JAKARTA: Japan defeated Indonesia 4-0 on Friday to move seven points clear at the top of Group C in the third round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Two goals in each half mean the Samurai Blue stays on course for an eighth successive World Cup appearance.
After a bright start from the home team, the 78,000 fans at a sold-out Gelora Bung Karno Stadium were silenced after 35 minutes as Daichi Kamada broke down the left and sent a cross which defender Justin Hubner put into his own net from close range.
Takumi Minamino then scored from inside the area off Kaoru Mitoma’s pass to extend the lead five minutes before the break.
Hidemasa Motira took advantage of an errant pass from Indonesia’s goalkeeper to make it 3-0 early in the second half and Yukinari Sugawara rounded out the scoring in the 69th minute.
Japan tops the group on 13 points with five games remaining in the round. Australia, Saudi Arabia and China all have six points, followed by Bahrain with five and Indonesia with three.
The top two from each of the three groups will be guaranteed a place at the World Cup, with the third- and fourth-place teams progressing to the next stage.
Japan beat Indonesia 4-0 to extend group lead in Asian World Cup qualifying
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Japan beat Indonesia 4-0 to extend group lead in Asian World Cup qualifying
- Japan tops the group on 13 points with five games remaining in the round.
- Australia, Saudi Arabia and China all have 6 points, followed by Bahrain with five and Indonesia with 3
Bayern roar past Heidenheim with 34th title in clear sight
- The table now shows Bayern at the top with 72 points, nine ahead of Bayer Leverkusen
- Urbig was sharp and alert, diving low to deny Sirlord Conteh with a smart save
HEIDENHEIM, Germany: Bayern Munich had little trouble beating lowly Heidenheim 4-0 on Saturday to put themselves within touching distance of their 34th Bundesliga title.
The table now shows Bayern at the top with 72 points, nine ahead of Bayer Leverkusen who face St. Pauli on Sunday, with four rounds left to play.
With Bayern racing into a three-goal lead after just 36 minutes — courtesy of Harry Kane’s precision, Konrad Laimer’s drive and Kingsley Coman’s flair — there was little doubt about Saturday’s outcome.
Kane could have doubled his tally after 22 minutes, with the pressure on the Heidenheim goal reaching a boiling point, but the Bundesliga’s leading marksman steered a close-range header just wide, letting the hosts off the hook.
Joshua Kimmich then took his time before rifling a shot into the corner for 4-0 in the 56th minute as Bayern surged ahead at full throttle in their relentless pursuit of another league crown.
Heidenheim, fueled by pride and eager to salvage something from an otherwise dismal performance, came close to pulling back a goal just after the hour mark. But Bayern keeper Jonas Urbig was sharp and alert, diving low to deny Sirlord Conteh with a smart save.
For the hosts, the situation looks bleak: they are third from bottom in the relegation play-off places with 22 points, seven behind St. Pauli, who occupy the last safe spot.
Bayern will host Mainz next Saturday before facing RB Leipzig and Borussia Moenchengladbach, then wrapping up their campaign with a trip to Hoffenheim on May 17.
Palestinian Oday Dabbagh scores as Aberdeen beat Hearts 2-1 to reach Scottish Cup final
- Hearts levelled in the 28th minute
- Aberdeen swiftly took advantage to reach their first Scottish Cup final in eight years
GLASGOW: Palestinian forward Oday Dabbagh scored a late extra-time winner as Aberdeen eventually ground down nine-man Hearts to win 2-1 on Saturday and reach the Scottish Cup final.
The Dons struck first against the run of play when Pape Gueye’s header came back off the crossbar and ricocheted into his own net off the back of 42-year-old Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon.
Hearts levelled in the 28th minute when captain Lawrence Shankland met James Penrice’s cross from the left, took a touch and rifled a clinical finish through the legs of Dimitar Mitov.
The Edinburgh side suffered a huge blow a minute before the break when Michael Steinwender was shown a straight red after bringing down Topi Keskinen.
But the 10 men held out for well over an hour against an Aberdeen side lacking in invention.
Hearts’ task got even tougher when Cammy Devlin was shown a second yellow card with four minutes left of extra-time.
