#AsianQualifiers - The Matchday 5 Star Performers

Sat, 08 Jun, 2024

#AsianQualifiers - The Matchday 5 Star Performers

Kuala Lumpur: Several players caught the eyes of Asian football fans as Korea Republic, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain and Palestine became the latest sides to progress from the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ on Thursday. 

From Son Heung-min finding his seventh goal of the campaign to Ali Jasim coming off the bench to guide Iraq to a hard-fought win in Jakarta, there were several scintillating individual displays on the penultimate matchday as 13 of the 18 spots in the AFC Asian Cup finals and the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers have now been decided.
 
With the second round set to conclude with the final set of fixtures on Tuesday, the-AFC.com looks back at some of the stars who impressed on Matchday Five of the qualification campaign. 

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Who was your fav

Battat dedicates historic qualification to Palestine

Fri, 07 Jun, 2024

Battat dedicates historic qualification to Palestine

Doha: Captain Mus'ab Al Battat expressed the squad's pride after Palestine secured qualification to the third stage of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the first time on Thursday.

A goalless stalemate with Lebanon in Group I of the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ was enough for Palestine to secure second place.

The result also meant a fourth consecutive appearance in the AFC Asian Cup Finals, with the West Asian side having advanced to the knockout stage for the first time at Qatar 2023.

Son applauds young Korea Republic teammates

Fri, 07 Jun, 2024

Son applauds young Korea Republic teammates

Singapore: Son Heung-min paid tribute to seven new teammates after Korea Republic advanced to the next stage of FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying on Thursday.

Son and Lee Kang-in netted braces as Korea Republic eased to a 7-0 win against Singapore in their Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ tie, with the result confirming the East Asian side as the Group C winners. 

The Tottenham Hotspur forward was effusive in his praise for his teammates, with interim head coach Kim Do-hoon naming seven first-timers to the squad with five seeing action against Singapore. 

Talajic hails Bahrain’s resilience

Fri, 07 Jun, 2024

Talajic hails Bahrain’s resilience

Riffa: Head coach Dragan Talajic expressed his delight after Bahrain secured the point they needed against Yemen in their Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Group H tie on Thursday.

The point meant Bahrain confirmed their place in the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers and booked a spot in the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Finals.

Ammouta happy to see Jordan thriving under pressure

Fri, 07 Jun, 2024

Ammouta happy to see Jordan thriving under pressure

Amman: Following a hugely successful AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™, Hussein Ammouta knew the pressure was on for Jordan to march into the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers and Al Nashama did just that after defeating Tajikistan 3-0 on Thursday.

The win achieved on home soil through goals from Ali Olwan, Yazan Al-Naimat and Ibrahim Sa’deh also meant that Jordan qualified for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™.

Heading into the game two points ahead of Tajikistan, Ammouta’s initial plan was to give his younger players the chance to start but ultimately changed his mind.

Perfect tactics secured victory, says Oman’s Mushaifri

Fri, 07 Jun, 2024

Perfect tactics secured victory, says Oman’s Mushaifri

Taipei: Hat-trick hero Abdul Rahman Al Mushaifri credited head coach Jaroslav Silhavy’s well laid plans for Oman’s win over Chinese Taipei in Group D of the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ on Thursday. 

The 3-0 win secured Oman their spot in the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the second edition in a row and also confirmed their ticket to the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027.

Mushaifri was the star of the show, netting in the 31st, 55th and 75th minutes as Oman moved to 12 points, with Kyrgyz Republic their opponents in a top-of-the-table clash on Tuesday.

Vietnam’s positivity delights Kim

Fri, 07 Jun, 2024

Vietnam’s positivity delights Kim

Hanoi: Kim Sang-sik made a winning start to life as the head coach of Vietnam after his team worked hard to secure a 3-2 win over Philippines in their Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Group F tie on Thursday.

The thrilling match was tied 2-2 with Pham Tuan Tai emerging Vietnam’s hero with the winning goal in the fifth minute of added time to keep his team in the running for a top two spot, with Kim praising his clinical forwards and general mood in the squad. 

Moriyasu's tinkering pays off for Japan

Fri, 07 Jun, 2024

Moriyasu's tinkering pays off for Japan

Yangon: It may not have been pleasing on the eye but Hajime Moriyasu believes Japan now have another option to fall back on following their 5-0 win over Myanmar on Thursday.

The victory made it five wins out of five for Japan in Group B of the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ with Moriyasu now even more confident of his side's chances despite the tougher matches to come. 

Iraq’s Casas looks ahead; Shin wants one final push from Indonesia

Fri, 07 Jun, 2024

Iraq’s Casas looks ahead; Shin wants one final push from Indonesia

Jakarta: It will be tough but Jesus Casas believes Iraq have the potential to reach the FIFA World Cup 2026 after an impressive second round qualifying campaign.

Casas’ side defeated Indonesia 2-0 in their Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ tie in Jakarta on Thursday to confirm themselves as the Group F winners and the tactician wants them to aim even higher now.

Ghalenoei: IR Iran did well to beat Hong Kong, China

Fri, 07 Jun, 2024

Ghalenoei: IR Iran did well to beat Hong Kong, China

Hong Kong: Amir Ghalenoei expressed his satisfaction with Islamic Republic of Iran's performance in their 4-2 win over Hong Kong, China in Group E of the Preliminary Joint Qualification – Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ on Thursday.

Having already booked their spot in the third round of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Finals, Iran faced stiff resistance from a Hong Kong side who were already out of the running.

However, a Mehdi Taremi hat-trick powered them to a 4-2 win with their clash against Uzbekistan on Tuesday to decide the group winners.