HONG KONG: Japan became the first team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup on Thursday as South Korea were held but still inched closer along with a rampant Australia.
Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo scored in the second half to give Japan a 2-0 home win over Bahrain and take their place alongside hosts the United States, Canada and Mexico at next year’s finals.
The runaway Asian Group C leaders failed to sparkle on a chilly night in Saitama until substitute Kamada pounced for the opener in the 66th minute.
In front of nearly 60,000 fans, Kubo added another in the 87th minute as Japan sealed their berth in style.
It will be their eighth straight World Cup appearance.
“I’m relieved that we could qualify at home in front of our supporters,” said Kubo, before he and his team-mates doused coach Hajjime Moriyasu with water.
“This here is not our goal — we want to compete against strong teams at the World Cup.”
Australia are in pole position to qualify out of Group C with Japan.
Two goals in two minutes helped the Socceroos secure a 5-1 thrashing of Indonesia as Dutch legend Patrick Kluivert was well beaten in his first game in charge.
Japan lead on 19 points. Australia are second on 10 points, four clear of the chasing pack of Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Bahrain and China.
Australia have three games left to play, starting with a crunch away fixture against China on Tuesday.
The top two go straight to North America, with teams finishing third and fourth in the three Asian groups going into a further round of qualifying.
Indonesia missed an early penalty before a Martin Boyle spot-kick and a Nishan Velupillay strike inside a frantic opening 20 minutes did the damage at Sydney Football Stadium.
A brace from Jackson Irvine and another by Lewis Miller sealed a big win, but Australian skipper Mat Ryan was not entirely satisfied.
“I think the scoreline flatters us a little bit to be honest,” the goalkeeper said.
“At the start of the game they had two big chances, and if they put one of them away, it could have been a different game.”
South Korea are still on course for 2026 but conceded a goal with 10 minutes left as Oman snatched a precious 1-1 away draw.
The hosts looked set for all three points after Wolves striker Hwang Hee-chan put them ahead in the first half with a clinical finish after Lee Kang-in’s superb threaded through ball.
But Ali Al Busaidi struck from just outside the box to stun most of the crowd at Goyang Stadium.
South Korea still lead Asian qualifying Group B with 15 points and three matches left to play, starting at home to Jordan on Tuesday.
Iraq are second in the group on 11 but have played a game less.
Jordan are third on nine with Oman fourth on seven.
Japan first to seal World Cup spot as South Korea, Australia get closer
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Japan first to seal World Cup spot as South Korea, Australia get closer
- Daichi Kamada and Takefusa Kubo scored in the second half to give Japan a 2-0 home win over Bahrain
- South Korea are still on course for 2026 but conceded a goal with 10 minutes left as Oman snatched a precious 1-1 away draw
Saudi team arrive in Japan ahead of Tuesday’s 2026 World Cup qualifier
- The Green Falcons will hold a closed training session tomorrow
- The Saudi team arrived in Japan a day after beating China 1-0
SAITAMA, Japan: Saudi Arabia’s national football team arrived in Saitama, Japan, on Friday evening, where they will face their hosts on Tuesday in the seventh round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
The Green Falcons are expected to hold a closed training session on Mar. 22 at 7 p.m. at the sub-field of Saitama Stadium 2002 in preparation for their match against Japan.
The Saudi Arabian team arrived in Japan a day after beating 10-man China 1-0 in Riyadh to get their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign back on track.
Upon arriving at Narita International Airport, the Saudi delegation was welcomed by Anas Al-Nuwaiser, the Kingdom’s deputy ambassador to Japan, Ahmed Al-Fadhel, head of consular affairs, and Adel Al-Kunhail, head of protocol and relations, as well as members of the embassy staff.
The secretary-general of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, Ibrahim Al-Qassem, expressed his thanks to the Saudi Embassy for their warm welcome and the support provided to the delegation upon arrival.
The national team left Riyadh earlier on Friday from King Khalid International Airport.
Lewis Hamilton wins pole position in the sprint for Ferrari at the Chinese F1 Grand Prix
- Hamilton arrived in China after a disappointing season-opening race last weekend in Australia, where he finished 10th
- He only managed fourth fastest in opening practice Friday for a modest improvement in Shanghai
SHANGHAI: Lewis Hamilton has astonished the crowd and himself by securing his maiden Sprint pole position for Ferrari in the final moments of qualifying at the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix.
Hamilton arrived in China after a disappointing season-opening race last weekend in Australia, where he finished 10th. He only managed fourth fastest in opening practice Friday for a modest improvement in Shanghai.
He topped the first section of sprint qualifying, before the dominant McLaren of Lando Norris took over in SQ2. An aborted lap from the McLaren driver, following a mistake on his final lap, handed Hamilton his chance – and the seven-time world champion took it in stunning style with less than a minute remaining.
