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Sports Tuesday, October 10, 2017 Australia aims to halt Syria’s World Cup charge in Sydney

Home fans will clamor for an Australian victory

SYDNEY: While local support will be firmly behind the second leg to bring them joy and qualify to the Australia’s Socceroos, wider sentiment may spur the inter-confederation playoff.” Australia has qualified for team from war-torn Syria to keep its World Cup dream the last three World Cups and narrowly missed a direct alive when the teams meet today in a winner-takes-all spot again, finishing just out of the top two in its group qualifier. on goal difference. That pushed the Socceroos into the The outcome of the match will decide which team difficult playoff route to Russia, a pathway they were progresses to an inter-continental playoff against the more familiar with when Australia was part of the fourth-place team from CONCACAF - the North and Oceania confederation. Central American and Caribbean confederation - for a Today’s match will be played on the ground where spot at the World Cup in Russia next year. Australia beat Uruguay in an intercontinental playoff to Syria kept its hopes alive with a late penalty which qualify for the 2006 World Cup and where it won the allowed it to snatch a 1-1 draw with Australia in its Asian Cup in 2015. Home fans will clamor for an “home” leg of the two-leg playoff on neutral in Australian victory which will propel the Socceroos a Malaysia last week. But it now must overcome step closer to Russia. Australia’s home advantage to continue to lift the spirits But there will be additional tension as defeat will of fans in a country riven by spell not only the end of the war. Syria coach Aymin Al- Socceroos’ World Cup Hakim said playing Australia ambitions but possibly in Sydney was just another coach Ange Postecoglou’s of the obstacles his team tenure with the national has had to overcome in its We will continue team. Postecoglou astonishing qualifying cam- acknowledged that possibil- paign. “I say to our fans our journey of ity but said he wouldn’t what we have achieved so allow it to rule his approach far is not only an achieve- our dream to the match. ment, but a miracle,” he “I’d be a fool if I didn’t I said. “We will push with all live the way I preach,” our force to continue our Postecoglou said. “I try to journey on the path of live every game like it’s the achieving our dream.” last one. “I won’t be going into it with a different mind- SYDNEY: Syria’s player Tamer Hag Mohd (C) shares a light moment with teammates during a His team has nothing to lose. Syria has never quali- set because it’s an absolute privilege and honor to training session in Sydney yesterday, on the eve of their 2018 World Cup football qualifying fied for the World Cup, but now is potentially only three coach your country.” Postecoglou said he was looking match against Australia. —AFP games from making it to soccer’s grandest show. for nothing less than a win today. Syria left back Mouaiad Al Ajjan said his team would “For us the objective is clear,” he said. “What we have to make the most of its chances in Sydney, partic- know is if we win tomorrow night we’ll be through to Rogic for the match and has hinted he might start vet- things right, we get the right results for it,” he said. “If ularly after a slow first half in Malacca, Malaysia last the next round. Our objective is to play our football. We eran Tim Cahill. Mark Milligan, who led the Australia any doubt does creep in we’re fortunate we can look at week and needing an 85th-minute penalty to equalize. want to be aggressive, attacking, take it to the opposi- lineup last week, said the players’ confidence is “very recent performances and we’re right on track. “We’ll “We are content with the result,” he said after the tion and test them and that’s what we’ll do.” strong.” “Looking back on Thursday night ... our short- hold strong in what we believe and bring our best to draw, “but we promise the fans we will up our game in Postecoglou will likely recall Celtic midfielder Tom comings in the last 30 minutes showed when we do the table.” — AP

