DOHA, QATAR (AP) – Qatar and Saudi Arabia qualified for next year’s World Cup on Tuesday by finishing first in their group in the fourth round of Asian qualifying.
Qatar defeated the United Arab Emirates 2-1, and Saudi Arabia drew 0-0 with Iraq.
This will be the first time that Qatar has advanced through the qualifying rounds, having lost all three of their group stage matches when the tournament was held in 2022. Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup next summer, making it their seventh appearance in North America.
“It’s a great, great day,” Qatar coach Julen Lopetegui told broadcaster beIN Sports.
Lopetegui has accepted the job as Real Madrid manager, giving him the chance to return to the World Cup after being sacked from Spain’s national team just two days before the start of the 2018 tournament.
“For me, today is one of the best days of my career,” Lopetegui said. “I think today is one of the great achievements that we should enjoy.”
With this victory, Qatar moved to the top of Group A, ahead of second-place UAE, and will advance to the play-offs against Iraq in November. Oman finished 3rd in the group and was eliminated.
Qatar’s best chance of the first half came in the 30th minute, when Mohamed Al Mannai’s header went just wide of the UAE goal.
Two minutes into the second half, Houki took the lead when he headed Akram Afif’s free kick past goalkeeper Khalid Essa. With 17 minutes remaining, Afif delivered a cross from the left that Pedro Miguel headed in at the far post for the goal.
Tarek Salman was shown a straight red card in the 87th minute, reducing Qatar to 10 men. Eight minutes into the 15 minutes of extra points, UAE scored with Sultan Adil’s shot from inside the area, ending a tense match. Had it been a draw, UAE would have won.
After defeating Indonesia last Wednesday, Saudi Arabia got the draw they needed to win Group B against Iraq in Jeddah. The home team dominated most of the ball in a game with few chances, but were unable to find a breakthrough. If Iraq wins, it will qualify for the tournament for the first time since 1986.
Japan and South Korea, who have already qualified for the World Cup, both won friendly matches against South American teams.
Japan fought from a two-goal deficit to win 3-2 in Tokyo, marking their first victory over Brazil. Ayase Ueda scored the winning goal with a header in the 71st minute.
South Korea defeated Paraguay 2-0 in Seoul.
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