Hamilton’s time was just 18 one-thousandths of a second ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, with Norris’ McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri third. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was fourth, with Mercedes’ George Russell closing out the top-five.
“I didn’t expect that result, but so, so happy and so proud,” Hamilton said. “I think obviously the last race was a disaster. Clearly we knew that there was more performance in the car but we just weren’t able to extract it,” in Melbourne.
“So to come here to a track that I love — and the car really came alive. The team did a fantastic job to get the car ready and yeah, I’m a bit in shock.”
Nawaz smacks record-breaking maiden ton as Pakistan win 3rd NZ T20
- After scoring a duck in each of the two opening games, Nawaz rebounded with a stunning 105 not out
- The 23-year-old’s ton came off 44 balls, the fastest by any Pakistan player in a T20 international match
AUCKLAND: Opener Hasan Nawaz struck a record-breaking maiden century Friday as Pakistan crushed New Zealand by nine wickets in the third Twenty20 to keep the series alive.
After scoring a duck in each of the two opening games — the first innings’ of his international career — Nawaz rebounded with a stunning 105 not out in Auckland as the tourists raced to 207-1 in response to New Zealand’s 204.
The 23-year-old’s ton came off 44 balls, the fastest by any Pakistan player in a T20 international.
It ensured his team reached the target with four full overs to spare, in a stark reversal of form after heavy losses in Christchurch and Dunedin.
Nawaz put his early failures behind him with a sparkling knock featuring shots all around the wicket, including a series of audacious ramp shots.
The right-hander peppered the short Eden Park boundaries with 10 fours and seven sixes, bringing up victory with successive fours off Kyle Jamieson in the 16th over.
The first of those shots took Nawaz to 100, five balls faster than the previous Pakistan record-holder — Babar Azam against South Africa in 2021.
Fellow opener Mohammad Haris scored 41 off 20 while captain Salman Agha was unbeaten on 51 off 31.
Earlier, New Zealand looked well placed after Mark Chapman hit a rapid 94 before they were dismissed in their final over.
Chapman dominated after New Zealand were asked to bat, tallying 11 fours and four sixes from just 44 balls faced.
The rest of the home side’s batsmen struggled to get going, aside from captain Michael Bracewell’s 31.
Experienced seamer Haris Rauf bowled Bracewell and finished with Pakistan’s best figures of 3-29.
Game four of the five-match series is in Mount Maunganui on Sunday.
Butler triple-double leads Warriors over Raptors as Curry hurt
- The Bucks bounced back from their loss at Golden State on Tuesday with a 118-89 romp past the short-handed Lakers in Los Angeles
- The Pacers won another close one in Indianapolis, where Bennedict Mathurin scored 28 points and pulled down 16 rebounds in a 105-99 overtime victory over the Brooklyn Nets
LOS ANGELES: Draymond Green scored 21 points and Jimmy Butler added a 16-point triple-double as the Golden State Warriors held off the Toronto Raptors 117-114 on Thursday despite an early exit for Stephen Curry.
Butler added 11 rebounds and 12 assists for the Warriors and Green chipped in seven rebounds, five assists and four steals as Golden State kept their hold on sixth place in the Western Conference and direct entry into the playoffs.
Trailing by as many as seven in the third quarter, Golden State took a 93-92 lead into the final period even after losing Curry, who took a frightening fall under the basket.
Curry, who was nursing a sore back before he sat out Tuesday’s win over Milwaukee, was treated on the court before departing with what the team called a pelvic contusion.
“He just kind of fell on his pelvic, tailbone area,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said, adding that Curry was having an MRI scan after the game to assess the injury.
“He was trying to come back (into the game), he thought he might’ve been able to come back and we just decided not to risk anything,” Kerr added.
In other games the Bucks bounced back from their loss at Golden State on Tuesday with a 118-89 romp past the short-handed Lakers in Los Angeles.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points and Gary Trent Jr. added 23 off the bench for Milwaukee, who were without Damian Lillard who sat out with a sore right calf.
The Lakers, still without superstar LeBron James as he recovers from a groin injury, also had Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves on their long list of absentees, both with sprained ankles.
James’s son Bronny James and Dalton Knecht led the Lakers’ scoring with 17 points apiece, Bronny connecting on seven of his 10 shots on the way to his first double-digit scoring game.
But Milwaukee led by as many as 35 in the wire-to-wire victory, which kept the fifth-placed Bucks one game behind the fourth-placed Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference.
The Pacers won another close one in Indianapolis, where Bennedict Mathurin scored 28 points and pulled down 16 rebounds in a 105-99 overtime victory over the Brooklyn Nets.
The Pacers have now won three straight games by six or fewer points to improve to 40-29 — boosting their lead over the Bucks and Detroit Pistons for fourth place.
