The pair met in their group concluder at Brazil 2014 with Japan requiring a win against a Colombia side that had already sealed a place in the knockout stage. 

Yoshida and Co battled hard but their hopes were dashed with a 4-1 defeat against uncompromising opponents. Four years on, that disappointment remains an unhappy memory for Yoshida.

"We were in a very difficult position going into the closing group match against Colombia," the 29-year-old Southampton centre-back said ahead of the pair’s upcoming meeting at the Mordovia Arena in Saransk. 

"Our opening loss to Ivory Coast cost us dearly, when we scored early but then we threw away our lead cheaply. 

"So when the Colombia test came, we faced a must-win scenario. We had a hard time (against Colombia) and they taught us a lesson of how tough the World Cup could be."

Eleven years after the foundation of AFC, DPR Korea were pitted against Australia, South Africa and Korea Republic in the first round of qualifying for the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England. South Africa was then banned by FIFA due to apartheid, and Korea Republic withdrew, leaving DPR Korea and Australia to compete for the World Cup ticket.

Sardar Azmoun, Mehdi Taremi and Alireza Jahanbakhsh led Iran’s attacking force but a goal eluded them as the game went into the break 0-0.

Having had to endure two cancelled friendlies with Greece and Kosovo, the match with Lithuania was Team Melli’s final preparation before starting their Russia 2018 campaign.

In the 80th minute, Ansarifard came off the bench, replacing Taremi and just eight minutes later, the 28-year-old scored the winner.

It was a needed win for the Iranians as it served as a boost in confidence and will look to continue their momentum as they take on Morocco in their opening match in Group B of Russia 2018 on June 15, before taking on Spain and Portugal on the 20th and 25th respectively.

Photo: AFP

Dubbed by coach Akira Nishino as an “important test ahead of the World Cup”, the Samurai Blue tested Switzerland's Roman Burki early on when Genki Haraguchi forced a save from the goalkeeper after six minutes.

Burki, of Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund, was in top form as he parried efforts from Makoto Hasebe, Ryota Oshima and Keisuke Honda.

Switzerland, with Arsenal star Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri in their lineup, drew first blood after Maya Yoshida conceded a penalty eight minutes from halftime.

Ricardo Rodríguez made no mistake from the spot as he tucked his shot into the bottom right corner of Eiji Kawashima’s goal for Switzerland to take a 1-0 lead.

After the break, Japan tried their best to find a opening but Vladimir Petkovic’s men were up to the task as they held firm at the back.

The Swiss doubled their advantage eight minutes from time when Haris Seferovic fired his effort from close range following François Moubandje’s assist to put them 2-0 up.

With their eyes set on the first group H match against Colombia on June 19 , Japan will turn their attention to Paraguay for their final friendly on Tuesday in Innsbruck, Austria.

Poland and Senegal complete Group H.

Source: Japan Football Association, AFP

Bert van Marwijk’s squad features just six of the 23-man selection Ange Postecoglou took to Brazil four years ago, however the Dutchman’s line-up has a significantly greater number of international appearances between them.

Australia’s Russia-bound contingent have played in excess of 250 games more than their counterparts from 2014 and that should give the Socceroos a boost, claims the Switzerland-based forward.

“Having more caps under our belts, I think that will do us a lot of good going into the tournament and definitely a lot more experience than the last campaign,” he said.

“For me personally, I’ve got a lot more games under my belt, over 30 games for Australia, and hopefully I can get a lot more in the future. But this is definitely a moment where, if I’m not ready now I won’t be for a while.”

A Saudi Arabia team featuring the likes of Majed Abdullah, Fuad Anwar and Sami Al Jaber reached the Round of 16 in the country’s debut appearance at the FIFA World Cup in the United States in 1994, with Saeed Al Owairan’s mesmerising goal against Belgium still rated among the finest ever scored at the finals.

And with Hawsawi and his teammates set to make history by becoming the first Asian Football Confederation member association to feature in the tournament’s opening game when they take on Russia in Moscow on June 14, the Al Hilal centre-half is relishing the challenge that lies ahead.

“It will be a big honour for me to be the national team captain, especially at the World Cup,” said the 34-year-old. “We will be playing in a big competition and millions of people all around the world will be watching the opening match.

“It is an amazing feeling and I hope that we can fulfill the expectations of our fans and our football officials as well.”

The remarkable achievement came at perfect timing for the Socceroos and will serve as a boost ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia.

Iran dropped one rung to 37th, followed by Korea Republic who moved four rungs up to 57th after their impressive 2-0 win over Honduras last month.

Japan fell one spot to 61, while Saudi Arabia’s ranking remain unchanged at 67th to complete Asia’s top five teams, who will begin their Russia 2018 campaigns next week.

Meanwhile, Jordan also made great strides to become Asia’s biggest mover, climbing eight spots to 110th

The next FIFA World Rankings are to be released on July 19.