Syria advance to next round, IR Iran back on track
- Round 2 of Asia World Cup qualifiers continued today
- Eight group winners and four best runners-up will advance to the third round
- Syria advanced to next round after taking unassailable lead in Group A
The road to Qatar 2022 in Asia is at a crucial juncture as Round 2 nears its conclusion. The eight group winners and four best runners-up will move on to Round 3.
Of the 13 matches today, the headliners have to be Syria, who advanced to the next round following a comfortable victory over Guam. There were also significant developments in Groups B, C, D and G.
FIFA.com rounds up all the major storylines from today’s matches.
Asia results
Kyrgyz Republic 0-1 Mongolia
Japan 4-1 Tajikistan
Bangladesh 0-2 India
Guam 0-3 Syria
Iraq 4-1 Cambodia
Nepal 0-3 Jordan
IR Iran 3-0 Bahrain
Vietnam 4-0 Indonesia
United Arab Emirates 3-1 Thailand
Oman 0-1 Qatar
China PR 2-0 Philippines
Uzbekistan 5-0 Singapore
Australia 5-1 Chinese Taipei
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Jordan walk out on to the pitch before their FIFA World Cup qualifier against Nepal
07 Jun 2021
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Mongolia players celebrate after scoring against Kyrgyz Republic
07 Jun 2021
Mongolia players celebrate after scoring against Kyrgyz Republic
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Action from Kyrgyz Republic match against Mongolia
07 Jun 2021
Action from Kyrgyz Republic match against Mongolia
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Mongolia celebrate victory over Kyrgyz Republic in FIFA World Cup qualifying
07 Jun 2021
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Mongolia celebrate victory over Kyrgyz Republic in FIFA World Cup qualifying
07 Jun 2021
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Kyogo Furuhashi (2nd R)of Japan scores his side’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifier 2nd round Group F match between Japan and Tajikistan
07 Jun 2021
SUITA, JAPAN – JUNE 07: Kyogo Furuhashi (2nd R)of Japan scores his side’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifier 2nd round Group F match between Japan and Tajikistan at Panasonic Stadium Suita on June 7, 2021 in Suita, Osaka, Japan. (Photo by Koji Watanabe/Getty Images)
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Komron Tursunov of Tajikistan takes on Kyogo Furuhashi and Sho Sasaki of Japan during the FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifier 2nd round Group F match between Japan and Tajikistan
07 Jun 2021
SUITA, JAPAN – JUNE 07: Komron Tursunov of Tajikistan takes on Kyogo Furuhashi and Sho Sasaki of Japan during the FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifier 2nd round Group F match between Japan and Tajikistan at Panasonic Stadium Suita on June 7, 2021 in Suita, Osaka, Japan. (Photo by Koji Watanabe/Getty Images)
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Takumi Minamino of Japan kisses his shoes after his side’s 4-1 victory in the FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifier 2nd round Group F match between Japan and Tajikistan
07 Jun 2021
SUITA, JAPAN – JUNE 07: Takumi Minamino of Japan kisses his shoes after his side’s 4-1 victory in the FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifier 2nd round Group F match between Japan and Tajikistan at Panasonic Stadium Suita on June 7, 2021 in Suita, Osaka, Japan. (Photo by Koji Watanabe/Getty Images)
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Hayao Kawabe (R) of Japan celebrates scoring his side’s fourth goal with his team mate Takuma Asano (R) during the FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifier 2nd round Group F match between Japan and Tajikistan
07 Jun 2021
SUITA, JAPAN – JUNE 07: Hayao Kawabe (R) of Japan celebrates scoring his side’s fourth goal with his team mate Takuma Asano (R) during the FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifier 2nd round Group F match between Japan and Tajikistan at Panasonic Stadium Suita on June 7, 2021 in Suita, Osaka, Japan. (Photo by Koji Watanabe/Getty Images)
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Hayao Kawabe (2nd-L) of Japan celebrates
07 Jun 2021
SUITA, JAPAN – JUNE 07: Hayao Kawabe (2nd-L) of Japan celebrates scores his side’s fourth goal with teammate the FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifier 2nd round Group F match between Japan and Tajikistan at Panasonic Stadium Suita on June 07, 2021 in Suita, Osaka, Japan. (Photo by Koji Watanabe/Getty Images)
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Mardik Mardikian of Syria celebrates scoring against Guam
07 Jun 2021
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Syria players celebrate scoring against Guam
07 Jun 2021
PRELIMINARY JOINT QUALIFICATION 2022,GUAM,SYRIA,Sharjah Stadium,07 Jun, 2021,13 – THAER KROUMA,3 – KHALED KURDAGHLI,20 – MARDEK MRDKIAN,
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Iraq vs Cambodia, 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying
07 Jun 2021
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Bashar Rasan of Iraq celebrates scoring a goal
07 Jun 2021
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Iraq v Cambodia, 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
07 Jun 2021
PRELIMINARY JOINT QUALIFICATION 2022,IRAQ,CAMBODIA,Sheikh Ali Bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Stadium,07 Jun, 2021,14 – KEO SOKPHENG,13 – BASHAR RESAN BONYAN,
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Mohanad Ali of Iraq celebrates scoring against Cambodia
07 Jun 2021
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Nepal vs Jordan, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifying
07 Jun 2021
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Yazan Al-Arab of Jordan controls the ball
07 Jun 2021