Aberdeen swiftly took advantage to reach their first Scottish Cup final in eight years when Dabbagh fired in the rebound after Jack Milne’s shot was saved by Gordon.
Jimmy Thelin’s side will face the winner of Sunday’s semifinal between Celtic and St. Johnstone at Hampden on May 25.
UAE appoint Romanian Olaroiu to replace Bento as head coach
- The 55-year-old Romanian takes over from Portuguese Paulo Bento
- Olaroiu has spent the last three-and-a-half seasons with UAE club Sharjah
DUBAI: Cosmin Olaroiu has been appointed United Arab Emirates head coach, the country’s FA announced on Saturday.
The 55-year-old Romanian takes over from Portuguese Paulo Bento, who was fired last month despite a last-gasp win over North Korea in Asia’s World Cup qualifiers.
The UAE are third in Group A of the preliminaries for the 2026 finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The first two finishers in each of Asia’s three groups progress automatically to the World Cup while the third- and fourth-placed teams advance to another round.
Iran have already claimed one of the two berths available from Group A while second-placed Uzbekistan are four points clear of the UAE with two matches remaining.
Olaroiu has spent the last three-and-a-half seasons with UAE club Sharjah, and last week guided the team into the final of the AFC Champions League Two.
He has worked extensively in the Gulf region, coaching Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, Qatar’s Al-Sadd and Emirati side Al-Ain before moving to China, where he won the Chinese Super League title with Jiangsu Suning in 2020.
Olaroiu’s first game in charge of the UAE will be their World Cup qualifier at home to Uzbekistan on June 5. They then visit Kyrgyzstan in Group A five days later.
Former Croatia midfielder Nikola Pokrivač dies in car accident at age 39
- The federation announced that Pokrivač died Friday night in a car accident
- Pokrivač made 15 appearances for Croatia’s national team
ZAGREB: Nikola Pokrivač, a former Croatia national team midfielder who played at the 2008 European Championship, has died in a car accident, his country’s soccer federation said. He was 39.
The federation announced that Pokrivač died Friday night in a car accident in the city of Karlovac.
Pokrivač played for Dinamo Zagreb, Monaco and Salzburg before being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2015.
Pokrivač made 15 appearances for Croatia’s national team.
Marijan Kustić, president of the Croatian Football Federation, called Pokrivač a “great football player” who “showed great courage in life by overcoming a terrible disease.” He offered condolences to Pokrivač’s family.
Dinamo said in a statement that Pokrivač was a talented midfielder who played 69 times for the team and participated in four championship titles.
Nassr’s title hopes dented by Qadsiah
Al-Nassr lost 2-1 to Al-Qadsiah on Friday in what was a huge blow to their chances of winning the Saudi Pro League title.
The defeat means that while the Yellows stay in third, eight points behind leaders Al-Ittihad, with just six games to go, both time and matches are running out.
It was a hard-fought clash between two teams who may have to settle for a top three finish and a place in next year’s Asian Champions League. Both had chances, and both will feel they could have taken all three points. In the end, however, there was just one winner.
Ten minutes before the break and Al-Qadsiah drew first blood. Pierre-Emerick Abuameyang broke free down the right and while the Gabonese goal-getter’s shot was blocked, Turki Al-Ammar was on hand to open the scoring from close range.
It was a close run thing for much of the match, with Cristiano Ronaldo working hard to inspire Al-Nassr. Six minutes from time, they drew level thanks to Sadio Mane. The Senegalese forward timed his run perfectly, to control a long pass from Otavio and fire home past the goalkeeper in one quick motion.
It seemed Al-Nassr had earned a point at least, but with three minutes remaining, the hosts retook the lead and snatched the win. Nahitan Nandez hooked the ball into the six yard box and there was Aubameyang to head home.
Earlier in the day, Al-Ahli thrashed Al-Fayha 5-0. Brazilian defender Ibanez scored twice before England striker Ivan Toney also bagged a brace. Riyad Mahrez completed a five-star performance from the Jeddah giants.
“It was important to get the win but there is a long way to go until the end of this season,” said Al-Ahli coach Matthias Jaissle. “Let's see what happens.”
As things stand, Al-Ittihad remain in first place in the league, with Al-Hilal in second.
