NEW DELHI: Australia sealed qualification for the World Cup when Tony Popovic’s side secured a 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia in Jeddah while Oman kept its hopes of a place at the finals alive with a last-gasp 1-1 draw with Palestine in Jordan.
The Socceroos had to avoid a five-goal defeat to confirm their appearance at a sixth consecutive finals, and goals from Connor Metcalfe and Mitch Duke earned the Australians a come-from-behind win to brush aside the Saudis.
The win confirms the Australians as second-place finisher in Group C behind Japan, which secured its spot at the finals in March.
Saudi Arabia took third place in Group C and will feature in a fourth phase of qualifiers in October alongside Indonesia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Oman.
The Omanis kept their hopes alive at the expense of Palestine as Issam Al-Sabhi’s penalty deep into stoppage time earned the Gulf side a draw that kept them in fourth place in Group B.
Already-qualified Uzbekistan took second spot with a 3-0 win against Qatar in Tashkent while the United Arab Emirates claimed third ahead of the Qataris despite conceding a late goal to draw 1-1 with Kyrgyzstan in Bishkek.
South Korea completed its commitments in Group B with a 4-0 thrashing of Kuwait to ensure Hong Myung-bo’s World Cup-bound outfit topped the standings with an unbeaten record.
Jordan, which qualified for its first World Cup on Thursday, finished second in Group B despite losing 1-0 to Graham Arnold’s Iraq in Amman. Agencies
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