FOOTBALL | Page 3 GGOLFOLF | Page 4 Recharged Johnson holds France off Rahm for ready to WGC Match meet Spain Play crown Tuesday, March 28, 2017 CRICKET Jumada II, 29, 1438 AH India set for GULF TIMES win aft er Aussie batting collapse SPORT Page 7 FOOTBALL/ ROAD TO RUSSIA SPOTLIGHT Qatar praying for Don’t take Thais lightly, miracle as they Japan coach warns team AFP take on Uzbeks Tokyo Like Qatar, the Uzbeks too have never qualified for the World Cup finals apan coach Vahid Halilhod- zic has told his players they will Qatar players train “carry the future of Japanese ahead of their World football on their shoulders” Jwhen they face Thailand in a World Cup qualifier against Uzbekistan in Tashkent. Cup qualifi er today. No pressure there, then. Further turning up the heat on his own side, the fi rebrand Franco-Bos- nian also warned against over-confi - dence, insisting that the visitors were more than capable of punishing any slackness from Japan. “We must not underestimate Thai- land,” Halilhodzic told reporters in Saitama. “I’ve watched all their games and they can play. We will need to be fo- cused and put in a real shift.” Halilhodzic has taken pains to keep Japan grounded since last week’s 2-0 The Blue Samurai are level on game,” Halilhodzic waxed lyrically. His points with Saudi Arabia at the team are trying to strengthen their grip top of Group B and are expected on one of the group’s two automatic to brush aside Thailand, even qualifying spots ahead of Asian Cup with captain Makoto Hasebe holders Australia, who lurk behind sidelined with a knee injury them in third. “We have the future of Japanese victory in the United Arab Emirates football on our shoulders, so we have moved them closer to a sixth succes- to fi ght for it. sive World Cup. “People seem to think Thailand will The Blue Samurai are level on points be pushovers,” added the 64-year-old. with Saudi Arabia at the top of Group B “Well, they won’t be. We will need to and are expected to brush aside Thai- show real heart.” land, even with captain Makoto Hasebe Further injuries to midfi elder Yas- sidelined with a knee injury. uyuki Konno and forward Yuya Osako “Winning in the Emirates has put have added an unwanted twist to Ja- us in a privileged position,” said Halil- pan’s preparations, exposing a worry- hodzic. “But it will mean nothing if we ing lack of depth to the former Asian blow it against Thailand.” champions. Japan trail Saudi Arabia on goal dif- “We don’t have a player who can ference, with both teams on 13 points carry the team,” admitted Halilhodzic. from six games and four to play in the “There isn’t a player who will dribble fi nal round of Asian qualifying for the past fi ve defenders. But if the players By Sports Reporter Sunday and hit the ground running win would have lifted the Central Elsewhere Japan host Thailand, 2018 Russia World Cup. aren’t motivated, then there’s a prob- Tashkent with coach Fossati supervising their Asians into second place in Group South Korea play Syria and table- “Fame and majesty rest on this lem. training, but it will be the form of A but Omar Kharbin’s injury-time topping Saudi Arabia entertain Iraq as their star players that would be a ma- penalty now leaves Uzbekistan, who the road to Russia 2018 heads towards ith just four points from jor worry. will be without the suspended Islom its conclusion. CONFIDENT six matches in their kitty, Many of Qatar’s star players have Tukhtakhujaev, with a major fi ght to Lippi, who coached Italy to World Qatar will need nothing been off colour, and it showed against secure a top-three position as Syria Cup victory in 2006, has been hailed short of a miracle if they Iran last week. Striker Sebastian Soria lurk just a point behind in fourth. as a hero for fashioning China’s rare Ware to qualify for the World Cup in has hardly won a match on his own for Meanwhile, China’s fl edgling re- win over South Korea, which hauled Australia in control of 2018. Qatar in the many years he has been vival under Marcello Lippi will be them off the foot of Group A with four The long-drawn qualifying cam- with the Qatari team, while the others tested by Asia’s top team Iran, while games to go. paign that got off to a poor start un- have also not lived up to expectations. Australia need to return to winning He said China now need to main- World Cup fate — coach der Jose Daniel