This episode marks the end of a little section of qualifying, as four of the continents will have reached the end of their latest qualification stage. Oceania, Africa and North America have all moved on to their third rounds, whilst today we see Asia move onto Round 2. This is how Round 1 has gone:
Undeniably, China are the favourites today. The side ranked 6 in the Draft World Cup rankings have an army of highly-paid stars, and with no squad limit this year they should be even more thrilling than before, when they fired their way into the quarter-finals. However, suspect defending finally caught up with them as they lost to eventual champions Germany. The fatal mistake came from former Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho, and he returns this time round.
Thailand were decent in 2017, but weren’t able to get into the qualification play-offs. They are likely to face a battle with the UAE for the second qualification spot. UAE have a few notable names, such as Lassana Diarra, Marcus Berg and Balazs Dzsudzsak. Of the remaining sides, there may be one who can get involved in the mix, but it’s hard to see who.
China started with a trip to Vietnam, and at 2-0 up they looked comfortable. However, there was a dramatic final 10 minutes, as twice Vietnam pulled to within one goal before China extended their lead. Dominique da Silva got his second to make it 4-3, but Vietnam just couldn’t equalise as China held on for a surprisingly nervy opening win. UAE had an easier time of it as they beat Bhutan 3-1, whilst Thailand overcame Bahrain 4-2. In the final opening match, Syria got off the mark with a 3-0 win away to Macau.
The group’s big three all recorded easy wins to nought in their second games. China put four past Macau, whilst UAE and Thailand both won 3-0 against Syria and Vietnam respectively, with a hat-trick for UAE’s Moussa Sow. However, these performances pale in comparison to that of Bahrain, who put nine unanswered goals past Bhutan, with a hat-trick for Edgar Ivan Pacheco – a player who I recall turned out world class on my FM12 save.
Thailand were decent in 2017, but weren’t able to get into the qualification play-offs. They are likely to face a battle with the UAE for the second qualification spot. UAE have a few notable names, such as Lassana Diarra, Marcus Berg and Balazs Dzsudzsak. Of the remaining sides, there may be one who can get involved in the mix, but it’s hard to see who.
China started with a trip to Vietnam, and at 2-0 up they looked comfortable. However, there was a dramatic final 10 minutes, as twice Vietnam pulled to within one goal before China extended their lead. Dominique da Silva got his second to make it 4-3, but Vietnam just couldn’t equalise as China held on for a surprisingly nervy opening win. UAE had an easier time of it as they beat Bhutan 3-1, whilst Thailand overcame Bahrain 4-2. In the final opening match, Syria got off the mark with a 3-0 win away to Macau.
The group’s big three all recorded easy wins to nought in their second games. China put four past Macau, whilst UAE and Thailand both won 3-0 against Syria and Vietnam respectively, with a hat-trick for UAE’s Moussa Sow. However, these performances pale in comparison to that of Bahrain, who put nine unanswered goals past Bhutan, with a hat-trick for Edgar Ivan Pacheco – a player who I recall turned out world class on my FM12 save.
So could Bahrain be surprise challengers for qualification? Plausibly, as they claimed a deserved draw from their home clash with UAE. China are slowly growing in confidence, a 6-1 win over Syria their biggest yet. Thailand also looked solid with a 5-1 win over Macau, whilst Vietnam’s win over Bhutan by the same scoreline saw them get their first points.
China’s first real test came in the form of a trip to Thailand, and Ezequiel Lavezzi’s hat-trick eased them along the way to a 4-1 win. Bahrain’s momentum was stopped by a 2-1 defeat away to Syria, whilst UAE claimed a 2-0 win over Vietnam. The group’s weakest two sides met with a chance to get on the board, and Macau took it, beating Bhutan 1-0 thanks to an own goal, which seems fitting.
Thailand looked to have saved a point as Diogo’s 89th-minute tap-in drew them level with Syria, but they failed to deal with an injury time corner and Abdulkader Dakka headed in a winner for Syria. This was good news for UAE, who beat Macau 4-1. Bahrain can feel aggrieved having dominated their match with Vietnam only to lose 4-2, whilst China’s relentless march continued with a 9-0 drubbing of Bhutan, with hat-tricks for Hulk and Elkeson.
