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Saudis strike blow for Asia at World Cup

Mohammad Al-Sahlawi sends the ball (Photo by LEON KUEGELER / AFP)
13th June, 2018
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Saudi Arabia will become the first Asian nation to play in a World Cup opening match on Thursday (Friday AEST), but expectations for the continent are decidedly low in Russia.

The Saudis, which pipped Australia to a direct place at the 2018 tournament in qualifying, have been rewarded with the highest-profile group stage match.

It’s the first time in the 80-year history of the tournament that an Asian side will kick off the event.

Even when the Cup was hosted by Japan and South Korea in 2002, the opening match was given to holders France, which lost 1-0 to Senegal in a great upset.

That edition remains the only time an Asian nation has won a World Cup knock-out match.

South Korea reached the quarter-finals on home soil, defeating Portugal, Italy and Spain in a near-unthinkable run.

Otherwise, Asia has suffered through a long streak of underachievement.

Asian teams have made it out of the group stage just seven times out of 39 attempts. There’s little prospect of that number increasing in Russia.

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The five Asian countries participating – Saudi Arabia, Iran, Australia, South Korea and Japan – are the least likely teams to get out of their group according to betting markets.

Japan may have the best chance, in an open Group H including Colombia, Senegal and Poland.

Socceroos striker Andrew Nabbout counts two Japanese national team players – Water Endo and Tomoaki Makino – as colleagues after securing a move to J.League club Urawa Red Diamonds earlier this year.

“They had a similar situation (to Australia), a change of coach before the World Cup very recently,” Nabbout said.

“They’ve got a pretty tough group, Colombia is in there.

“We had a joke about it in the change rooms after we played Colombia, they were trying to get our game-plan off us to try and break them down.”

Another Asian-based Socceroo, Matt Jurman, counts South Korea’s Suwon Bluewings as home.

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He said morale among the Koreans – facing imposing group stage opponents in Germany, Mexico and Sweden – is low.

“They are disappointed. They haven’t had good results leading up,” he said.

“I reckon they have had five or more injuries before the squad got selected, so it’s a pity for them.

“But who knows, it’s a World Cup. If you play well on the day you can surprise anyone.”

Iran’s prospects of emerging from Group B, which also includes heavyweights Portugal and Spain, are slim.

Saudi Arabia complete their group with matches against Egypt and Uruguay, and are ranked the least likely team in Russia to top their group.

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