Carreno before fellow To add to Qatar’s woes, key play- ways when they play UAE. tain their momentum. They now lie Uruguayan Jorge Fossati took charge ers Boualem Khoukhi and Abdelkarim China shocked South Korea 1-0 fi ve points back from an automatic and sparked a minor revival with a Hassan are both suspended, leaving last week for their fi rst win of Asia’s berth and have games to come against Reuters was,” Postecoglou told reporters on win over Syria and a draw against Fossati with a selection headache. fi nal qualifying groups, and Lippi Syria, Uzbekistan and Qatar, after Sydney Monday, referring to the draw with Iraq China. Uzbekistan, too, are smarting says there is much more to come from their trip to Tehran. in Tehran last week. But a soul-crushing 1-0 loss to Iran from their loss to Syria last week. A Team Dragon. “We worked hard to get the three “Obviously it’s a World Cup qualifi er last week in Doha saw Qatar plum- points we needed (against South Ko- nder-pressure Australia and we’ve kind of set up an environment met to the bottom of Group A leav- rea),” said the 68-year-old Italian, ac- coach Ange Postecoglou has where we prepare for each game the ing them with the improbable task of Coach Jorge Fossati cording to Xinhua news agency. downplayed the signifi cance same way and this is no diff erent. winning their next four matches at supervises Qatar’s “But it is not enough to win a ticket Uof today’s World Cup quali- “If we win tomorrow night, it doesn’t the same time hoping that other re- training session yesterday. to the World Cup. We need to contin- fi er against United Arab Emirates as the make the Saudi Arabia game (on June sults go their way. ue this momentum and win the fol- Socceroos battle to remain in conten- 8) less important, if we don’t win, it As things stand now, Iran have one lowing matches.” tion for an automatic berth to Russia doesn’t make it more important. I think foot in Russia with 14 points, having Lippi added: “We still have room to in 2018. Australia sit third in Group B we’re still, in terms of qualifying, where not lost a single match so far. South improve. We didn’t play the same lev- of Asian qualifying after their 1-1 draw we know that our fate’s in our own Korea, who were upset 1-0 by China el as we did in the last match against against Iraq, three points adrift of lead- hands,” added Postecoglou, whose side last week, are second with 10 points Qatar.” ers Saudi Arabia and Japan. have laboured to four consecutive draws followed by Uzbekistan on nine, Syria However, playing Carlos Queiroz’s and struggled to score. on eight and China on fi ve. Iran away is a diff erent proposition to “Obviously it’s a World Cup “We’ll only start looking at other Qatar, who were beaten 1-0 by Uz- last week’s home game in Changsha, qualifi er and we’ve kind of set things if that gets out of our control.” bekistan in Doha earlier, will take on and Lippi said China cannot aff ord to up an environment where we The UAE sit just one point behind the Central Asians in Tashkent today sit back in the Azadi Stadium. prepare for each game the same Australia after losing to Japan last week. hoping to gain three points and in the “In the fi rst half, we played too de- way and this is no diff erent” The third placed team in each of Asia’s process avenge their loss. fensively when we were under pres- two qualifying groups goes into a play- Like Qatar, the Uzbeks too have sure. I don’t want to see the same 45 Only the top two are guaranteed qual- off . never qualifi ed for the World Cup fi - minutes in the following matches any ifi cation for Russia and with four games Vahid Halilhodzic’s Japan host Thai- nals and the outcome of their clash more,” he said. remaining, Australia’s hopes of a fourth land at Saitama Stadium and will be ex- today will provide a much clearer pic- “In the second half, my team was straight World Cup appearance could pected to collect three points, while Bert ture of who among them have a better well organised in defence and created hinge on the outcome of the meeting at van Marwijk’s Saudi Arabia play an Iraq chance to make it to Russia in 2018. several chances to score. We still have Sydney Football Stadium. side in Jeddah that have picked up just The Qataris arrived in Russia on much work to do.” “It’s no bigger than last Thursday four points from their fi rst six games.