Uzbekistan stun England to reach last eight

Wed, 22 Nov, 2023

Uzbekistan stun England to reach last eight

Jakarta: Uzbekistan captain Lazizbek Mirzaev's stunning free-kick earned his team a sensational FIFA U-17 World Cup Indonesia 2023 victory over England in their Round of 16 tie on Wednesday.

The 2-1 win means the Central Asian side will face France or Senegal in the quarter-finals on Saturday.

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Penalty heartbreak for IR Iran

Wed, 22 Nov, 2023

Penalty heartbreak for IR Iran

Surabaya: Morocco scored a stoppage-time equaliser then beat Islamic Republic of Iran in a penalty shootout to secure a place in the FIFA U-17 World Cup Indonesia 2023 quarter-finals on Tuesday.

Iran's Hesam Nafari missed from the spot before Morocco goalkeeper Taha Benrhozil saved a twice-taken kick from Kasra Taheri. That gave Fouad Zahouani the chance to win it for the Atlas Cubs – and he duly smashed his penalty home.
 
Esmaeil Gholizadeh’s superb second-half header looked to have sent Iran through but a powerful volley from Nassim Azaouzi sent the game to penalties.

Oman's Ivankovic laments poor finishing

Wed, 22 Nov, 2023

Oman's Ivankovic laments poor finishing

Bishkek: Oman paid a heavy price for their poor finishing as Kyrgyz Republic took the points in their Preliminary Joint Qualification - Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Group D tie on Tuesday.

Odilzhon Abdurakhmanov scored the only goal of the game in the 49th minute as Kyrgyz Republic bounced back from their 4-3 defeat to Malaysia on Matchday One in resounding fashion.

Mancini expects Saudi Arabia to get even better

Wed, 22 Nov, 2023

Mancini expects Saudi Arabia to get even better

Amman: Saudi Arabia produced another classy performance to defeat Jordan 2-0 on Tuesday with head coach Roberto Mancini expecting his side to get even better. 

Saleh Al Shehri scored both goals as Saudi Arabia moved to six points in Group G of the Preliminary Joint Qualification - Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™.
 
They sit two points ahead of Tajikistan with Jordan five adrift in third place.   

Focused Qatar reap dividends

Fri, 24 Nov, 2023

Focused Qatar reap dividends

Bhubaneswar: Qatar's focus was the key to their 3-0 win over India in Group A of the Preliminary Joint Qualification - Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ on Tuesday.

Head coach Carlos Queiroz said his side maintained their concentration for the entire match as Qatar made it two wins out of two to open a three-point gap at the top of the standings.

Ali's return a boost for Iraq

Wed, 22 Nov, 2023

Ali's return a boost for Iraq

Hanoi: Head coach Jesus Casas applauded Mohanad Ali as the forward marked his return to the Iraq national team after a two-year absence with the winning goal against Vietnam on Tuesday.

Ali, who came on in the 61st minute, scored the only goal of the match in the seventh minute of added time as Iraq took a firm grip on the Preliminary Joint Qualification - Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Group F standings.

Japan’s high intensity delights Moriyasu

Wed, 22 Nov, 2023

Japan’s high intensity delights Moriyasu

Jeddah: Japan continued to impress in the Preliminary Joint Qualification - Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ with a 5-0 success over Syria at the neutral venue of Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium on Tuesday.

The Blue Samurai’s high-octane performance was marked by head coach Hajime Moriyasu as key to their second successive win in Group B that saw them open a three-point gap with DPR Korea and Syria.
 
Moriyasu was also pleased with his team’s high work rate.

Kim: Collective effort secured Malaysia victory

Wed, 22 Nov, 2023

Kim: Collective effort secured Malaysia victory

Taipei: Head coach Kim Pan-gon said Malaysia showed determination in their hard-fought 1-0 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™ at Taipei Municipal Stadium on Tuesday.

Substitute Darren Lok, who was brought in to replace Paulo Josue, scored the winning goal in the 72nd minute as Malaysia maintained their perfect start to the qualification campaign while Chinese Taipei are still in search of points after their opening day defeat to Oman.

Thailand’s Polking hails super-sub Teerasil

Wed, 22 Nov, 2023

Thailand’s Polking hails super-sub Teerasil

Singapore: Teerasil Dangda came off the bench to devastating effect, helping Thailand secure a 3-1 win over Singapore in their Preliminary Joint Qualification - Round 2 for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ tie on Tuesday.

Head coach Alexandre Polking waxed lyrical about the evergreen forward who at the age of 35, can still completely change a game - supplying two assists which gave Thailand their first win in Group C.