Ogawa double moves Japan to cusp of 2026 World Cup
Japan have moved to the cusp of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup as a 3-1 win over hosts China coupled with Australia’s 2-2 draw in Bahrain took Hajime Moriyasu’s side nine points clear in Group C of the third round of Asia’s preliminaries.
Koki Ogawa’s double in Xiamen earned Japan a fifth win in six games and allowed the four-time Asian champions to extend their lead over the chasing pack with four games remaining as Australia and Saudi Arabia both faltered.
Kusini Yengi’s added-time goal salvaged a point for the Socceroos in Riffa while the Saudis fell to a surprise 2-0 loss against Indonesia in Jakarta on a night of unpredictable results across the continent.
Group B leaders South Korea were frustrated in Amman as Hong Myung-bo’s side were held to a 1-1 draw by Palestine while Iran needed a late Sardar Azmoun goal to consolidate their grip on first place in Group A with a 3-2 win over Kyrgyzstan.
Iraq downed Oman 1-0 in Muscat thanks to Youssef Amyn’s 36th-minute goal to move onto 11 points with Jordan in third after their 1-1 draw with hosts Kuwait.
The top two in each of the continent’s three preliminary groups qualify for the World Cup and Japan are now on the verge of confirming their place at their eighth consecutive finals.
Moriyasu’s outfit went ahead in the 39th minute when Ogawa powered his header past Wang Dalei and six minutes into first-half added time Ko Itakura doubled Japan’s lead.
Lin Liangming pulled one back for China three minutes into the second half but a 54th-minute header from Ogawa sealed the win for the visitors.
Australia needed Yengi’s late equaliser to claim a point having seen Mahdi Abduljabbar score in the 75th and 77th minutes – the first from 40 yards – to cancel out Portsmouth striker Yengi’s first-minute opener for Tony Popovic’s side.
The Socceroos remain second in the standings, one point ahead of Indonesia, who pulled themselves into contention in Group C with victory over Saudi Arabia.
Marselino Ferdinan scored twice to give the home side their first win of the campaign, which moves them level on six points with the Saudis, Bahrain and China.
In Group A, Uzbekistan secured a 1-0 win over North Korea in Vientiane.
Iran retained their three-point advantage with Azmoun rescuing his team with a 76th-minute header after a Joel Kojo double had pulled Kyrgyzstan level following first-half goals from Mehdi Taremi and Saleh Hardani.
The United Arab Emirates thrashed Qatar 5-0 with Brazil-born striker Fabio Lima scoring four as Paulo Bento’s team took sole possession of third place ahead of the reigning Asian champions.
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