Islamic Republic of Iran vs Australia (1998 Inter-Continental Playoff)

A dramatic collapse in form in qualifying saw Team Melli pick up just one point from their last three group games and cede top spot – and a place at France 1998 – to Saudi Arabia. But two lifelines remained. The first, the Asian Playoff against Japan in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, ended in a heart-breaking golden goal extra-time defeat. 

That result meant a two-legged clash with Oceania’s qualifier and future AFC Member, Australia. The Socceroos side were led by former England coach Terry Venables and filled with star names such as Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka and Mark Bosnich.

The first leg, played on November 22, 1997, was hosted in Tehran, at an Azadi Stadium filled to capacity. However, the home fans would have been left underwhelmed by a 1-1 scoreline that did not reflect Team Melli’s domination with only Khodadad Azizi’s equaliser of Kewell’s opener to show for their efforts.

With the tie tantalisingly balanced, all eyes switched to Melbourne a week later for the return meeting and it was Kewell again who opened the scoring just after the half-hour mark before Aurelio Vidmar made it 2-0 shortly after the break.

With things looking bleak for the Iranians, the reigning AFC Player of the Year Azizi stepped up big time. His driving run into the penalty area caused panic among the Socceroos backline allowing Karim Bagheri to half the deficit in the 75th minute.

And just three minutes later the majority of the 85,000 crowd at Melbourne Cricket Ground were silenced. Ali Daei threaded a perfect pass into Azizi’s path, and the forward steered the ball low into the bottom corner past Bosnich. Despite Australia pushing for a late winner, Team Melli held on and claimed the tie, and a place in France, on away goals.

Almost exactly four years later, in November 2001, Iran found themselves in a similar scenario. Again edged out of automatic qualifying by Saudi Arabia in the group stage, Team Melli needed to make it through both an Asian Playoff and Inter-Continental Playoff should they wish to appear at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

However, unlike 1997, a win in the Asian Playoff was only the penultimate phase of qualifying. So despite bettering their result – this time a comfortable 4-0 win over two legs against the UAE – Iran still had to navigate a two-leg showdown against another confederation's qualifier, this time UEFA’s Republic of Ireland.

On November 10, the sides faced off in the first leg at Dublin’s Landsdowne Road, where an Ian Harte penalty just before half-time had the hosts in the ascendancy, before 21-year-old striker Robbie Keane doubled the lead five minutes after the restart, volleying home Niall Quinn’s knockdown. Although Ali Karimi was denied by two fine saves by Shay Given thereafter, the home team were good value for their two-goal advantage.

With, once again, a capacity crowd at Azadi Stadium to welcome a vital Inter-Continental Playoff tie it was one-way traffic in Tehran for the second leg just five days later. Time and again, Team Melli bore down on Given’s goal only to see efforts flash wide or the Newcastle United custodian leap to his country’s rescue.

After particularly impressive saves from Bagheri and Mehrdad Minavand, Given’s goal was finally breached when Yahya Golmohammadi headed home Mehdi Mahdavikia’s free-kick in injury time, but it was to be too little, too late and it was Iran, this time, who would experience the ultimate heartbreak.

Having finished a best-ever fourth at the 2004 AFC Asian Cup™, Bahrain were enjoying a golden era in the mid-2000s and the Gulf country had the chance to create history a little over a year later when, in November 2005, only Trinidad and Tobago stood in the way of a place at the global showpiece. 

The qualification campaign had seen Bahrain finish a distant third in their group, behind Japan and Iran, but the West Asians then secured an away goals Asian Playoff victory over Uzbekistan to book a date with the Caribbean nation in the Inter-Continental Playoff.

A tight first leg in Port of Spain saw Salman Isa head home the opener for the Bahrainis with 18 minutes to play before the hosts, who featured former Manchester United star and national icon Dwight Yorke, levelled proceedings through a Christopher Birchall thunderbolt from distance just four minutes later to ensure the sides headed to the return meeting with the tie firmly in the balance.

Nevertheless, the result left Luka Peruzovic’s team in a strong position ahead of the second leg at Bahrain National Stadium in Riffa, where a win or even a goalless draw would have seen the hosts join Iran, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Korea Republic as Asia’s representatives in Germany.

Some 35,000 fans turned out in the hope of witnessing Bahrain’s golden generation achieve the dream but, following a goalless first half, they were stunned into silence shortly after the restart when skipper Yorke sent in a corner from the left that was powerfully headed home by the unmarked defender Dennis Lawrence. 

It was to be the only goal of the game as Trinidad and Tobago held out for the narrow victory to progress to their first World Cup and ensure it was a case of so near but yet so far for Bahrain, who would suffer a similar heartbreak at the same stage four years later against New Zealand.

And so, to the most recent chapter in the story of the Inter-Continental Playoff, the November 2017 meeting of Australia and CONCACAF qualifier Honduras.

Were it not for a matter of inches, it could have been Syria culminating a fairy tale campaign in their place when a late Omar Al Soma free-kick clunked off Mat Ryan’s far post in the Asian Playoff in the previous round.

Nevertheless, the Socceroos survived the scare to make their first appearance as an AFC member, albeit their sixth Inter-Continental Playoff participation in total after a famous victory over Uruguay in 2005 had ended a run of playoff defeats to Uruguay (2001), Iran (1997), Argentina (1993) and Scotland (1985).

In a goalless first-leg stalemate in San Pedro Sula on November 10, it was Australia who had the better chances with Tomi Juric, in particular, having their best opportunities. Donis Escobar was in good form, though, to deny the Luzern striker, while Bailey Wright thought he had won a penalty before the decision was made to award a free-kick to Honduras instead.

The talismanic Tim Cahill was missing for the first leg due to an ankle injury, but he returned in time for the vital return meeting at Sydney’s Stadium Australia. And yet it was another of the team’s veteran leaders, captain Mile Jedinak, who stepped up to the plate to take the Socceroos to Russia 2018. 

A dominant but goalless first half for the hosts saw its reward come in the 54th minute as Jedinak’s deflected free-kick put Australia in the ascendancy. The skipper then coolly dispatched a penalty with 18 minutes remaining before completing his hat-trick from the spot in the 85th minute to see the Socceroos cruise home and secure their fifth World Cup appearance after a late Honduras consolation.