Bahrain had lost both matches since I singled them out as a potential challenger, but they got back to winning ways with a 5-1 stroll against 10-man Macau. Vietnam claimed a good win over Syria, winning 3-1 away from home. Thailand won against Bhutan, but 2-1 is far closer than they would have liked. Meanwhile, China faced arguably their most difficult fixture – UAE away. However, they made it seem easy with a 4-0 victory.
China’s first real test came in the form of a trip to Thailand, and Ezequiel Lavezzi’s hat-trick eased them along the way to a 4-1 win. Bahrain’s momentum was stopped by a 2-1 defeat away to Syria, whilst UAE claimed a 2-0 win over Vietnam. The group’s weakest two sides met with a chance to get on the board, and Macau took it, beating Bhutan 1-0 thanks to an own goal, which seems fitting.
Thailand looked to have saved a point as Diogo’s 89th-minute tap-in drew them level with Syria, but they failed to deal with an injury time corner and Abdulkader Dakka headed in a winner for Syria. This was good news for UAE, who beat Macau 4-1. Bahrain can feel aggrieved having dominated their match with Vietnam only to lose 4-2, whilst China’s relentless march continued with a 9-0 drubbing of Bhutan, with hat-tricks for Hulk and Elkeson.
Bahrain had lost both matches since I singled them out as a potential challenger, but they got back to winning ways with a 5-1 stroll against 10-man Macau. Vietnam claimed a good win over Syria, winning 3-1 away from home. Thailand won against Bhutan, but 2-1 is far closer than they would have liked. Meanwhile, China faced arguably their most difficult fixture – UAE away. However, they made it seem easy with a 4-0 victory.
The big match of the next round of ties was UAE’s visit to Thailand, with both teams dropping points as they fight for a qualification spot. Felipe Azevedo has been excellent for Thailand so far, and he and Diogo got two apiece as the hosts cruised to a surprisingly simple 4-0 win. The teams behind stayed in touch with good wins, Syria beating Bhutan 3-0 and Vietnam beating Macau 5-1. And China made sure they kept up their perfect record with a 5-0 win over Bahrain.
Here is the halfway table:
Here is the halfway table:
Macau picked up their first non-Bhutan point as Diego’s 95th-minute equaliser earned them a 2-2 draw with Syria, damaging their opponents’ qualification chances. Thailand were also held to a draw, 1-1 against Bahrain. China once again had a slightly tricky time against a late Vietnamese fight-back, but held on to win 3-1. Meanwhile, Bhutan’s sorry tale continues with a 4-0 defeat at home to UAE.
If Vietnam and Syria are to catch UAE and Thailand, they need to win the matches between the two sides. However, they both lost crunch games 2-1 to effectively fall out of contention – Syria away to UAE, Vietnam at home to Thailand. Bahrain were given a tougher match by Bhutan this time, although three late goals still gave them an impressive 4-0 win, whilst China claimed a 5-2 win over Macau.
Vietnam picked up their first win in three with a 6-1 victory over Bhutan, although it felt like too little too late with regards to their qualification challenge, particularly as UAE and Thailand both claimed victories. Two Sow goals fired UAE to a 2-0 win over Bahrain, whilst Thailand beat Macau 5-0. China moved another step closer to a 100% record with a 5-2 win over Syria.
Vietnam picked up their first win in three with a 6-1 victory over Bhutan, although it felt like too little too late with regards to their qualification challenge, particularly as UAE and Thailand both claimed victories. Two Sow goals fired UAE to a 2-0 win over Bahrain, whilst Thailand beat Macau 5-0. China moved another step closer to a 100% record with a 5-2 win over Syria.
This put China one win away from qualification, and they secured it at the first time of asking, brushing aside Thailand 6-2. This meant that Sow’s hat-trick helped UAE go three points clear in second place as they beat Vietnam 4-1. Syria’s poor second half of the campaign continued with a 2-1 loss to Bahrain, whilst Bhutan’s last real chance of a point went by as they lost 4-1 to Macau, with a hat-trick for William.
That last round of results meant Vietnam and Syria were now eliminated, and they both fell to another defeat, 3-1 to Bahrain and 3-0 to Thailand respectively. That latter result didn’t close the gap at the top, as UAE beat Macau 3-0, whilst China confirmed top spot with a 5-0 win over Bhutan.
