beachesl Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 2006 WCQ - ASIA - Final Round + Playoff</u> [Preliminary Round + Semifinal Round Part I] [Semifinal Round Part II] FINAL ROUND STANDINGS Format</u> - top 2 teams from each group qualify - 3rd-placed team from each group advances to playoff against each other; winner of playoff advances to playoff versus 4th-placed CONCACAF team Tiebreakers</u> - head-to-head points - head-to-head goal difference - head-to-head goals scored - overall goal difference - overall goals scored - playoff Legend</u> Q = qualfied for WC 2006 PO = qualified for playoff () = provisional Group A — Final 1 Saudi Arabia 6 4-2-0 10-1 14 Q 2 South Korea 6 3-1-2 9-5 10 Q 3 Uzbekistan 6 1-2-3 7-11 5 PO 4 Kuwait 6 1-1-4 4-13 4 Group B — Final 1 Japan 6 5-0-1 9-4 15 Q 2 Iran 6 4-1-1 7-3 13 Q 3 Bahrain 6 1-1-4 4-7 4 PO 4 North Korea 6 1-0-5 5-11 3 PLAYOFF First Leg - September 3 Uzbekistan 1 Bahrain 0 - match voided (see later in this thread for explanation), to be replayed October 8 First Leg - October 8 Uzbekistan vs. Bahrain Second Leg - October 12 Bahrain vs. Uzbekistan Asia’s best eight steady for final battle 9 December 2004 by FIFAworldcup.com Asia’s eight remaining combatants recently found out a portion of their Germany 2006 qualifying fate at an official ceremony at AFC House in Kuala Lumpur. The continent’s eight best finishers from the second stage were placed into two groups of four in a ceremony overseen by AFC President Mohamed bin Hammam, Director of FIFA Competitions James Brown and AFC General Secretary Peter Velappan. Korea Republic and Japan, the top two sides based on results at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, were intentionally kept apart for the final group stage. Group A Korea Republic Saudi Arabia Uzbekistan Kuwait Group B Japan Iran Bahrain Korea DPR Following a harrowing ten-month campaign that began with 32 teams divided into eight groups, six group seeds - Korea Republic, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Bahrain and Uzbekistan - all finished atop their groups to march triumphantly into the final round of qualifying. Kuwait and Korea DPR grabbed hold of the two remaining spots after stunning respective group seeds China and UAE at the last hurdle. The final qualifying rounds will be conducted in a league system, with the eight teams playing each of their group rivals twice on a home-and-away basis. The top two teams in each group will automatically qualify for Germany 2006, while the two third-place finishers will meet in a playoff. The playoff winner will then take on the fourth placed side from the North/Central American and Caribbean Zone in a two-legged, home-and-away playoff with the winner advancing to the big show in Germany. The Fixtures: 9 February 2005 Group A: Korea Republic 2- Kuwait 0 Uzbekistan 1 - Saudi Arabia 1 Group B: Japan 2- DPR Korea 1 Bahrain 0- Iran 0 25 March 2005 Group A: Kuwait - Uzbekistan Saudi Arabia - Korea Republic Group B: DPR Korea - Bahrain Iran - Japan 30 March 2005 Group A: Kuwait - Saudi Arabia Korea Republic - Uzbekistan Group B: DPR Korea - Iran Japan - Bahrain 3 June 2005 Group A: Saudi Arabia - Kuwait Uzbekistan - Korea Republic Group B: Iran - DPR Korea Bahrain - Japan 8 June 2005 Group A: Kuwait - Korea Republic Saudi Arabia - Uzbekistan Group B: DPR Korea - Japan Iran - Bahrain 17 August 2005 Group A: Korea Republic - Saudi Arabia Uzbekistan - Kuwait Group B: Japan - Iran Bahrain - DPR Korea ---------------------------------------------------------------- The top two from each Group qualify for WC 2006, the two third place teams meet in a home-and-away in September (3-7) or October (8-12), dates not announced yet, to determine who faces the 4th place CONCACAF team on November 12 and 16, 2005 for final spot in Germany. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devioustrevor Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 That North Korea-Japan match in Pyongyang should be interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachesl Posted December 10, 2004 Author Share Posted December 10, 2004 B Is definitely the toughest Group. Japan and Iran should qualify, Bahrain and North Korea will battle it out for Third.. Saudi and Kuwait are not the powers they once were, so A should be open for Uzbekistan to grab 2nd after South Korea and debut at the WC. Prediciton for November: Guatemala v. North Korea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canso Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 "Director of FIFA Competitions James Brown" He really is the hardest working man in show business!Musta been some draw ceremony..Jump back. Gotta kiss myself! Whow! Yeah, let's hear it people for the Democratic Republic of Korea. Put your hands ta-gether! Tough draw for Saudi as the Uzbeks have had their number recently, Japan and Iran should come through ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devioustrevor Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 I'm not 100% sure, but if Uzbekistan qualified would they be the first former Soviet state to do so? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desigol Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Kazachstan must be kicking themselves for wanting to be in European Qualifying. They're set to prop their table, whilst Uzbekistan are in the Final Group stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachesl Posted December 10, 2004 Author Share Posted December 10, 2004 quote:Originally posted by devioustrevor I'm not 100% sure, but if Uzbekistan qualified would they be the first former Soviet state to do so? Other than Russia, yes. The Ukraine has a good chance of doing it this time as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canso Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 Aside from Russia, they would be the first. How grumpy would the Russians be if they failed to qualify and had to watch Ukraine and Uzbekistan in the World Cup? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nolando Posted December 10, 2004 Share Posted December 10, 2004 quote:Originally posted by devioustrevor That North Korea-Japan match in Pyongyang should be interesting. I agree, those two particular home and away games will be very interesting not only in terms of football but politics between the two nations. North Korea has recently returned Japanese that they abducted from Japanese soil decades ago to work as language coaches and in espionage. I'll be living in Japan for all of next year and so will be following this group closely and hopefully providing some notes and updates of interest for the V's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachesl Posted December 10, 2004 Author Share Posted December 10, 2004 quote:Originally posted by Sigma It will be interesting to see Iran and North Korea play again after the on field incident involving a smoke bomb (I believe) a few years back in Tehran... That was a real embarrasment to the Iranian regime, I think you are going to see blackshirts enforcing some iron discipline there this time. FIFA and the AFC will also have observers there in force ready to punish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachesl Posted January 12, 2005 Author Share Posted January 12, 2005 Hmmm, strange! -------------------------------------------------- Two ethnic Korean J-Leaguers to play for North Korea January 12, 2005 TOKYO (AFP) - Two ethnic Koreans living in Japan will play for North Korea in a World Cup qualifier against the country of their birth next month, their J-League clubs announced. Ri Han-Jae of Sanfrecce Hiroshima and An Yong-Hak of Albirex Niigata will play in the February 9 match at Saitama outside Tokyo amid a diplomatic row which has stalled rapprochement talks between the Asian neighbours. "I am not concerned at all," Ri said of the political tension stemming from the Stalinist state's abductions of Japanese citizens during Cold War years. "I will do my best for ethnic Koreans and Hiroshima fans, who have supported me, rather than my country," he added. Ri and An are both midfielders and graduates from high schools run by the Pyongyang-guided General Association of Korean Residents in Japan. For the second day in a row, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi urged Japanese fans to behave themselves during the home World Cup qualifier against North Korea. "Soccer is not politics. I want the match to be enjoyed in a friendly atmosphere," Koizumi told reporters at his office. "I wish they will look for a good match as supporters who love soccer." On Tuesday, the premier called on Japanese fans not to follow the example of Chinese supporters who displayed violent anti-Japanese sentiment when Japan beat China 3-1 in the Asian Cup final in Beijing last August. Following their opening match in Saitama in the final Asian qualifying round, the two countries will play the return leg in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang on June 8. Japan and North Korea are bunched in a "group of death" which also includes Iran and Bahrain. "It has been my dream to fight Japan, beat Japan and advance to the World Cup finals. I am thrilled," said 22-year-old Ri who played, along with An, for North Korea in the first Asian zone qualifying round last year. "My job in the national team is to score goals and pass forward," said Ri, who is a defensive midfielder at Hiroshima but is expected to take part in North Korea's attacking side. An said: "As a representative of the country, I aim to play in matches and contribute to the team's victory." Ri scored one goal in one match and 26-year-old An had two goals in two matches to his credit in the first round. The players are booked to join North Korea's training to be held in China starting Sunday. Ri has scored one goal in 27 J-League matches and An three goals in 26 matches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachesl Posted January 26, 2005 Author Share Posted January 26, 2005 NKorea giving cars, homes to motivate footballers facing Japan January 26, 2005 TOKYO (AFP) - Communist North Korea is giving cash, cars and houses to motivate its footballers, who are determined to beat Asian champions and political rivals Japan in next month's World Cup qualifier match, a report said. "We are sure that we will win. We've been strongly motivated. We shall beat them for sure," Kyodo News quoted North Korea's sports guidance commission vice secretariat director Ri Hyon as saying. "We've given a huge amount of bonus, the latest model of houses and high-class cars to the players according to their achievements" in international games, he said. Ri, whom Kyodo News interviewed via official North Korean media outlets, said Pyongyang "has taken strong interest in the development of football with a wide view, and introduced new methods of practice that fit the physical conditions of the Koreans." North Korea will take on Japan at the Saitama stadium near Tokyo on February 9, amid political tensions over the Stalinist state's abductions of Japanese civilians during the Cold War. The North Korean team, mostly players from the "April 25" Korean People's Army team, opened a training camp at the Chinese resort of Hainan last week with two ethnic Korean players with Japanese J-League clubs joining later. North Korea stunned the world by advancing to the quarter-finals of the 1966 World Cup finals in England, their only appearance on the world stage, by upsetting favoured Italy. But since North Korea failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup in the United States, they have cloistered the team for 10 years of intense training. North Korea, remaining "one of Asia's mystery teams" as