Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Oslo: Brought in to oversee Australia's FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 campaign, Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk watched his new charges lose 4-1 to Norway on a freezing night in Oslo on Friday.
The man who coached the Netherlands to the 2010 Finals was overseeing his first match in charge of Australia and would have been heartened when Jackson Irvine's towering header gave his cautious side a 19th minute lead with their first serious attack.
But a hat-trick from LA Galaxy striker Ola Kamara and a fine header from Tore Reginiussen left hosts Norway wondering how they might have fared had they themselves qualified for the finals in Russia.
Australia captain Mile Jedinak admitted his side had been below par.
"We conceded a few soft goals," he said after the game. "It's a shame it panned out the way it did. We know, I know myself, that we can all do better."
https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/mat_leckie-australia.html
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Rades: An own goal by Milad Mohammadi consigned Islamic Republic of Iran to a 1-0 defeat against Tunisia but coach Carlos Queiroz was satisfied with the performance of his players in the pre-FIFA World Cup friendly at the Stade Olimpique de Rades on Friday.
"We lost the game but my players showed a good performance against Tunisia. Tunisia are a strong team and have good players. We played them becauseTunisia’s system is very similar to the Morocco national team, one of the our opponents in the World Cup.
"Our players had a little fear in the first minutes of the match, but over time we controlled the game and the match was balanced. We gave our young players an opportunity to play against Tunisia, but the Iranian national team needs more international games before the 2018 World Cup," said Queiroz.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Liege: Shoya Nakajima came to Japan's rescue as they earned a 1-1 draw against Mali in an international friendly at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne in Belgium on Friday.
Both teams canceled each other out for most of the first half, but Mali broke the deadlock a minute before the break.
Abdoulay Diaby converted from the penalty spot, firing to the top left corner to give The Eagles a halftime advantage.
Mali, ranked 67th in the world, continued to frustrate Japan in the second half with coach Vahid Halilhodzic making numerous changes to his lineup to counter their African opponents.
Their persistence paid off, however, as substitute Nakajima equalised from close range deep in stoppage time for a 1-1 draw.
Japan's next test will be against Ukraine on March 27.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Dublin: Korea Republic striker Kim Shin-wook says he will put his personal achievements behind when it comes to the national football team.
Kim has been one of the hottest strikers for Korea Republic in recent months. Starting from the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship last December, he has netted six goals in the four matches.
The 29-year-old can extend his scoring streak to five matches if he finds the net in the pre-FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 friendly match against Northern Ireland, but Kim said he will not be too greedy.
Korea Republic will take on Northern Ireland in Belfast on Saturday, before they visit Poland on Tuesday.