China hosted UAE knowing this was the last realistic hurdle to their perfect record, but with UAE needing at least a point to ensure they go into the final match ahead of Thailand. An edgy game finally saw China go in the lead in the 78th minute through Alexandre Pato. But in the final minutes Berg burst through, and whilst his shot was stopped by Yan, Romarinho was there to prod in an equaliser. That goal was crucial, as Thailand had beaten Bhutan 4-1 to close the gap, a hat-trick for Yohan Tavares. Syria came from 3-1 down to beat Vietnam 4-3, with Mo Babouli sealing his hat-trick in injury time to win the game. And in Macau, Bahrain went down 2-1 for a surprise defeat, despite 33 shots to their opponents’ 6.
And so to the final round of fixtures. Firstly, the dead rubbers. Syria ensured Bhutan finished without a point by winning 2-0, whilst Vietnam beat Macau 3-1, all three goals coming from da Silva. The biggest shock of the round was undoubtedly in Bahrain, where the hosts stunned China to win 4-2, despite being outplayed for large parts of the game. But even despite that result, all eyes were on the match between UAE and Thailand, with the visitors (Thailand) needing a win to prevent their hosts from taking the second qualification spot. UAE started exactly as they’d hoped, Sow nodding home in the 5th minute. Thailand fought back, Heberty and Go Seul-Ki scoring to put them 2-1 up. UAE levelled through Berg, and that goal looked to have put them through to Round 2. However, in the 78th minute Jhasmani Campos’ snapshot went in, despite UAE keeper Eisa getting a hand to it, and the match finished 3-2 – putting Thailand through by the skin of their teeth!
That last round of results meant Vietnam and Syria were now eliminated, and they both fell to another defeat, 3-1 to Bahrain and 3-0 to Thailand respectively. That latter result didn’t close the gap at the top, as UAE beat Macau 3-0, whilst China confirmed top spot with a 5-0 win over Bhutan.
China hosted UAE knowing this was the last realistic hurdle to their perfect record, but with UAE needing at least a point to ensure they go into the final match ahead of Thailand. An edgy game finally saw China go in the lead in the 78th minute through Alexandre Pato. But in the final minutes Berg burst through, and whilst his shot was stopped by Yan, Romarinho was there to prod in an equaliser. That goal was crucial, as Thailand had beaten Bhutan 4-1 to close the gap, a hat-trick for Yohan Tavares. Syria came from 3-1 down to beat Vietnam 4-3, with Mo Babouli sealing his hat-trick in injury time to win the game. And in Macau, Bahrain went down 2-1 for a surprise defeat, despite 33 shots to their opponents’ 6.
And so to the final round of fixtures. Firstly, the dead rubbers. Syria ensured Bhutan finished without a point by winning 2-0, whilst Vietnam beat Macau 3-1, all three goals coming from da Silva. The biggest shock of the round was undoubtedly in Bahrain, where the hosts stunned China to win 4-2, despite being outplayed for large parts of the game. But even despite that result, all eyes were on the match between UAE and Thailand, with the visitors (Thailand) needing a win to prevent their hosts from taking the second qualification spot. UAE started exactly as they’d hoped, Sow nodding home in the 5th minute. Thailand fought back, Heberty and Go Seul-Ki scoring to put them 2-1 up. UAE levelled through Berg, and that goal looked to have put them through to Round 2. However, in the 78th minute Jhasmani Campos’ snapshot went in, despite UAE keeper Eisa getting a hand to it, and the match finished 3-2 – putting Thailand through by the skin of their teeth!
Final standings
Top scorers: Dominique da Silva (VIE) 16 goals; Berg (UAE) 12 goals; Sow (UAE), Elkeson (CHN), Hulk (CHN) 11 goals
Highest average ratings: Hulk (CHN) 8.75; Azevedo (THA) 8.26; Zahavi (CHN) 8.18
Asian Qualifying Round 2 summary
Highest average ratings: Hulk (CHN) 8.75; Azevedo (THA) 8.26; Zahavi (CHN) 8.18
Asian Qualifying Round 2 summary
Next time
China looked unstoppable for 12 games, but those last two performances will have just reminded their future opponents of their fundamental weaknesses in defence. It’s been a fair while, but we return to Europe next, to see a fifth team automatically qualify for the DWC finals. Greece are the group’s top seeds, but Scotland and Croatia should be in the mix.
China looked unstoppable for 12 games, but those last two performances will have just reminded their future opponents of their fundamental weaknesses in defence. It’s been a fair while, but we return to Europe next, to see a fifth team automatically qualify for the DWC finals. Greece are the group’s top seeds, but Scotland and Croatia should be in the mix.