the website of football's world governing body FIFA puts it, made the last eight of the Asian qualifying round with three wins and two draws in the preliminary contests. Japan and North Korea will meet each other in a second leg in Pyongyang on June 8 in a tough group which also includes Iran and Bahrain, to qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The two sides each have four wins, four losses and three draws from their previous international encounters. Japan won the Asian Cup last August in Beijing for the second straight time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soju Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 Watching S.Korea vs. Kuwait now. Korea's handling business as expected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJT Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 First three results of the opening day (February 9) of the final round: South Korea 2 Kuwait 0 (Dong-Gook Lee 23', Young-Pyo Lee 81') Japan 2 North Korea 1 (Mitsuo Ogasawara 4', Masashi Oguro 90'; Song Chol Nam 61') Uzbekistan 1 Saudi Arabia 1 (Anvar Soliev 90'; Sami Al Jaber 77') So Japan squeak out a win and Uzbekistan a draw in the final minute of each match. Temperatures of -1 in Seoul and -2 in Tashkent (with conditions described as "smoke" [?] by FIFA) must have been tough on the Middle Eastern visitors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soju Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 Japan sure blew alot of good chances against North Korea, this doesn't look like the Japanese team I've watched in the past. Anyone else notice how old Uzbekistan's players looked? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJT Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 Fourth and last match of the day (February 9): Bahrain 0 Iran 0 Standings updated at the top of this thread. quote:Originally posted by Soju Anyone else notice how old Uzbekistan's players looked? Hehe, you think we actually get to watch matches from Uzbekistan in Canada? Seriously, though, I did catch a few seconds on a Webcast. But the stream was so bad that I had to stop. Didn't notice what the players looked like in those few seconds. Out of all the remaining Asian teams, I'm pulling for Uzbekistan! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Concacaf Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 I don't want to see Saudi Arabia in another world cup. Honestly, Liechtenstein would have done better in 2002 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nolando Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 I saw the Japan-NK game on TV here in Japan with a chinese buddy. Great action indeed and what a finish! Japan really missed their three world class stars in Inamoto, Ono and Nakata Hide. Endo and Kawaguchi were proven wrong when they said that JLeauguers should make up the core until the away games. They looked very beatable throughout much of the 2nd half and will ned some help and the big three to go through to Germany. And I hear you about S Arabia!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soju Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 None of this was shown in Canada? Here I was worried abou spoiling results. I saw all of those games here live and I've gotta count Uzbeki out based on their crap performance against Saudi Arabia who were almost as bad except for some flair and nice passing. Bad game on a really bad pitch looked worse than muddy Edmonton back when we played Honduras in qualifying. Someone's gotta remember to water the grass it looked like they were playing on straw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Concacaf Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 Yeah, right, we get a lot of Asian WCQ games on TV over here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soju Posted February 11, 2005 Share Posted February 11, 2005 No highlights Joe? No sports world Joe? Wow Joe I feel terrible, sorry I'm such an idiot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJT Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 Results from March 25 Kuwait 2 Uzbekistan 1 (Abdulaziz 8', 63'; Soliev 77') Saudi Arabia 2 South Korea 0 (S. Khariri 30', A. Dahtani (PK) 75') North Korea 1 Bahrain 2 (S.K. Pak 62'; H. Ali 7', 57') Iran 2 Japan 1 (Hashemian 24', 75'; Fukunishi 66') Standings updated in the first post in this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJT Posted March 31, 2005 Share Posted March 31, 2005 Results from March 30: South Korea 2 Uzbekistan 1 (Y.P. Lee 55', D. Lee 62'; A. Geynrikh 79') North Korea 0 Iran 2 (M. Mahdavikia 34', J. Nekounam 79') Japan 1 Bahrain 0 (Salmeen (OG) 72') Result from March 31: Kuwait 0 Saudi Arabia 0 Standings updated in the first post in this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJT Posted June 4, 2005 Share Posted June 4, 2005 Results from June 3: Saudi Arabia 3 Kuwait 0 (19' M.A. Shlhoub, 50' M.A. Shlhoub, 83' A. Harthi) Uzbekistan 1 South Korea 1 (63' Sattshkikh; 90' J.S. Park) Iran 1 North Korea 0 (45' Rezaei) Bahrain 0 Japan 1 (34' Ogasawara) Standings updated in the first post of this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nolando Posted June 4, 2005 Share Posted June 4, 2005 Stayed up until 3:30 AM here in Japan to watch Japan beat Bahrain in a nailbiter. Bahrain bashed one off the upright and stood up tough against an unconvincing Japan especially in the first half. Nakata Hidetoshi was yellow carded in the second half for what something more worthy of a free kick, as his professional foul merely slowed down a Bahrian counter attack. He misses the next game because of it, a strange one behind closed doors against North Korean in Bangkok due to the previous crowd problem in N. Korea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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