Germany win historic 10th Moment of truth WCup qualifier as Argentina seek

BERLIN: Midfielder netted twice as World Cup berth Germany routed Azerbaijan 5-1 on Sunday to make history with a perfect World Cup qualifying record of 10 wins in as many games. The reigning world champions had MONTEVIDEO: The once unfathomable prospect already sealed their ticket to Russia last Thursday with a of a World Cup without Lionel Messi and Argentina 3-1 win over Northern Ireland, and finished their qualifying could become reality today as South America’s campaign in Kaiserslautern with a 10th straight victory. thrilling 2018 qualification battle reaches its climax. This is the first time Germany have qualified for a World Two years after Argentina kicked off their troubled Cup finals with a perfect record. campaign with a 2-0 defeat at home to Ecuador, Joachim Loew’s side are only the second team to Jorge Sampaoli’s side travel to Quito to face La Tri achieve the feat in a European qualifying campaign after Spain managed it on their way to winning the 2010 World once more with their hopes hanging precariously. Cup in South Africa. The two-time World Cup-winners head into the However, the comfortable win came at the cost of two final round of games in sixth place overall, outside centre-backs, as Bayern Munich’s Niklas Suele and the top four positions which grant automatic quali- Arsenal’s both limped off with first-half fication and trailing fifth-placed Peru, who occupy injuries. Schalke midfielder Goretzka gave Germany an the playoff spot, on goal difference. early lead with a superb back-heeled goal before Yet with only two points separating third-placed Azerbaijan striker Ramil Sheydaev stunned the hosts by KAISERSLAUTERN: Azerbaijan’s Tamkin Khalilzade, left, and Germany’s Chile (26 points) with seventh-placed Paraguay equalising before half-time. go for a header during the 2018 World Cup qualifying Group C soccer match between (24), any number of permutations are possible. Second-half strikes from Hoffenheim striker Sandro Germany and Azerbaijan in Kaiserslautern, Germany, Sunday. — AP Argentina can simplify the equation for their fans, Wagner and Chelsea defender Antonio Ruediger, before however, if they manage to take all three points. Goretzka added his second, saw Germany pull away. Liverpool midfielder added the fifth when he before Mustafi went down in the build-up to the equaliser. Wagner’s header was cleared in a scramble, but goal- A victory would guarantee they finish no worse smashed home his first international goal with a powerful The Germans should have doubled their lead with half an line technology showed the ball had crossed the line for his than fifth place, putting them into a two-legged shot from outside the area. The World Cup holders lost hour gone when Wagner hit the post. fifth international goal in as many games. At 2-1 up, the play-off against New Zealand they would be before kick-off as the Paris Saint-Germain Azerbaijan deservedly levelled on 34 minutes when floodgates opened when Ruediger hammered his header expected to win. But achieving victory in the thin midfielder dropped out with flu, after Real Madrid star Sheydaev sprinted clear of Mustafi-who pulled up with a past Azerbaijani goalkeeper Kamran Agayev on 64 min- air of Quito, which is 2,850 metres (9,350 feet) had already been ruled out with a rib injury. leg injury. utes. Goretzka grabbed Germany’s fourth just two minutes above sea level, may be easier said than done. The The hosts got off to a dream start when Goretzka showed Sheydaev then wrong-footed Ruediger and fired past later when he fired home Leroy Sane’s pass after some Argentinians have an abysmal record in away great technique by turning the ball into the net on eight Germany goalkeeper Bernd Leno to stun the hosts. It good work by the Manchester City winger. The 23-year- games against Ecuador, with their last victory in minutes. Then came Germany’s injury blows. Suele limped stayed 1-1 at the break, but Wagner put Germany back in old Can completed the scoring in style when he rifled a Quito coming in 2001. off on 22 minutes to be replaced by Chelsea’s Ruediger the lead on 54 minutes thanks to Hawk-Eye. 30-yard strike into the roof of the net.—AFP Since then in World Cup qualifying games, they have been beaten twice, in 2005 and 2009, before scraping a 1-1 draw in 2013. Moreover, Argentina face their moment of truth after a series of unin- spiring performances that has left the rest of the footballing world scratching its head at how a squad bristling with so much attacking talent has US and Pulisic found scoring so difficult. poised to seal ‘HANGING ON’ Despite being able to call upon Messi, Sergio World Cup berth Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain, Paulo Dybala, Mauro Icardi and Angel Di Maria throughout the cam- paign, Argentina have only scored 16 times in 17 games. Last Thursday’s 0-0 stalemate with Peru in MIAMI: United States coach Bruce Arena has chal- Buenos Aires was Argentina’s third consecutive lenged his team to finish the job and seal World Cup draw. The Albiceleste have now scored only once in qualification against Trinidad & Tobago today after an their past four qualifying games. emphatic rout of Panama which has transformed American fortunes. Sampaoli attempted to break that cycle last Friday’s exhilarating attacking display against Panama, week with the surprise selection of Dario where Borussia Dortmund star Christian Pulisic excelled Benedetto in attack, a gamble that failed to pay off in a 4-0 thrashing of Los Canaleros, has left Arena’s side after the Boca Juniors striker missed a string of on the brink of a place in next year’s finals in Russia. COUVA: US national soccer team player DeAndre Yedlin is carried by trainer Luis Ramirez chances. It is unclear whether Sampaoli will persist Heading into the final round of games, the US sit third in through water around the practice field during training in Couva, Trinidad, yesterday. Team with Benedetto again on Tuesday. While Messi and USA plays against Trinidad & Tobago today. — AP the standings with 12 points, two points clear of Panama his team-mates attempt to adjust to the lung-bust- and Honduras, their only rivals for the final automatic ing challenge of playing at altitude, millions of com- qualifying berth from CONCACAF. A win over Trinidad but pride to play for. on only three occasions. The last of those defeats came patriots will be holding their breath. today would guarantee that the US extend a proud “The game in Trinidad won’t be easy but we are in a nearly a decade ago, in a 2-1 loss in 2008. The sense of anxiety was reflected by La Nacion record of qualifying for every World Cup since 1990. good position now,” Arena said. “It will be challenging. More recently, Arena’s side won 2-0 at home in June newspaper. “Argentina is not on the edge of the And with a sizeable advantage in goal difference of plus We faced challenging conditions in Honduras and Panama and also recorded a 4-0 win in an earlier round of quali- precipice - it is hanging on the cornice vertically,” five, compared to Panama (-2) and Honduras (-7), a draw so we will be ready. Trinidad are out but will be a handful. fying in 2016. at Trinidad’s tiny 10,000-seater Ato Boldon Stadium in “We are moving along well, our goal difference is better The US will seek to extend that record of dominance the paper commented. Elsewhere today, Chile could Couva will almost certainly be enough. Nevertheless, and now we need to finish it off.” with an attack spearheaded by Pulisic and Jozy Altidore, seal their qualification with victory over Brazil in Arena has warned his team to be ready for a stern physi- History suggests the US should comfortably achieve who scored twice against Panama. “The job’s not done Sao Paulo. Brazil have already qualified for the cal challenge against Trinidad, even though the qualification on Tuesday. In 25 meetings between the two yet,” said Altidore. “We need a result and we know it’s finals and are guaranteed top spot.—AFP Caribbean nation are already eliminated and have little sides since 1982, the US have won 18, drawn four and lost going to be a tough place to play.”—AFP