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IR Iran vs Bahrain, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifying
07 Jun 2021
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IR Iran vs Bahrain, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualifying
07 Jun 2021
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United Arab Emirates vs Thailand, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ qualifying
07 Jun 2021
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United Arab Emirates vs Thailand, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ qualifying
07 Jun 2021
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United Arab Emirates vs Thailand, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ qualifying
07 Jun 2021
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Wu Xi, the captain of China national football team, leads out the team ahead of the game against the Philippines at Sharjah Stadium
07 Jun 2021
SHARJAH, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JUNE 07: Wu Xi, the captain of China national football team, leads out the team ahead of the game against the Philippines at Sharjah Stadium on June 07, 2021 in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Neville Hopwood/Getty Images)
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Wu Lei of China celebrates after scoring the first goal from the penalty spot at Sharjah Stadium
07 Jun 2021
SHARJAH, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JUNE 07: Wu Lei of China celebrates after scoring the first goal from the penalty spot at Sharjah Stadium on June 07, 2021 in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Neville Hopwood/Getty Images)
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Wu Xinghan of China celebrates after scoring the second goal at Sharjah Stadium
07 Jun 2021
SHARJAH, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JUNE 07: Wu Xinghan of China celebrates after scoring the second goal at Sharjah Stadium on June 07, 2021 in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Neville Hopwood/Getty Images)
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Australia vs Chinese Taipei, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ qualifying
07 Jun 2021
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Harry Souttar of Australia heads in from a corner kick
07 Jun 2021
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Harry Souttar of Australia celebrates scoring against Chinese Taipei
07 Jun 2021
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Syria joined Japan as the second nation to qualify for the third round of Asia’s FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ qualifiers following victory over Guam in Group A. Syria impressively extended their winning streak to seven matches in the group this campaign. China PR had to wait until the second half to find their goals against a resilient Philippines side as they continue their fight to finish as one of the best runners-up. It was coach Li Tie’s side’s fifth clean sheet in their last six World Cup qualifiers and he’ll be pleased that on the other side of the pitch star man Wu Lei has scored six goals in his last six qualifiers.
Australia strengthened their place at the top of Group B with a 5-1 win over Chinese Taipei thanks to four different goalscorers. Jordan beat Nepal earlier in the day to keep up some pressure on the Socceroos. If Jordan beat Kuwait in four days’ time, they will have the chance to pip Australia to first place when they face each other on 15 June.
There’s a new leader in Group C. After Iraq beat Cambodia 4-1 and IR Iran defeated Bahrain 3-0, Iraq now lead one of the most intriguing sections on the continent. Barring any major shocks, IR Iran and Iraq’s meeting on 15 June will be a must-watch, winner-takes-all encounter. IR Iran’s Sardar Azmoun scored his 35th and 36th international goals in just his 54th appearance for his nation, while Iraq’s Mohanad Ali needed just 19 seconds to score against Cambodia to record his country’s fastest-ever World Cup qualifying goal.
There was just the one game in Group D and it saw Uzbekistan win emphatically against Singapore 5-0, which sees the White Wolves keep pace with section leaders Saudi Arabia. They are now just two points behind the Green Falcons and the two sides meet on 15 June.
India defeated Bangladesh 2-0 to move into third in Group E. India’s talisman Sunil Chhhetri stole the show with two late second half goals, bringing his international goal tally to 74, taking him above Lionel Messi and one off entering the top 10. World Cup hosts Qatar edged Oman 1-0 thanks to captain Hassan Al-Haydos’ penalty to remain unbeaten in the group (seven wins and one draw).
Already-qualified Japan beat Tajikistan 4-1 earlier in the day in Group F. And despite conceding their first goal in a World Cup qualifier since September 2017 against Saudi Arabia, the Samurai Blue took their tally to an impressive 41 goals in seven games played in this campaign. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day came in the very first match when Mongolia edged Kyrgyz Republic 1-0, a team 93 places above them in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking. Mijiddorj Oyunbaatar’s first-half header secured the shock win.
One of the other groups that is destined to go down to the wire is Group G. Vietnam (14 points) are hanging on to a two-point lead over the United Arab Emirates (12) after the former cruised past Indonesia 4-0 and the latter defeated Thailand 3-1. It’s a two-horse race that will see a group winner crowned on 15 June in Dubai. Vietnam will be encouraged by their defensive record – five clean sheets in their last six qualifiers – while the UAE are scoring freely. Bert van Marwijk’s charges have now scored 17 goals in their last four matches in all competitions.