Qatar upsets Iraq, as heavyweights tumble
The Socceroos received an unexpected bonus, following their 0-0 draw with China, with Qatar recording an upset 2-0 win over the reigning Asian Champions Iraq.
It was just one of several upsets in the 2nd match of this third-stage of Asian World Cup qualifying series, with Bahrain shocking Japan 1-0 in Manama, while West Asian powerhouse Saudi Arabia was thrashed 3-0 by Uzbekistan. South Korea (Korea Republic) played out a 0-0 draw with its fierce rival North Korea (DPR Korea).
The win by Qatar saw them leap into second spot on the Group 1 table, a point behind Australia, while China is third after its opening two draws and Iraq in fourth spot with just the solitary point from its two opening games.
Qatar stunned the Asian Champions in just the first minute, when an inswinging cross from wide on the right by superstar striker Andreas Quintana somehow beat everybody and went inside the far post. They sealed the win in the 67th minute, when Iraq failed to clear a free kick and in the ensuing goalmouth scramble Fabio Montesin slammed home.
In Group 2, Bahrain kept its 100% start with Alaa Hubail-s 77th minute header strike proving the difference. In the other group match, Thailand surprisingly went down at home to Oman 1-0, to leave their hopes of qualifying for the 4th stage, looking rather grim.
Group 3 is evenly poised with the two Korean nations locked on four points, while Jordan-s 2-0 win over Turkmenistan, sees them just a point adrift.
Uzbekistan, along with Bahrain, are the only teams with a perfect record, when they stunned Saudi Arabia in Tashkent. The home side took the lead just before half time and added two goals, which included a penalty, in the second half.
Singapore, who held Australia to a 0-0 draw on Saturday, kick started their qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win over Lebanon. Goals from Aleksandar Duric and Fazrul Nawaz secured the win and jumped them into second spot on the Group 4 table.
In the all West Asian (Gulf) group, the UAE stays top after securing a valuable 1-1 draw away at Syria, while Iran let a two-goal lead after just four minutes slip, with Kuwait earning a point with the equaliser coming in the final ten minutes.