a great opportunity to help advance diplomacy between the two countries".
In a memorable 1998 World Cup clash, Iranian players handed flowers to their American adversaries and posed together for photos -- a rare public gesture of goodwill between the nations.
Iran won 2-1, a victory celebrated in Tehran as a source of both sporting and political pride.
With the 2026 draw expected in December, it remains unclear whether Iran and the United States will face off again, but anticipation is building.
"The two countries are not hostile to each other, this political discussion is for the governments," said 44-year-old day labourer Siamak Kalantari.
Another fan, Mahdieh Olfati, said: "If we face the US again, we'll definitely win."
"Ours are real players," the 18-year-old added.
Manafi, the commentator, said a friendly before the tournament, possibly hosted by a third country, could help ease tensions.
Such a game, he said, could help "achieve what politicians from both sides have not managed to do for years".
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