Myles Turner scored 23 points with 10 rebounds and five blocks, including a huge rejection of Keon Johnson with 22.2 seconds left in overtime that preserved a two-point lead.
T.J. McConnell and Mathurin added two free-throws apiece in the waning seconds to seal the victory for a Pacers team again without star guard Tyrese Haliburton because of a sore back.
Mathurin had sent it to overtime with three free-throws to tie it up at the end of regulation.
“Another amazing finish,” said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle. “Mathurin was spectacular, especially in the fourth quarter.”
Brooklyn’s Trendon Watford was ejected late in the fourth quarter after a scuffle that saw Indiana’s Andrew Nembhard and Turner receive technical fouls. Nembhard was ejected in overtime after getting a second technical for jawing with officials.
The New York Knicks, third in the East, failed to find their offensive groove in a 115-98 loss to the Hornets in Charlotte.
The Knicks have dropped six of their last nine games and again felt the effects of Jalen Brunson’s continued absence with a sprained right ankle.
LaMelo Ball scored 25 points to lead the Hornets and Miles Bridges added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the hosts, who snapped a two-game skid.
OG Anunoby scored 25 for the Knicks and Karl-Anthony Towns added 24 points and 10 rebounds, but New York never led after the opening quarter.
Gauff and Sabalenka advance in Miami but Rybakina falls
- Defending champion Danielle Collins survived some late nerves to get past Romanian Sorana Cirstea 6-4 7-6 (7/3) and book her place in the round of 32
- Naomi Osaka, the 2022 Miami finalist, defeated 24th seed Liudmila Samsonova 6-2 6-4 to earn a meetup with American wildcard Halley Baptiste
MIAMI GARDENS: World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and third-seeded Coco Gauff eased through their second round matches at the Miami Open on Thursday but seventh seed Elena Rybakina crashed out to American Ashlyn Krueger.
Sabalenka beat Bulgaria’s Viktoriya Tomova 6-3 6-0 in a contest which lasted just 58 minutes while Gauff made even shorter work of her match, beating 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 6-0 6-0 in just 47 minutes.
For Sabalenka, who was beaten in the Indian Wells final by Russian 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva on Sunday, it was a comfortable start to her bid in South Florida.
“I’m super happy to get this win. A bit tricky with the conditions, and I didn’t have much time to adjust, so just happy with the performance today,” said the Belarussian, who said the contrast with conditions in California was striking.
“I feel like it’s a bit slower here, probably because of the balls, everything, it’s much heavier on the body.
“Then it was windy. It was a bit like different stadium. It’s just like everything new, and I had few days to adjust. That was a bit tricky, but I think I handled pretty well. So happy to get through,” she added.
Gauff, who has made a slow start to the season, said it had simply been a case of everything falling into place for her from the outset.
“I was definitely playing well today, and maybe she wasn’t playing her peak great tennis. I don’t think anyone who is playing their best tennis will have that scoreline today, so I’m not going to sit here and say she played her best tennis,” she said.
Gauff, who suffered a surprise exit to Belinda Bencic at Indian Wells last week, said she wasn’t trying to prove any point about her form.
“I know where I personally stand in my game. Yes, it’s not been up to my standards, but at the same time, you know, we are just March and our season ends in November. There is a lot of time to improve.
“Today I wasn’t going in with that in my mind. It just happened to be a great day for me,” she said.
Krueger, the 20-year-old Texan, claimed her first win over a top-10 opponent beating 2023 Miami Open finalist Rybakina 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in 1 hour and 50 minutes.
The American, ranked 40th in the world, will face Canadian Leylah Fernandez in the next round.
Defending champion Danielle Collins survived some late nerves to get past Romanian Sorana Cirstea 6-4 7-6 (7/3) and book her place in the round of 32.
Naomi Osaka, the 2022 Miami finalist, defeated 24th seed Liudmila Samsonova 6-2 6-4 to earn a meetup with American wildcard Halley Baptiste.
Baptiste enjoyed an upset 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 win over 12th seeded Russian Daria Kasatkina.
In the men’s draw, exciting 18-year-old Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca enjoyed plenty of support from compatriots in the crowd in a 6-7 (1/7) 6-3, 6-4 win over Learner Tien.
With the Brazilian flags waving and football-style chanting, Fonseca’s big hitting proved too much for the 19-year-old Californian.
“I knew it was going to be a difficult match. I knew Learner was going to fight until the end, he’s a great fighter. He knows how to play, he’s very smart,” said Fonseca.
“So I needed to go until the end and I just went to it hard and the Brazilian crowd was with me today,” Fonseca said.
In an all-American clash, Reilly Opelka beat Christopher Eubanks 6-3 7-6 (7/4) to improve to 4-0 in their head-to-head record.
The tall Opelka won all 26 of his first-serve points in the second set and wrapped up the 85-minute win with an ace.
