The return to World Cup qualifying is a welcome one, given the mediocre footballing landscape currently being felt in the Asian game. The lacklustre winless exit in last summer’s World Cup still lingers in the mind, which many hope can be put to bed with a marked improvement in qualifying for the 2018 edition in Russia. The first week of matches pulled up a number of surprises along with plenty of headline grabbing “minnow” victories that has already put to bed claims that this format would produce uneventful ties. Looking back on the week, here’s a profile of those players, teams and issues that stood out the most.
The Player
When the draw was made back in April, Group H stood out from the start, as you could feasibly make a case for any of the 5 participating teams to make a true impact on the section. Through the first two match days the observation has become reality, with the achievements of the Philippines heading the bill with two impressive victories over Bahrain and Yemen. One man stood out more than any other, that being right winger Misagh Bahadoran who notched a goal in each tie and also contributed heavily in both encounters despite starting initially on the bench.
Bahadoran’s international career has so far come in fits and starts as he's struggled arguably right up until this last week to nail down a starting spot. His merits have always been there to see, his pace and direct approach play are always a threat, but he’s often missed out due to a lack of cutting edge in the attacking third, a key trait needed in a side that has developed a wealth of attacking potency. While Bahadoran started on the bench against Bahrain, his impact was ultimately telling when called upon after replacing the injured Stephen Schrock in the first half. Midway through the second period he stole a march on the Bahraini defence to nip in at the far post to poke in a terrific delivery from Filipino talisman Phil Younghusband. He went on to nearly bag a second to put the tie to bed, only to be denied initially by some last ditch defending before fellow attacker Javier Patino smashed in the rebound.
A few days later when Bahadoran appeared from the start against Yemen, Patino repaid the favour, linking up well with the winger before Bahadoran pulled off an audacious pirouette, finished off by firing in at the near post, one of the goals of the week. The winger of Iranian descent continued to threaten the Yemeni defence, building on his confidence when taking on man after man before being recalled for usual stalwart Patrick Reichalt from the bench later in the game. Next up, Uzbekistan, a side looking a little weak at present, something the former Futsal playing winger Bahadoran will be looking to exploit in September.
The Team
There were plenty of worthy candidates for Team of the Week, from a history making Guam side through to Samurai Blue tamers Singapore, but the rapid rate of improvement in such a small space of time edges Korea DPR’s back to back victories above all. Victories in Yemen and at home to Group G’s favoured opposition Uzbekistan see Korea line up with the Philippines at the top of the section and in incredible form ahead of a satisfying summer break for them.
This side may look similar to that that mainly struggled a few months ago, however the marked escalation in form is to be admired given their miserable winless record in Australia at the Asian Cup. There, Korea faced Uzbekistan, a side they rarely threatened on the counter and were lucky to come away with the narrow loss they did. Five months later and Korea stormed out of the gates, scoring 4 before the break against one of Asia’s top nations, days after a more disciplined performance saw them come away from Doha with a narrow 1-0 win of their very own. Why have things changed so dramatically? The tactical approach initially looks to have assisted their upsurge in form. From the start, in both encounters Korea were attacking in numbers, a key area they lacked in Australia. Pak Kwang-Ryong was left an isolated bystander previously, now he was used as a key link up point which developed much of Korea’s best play.
The talents of Ri Hyok-Chol in the centre midfield and So Hyon-Uk, out wide were too fleetingly observed in January, but now they look much freer to join the attack and contribute in on goal. So’s fantastic finish against Yemen came on the back of sustained attack after attack in the second period which saw the side clinch a well-deserved victory. Whether the change in management had ultimately provided success, is unclear but the initial tenure of Kim Chang-Bok looks to have firmly eclipsed his predecessors. Jo Tong-Sop didn’t last too long, in the typical North Korean fashion, after temporarily taking charge for the Asian Cup, while Yun Jong-Su remains banned until later this year for an Asian Games outburst. How far Kim can take this side is open to anyone’s guess, but if they continue with this approach there’s no reason why they can’t guarantee themselves a spot in the next round.
The Talking Point
While there were many talking points around the continent focusing on individual federations and national teams, the general question mark going into the qualifiers surrounded the new format rolled out in Round 2. Opening up the qualifiers to include the top 40 Asian nations has had its advocates and it’s critics, which one you are usually depends in which national team camp you sit in. While the established names of Asian football (who coincidentally haven't been in the greatest of form over the last few years) can argue that the quality of regular opposition for them has now been lowered, while the so-called minnows of Asian football were delighted to given a chance to take a shot at the established order and to be given the opportunity of 10 guaranteed competitive matches over the next year.
It's early days of course, but both sides have already been proved partially right at least. The big 8 of Asia were given a match off at the start of qualification on Thursday, and kicked their campaigns off on the Tuesday instead. Little of the 7 who played (Iraq’s match with Indonesia was cancelled) fully impressed, while China started in fine fettle with a 6-0 victory, Australia, Korea Republic and UAE scraped only narrow victories away from home, while Japan and Iran slumped to disappointing draws. The worst of them all, Uzbekistan showed their fragile status at present going down 4-2 to North Korea, with all four of the home side’s goals coming in the first half. This on the whole, illustrates that in the main the higher ranked nations are clinching victories, but they are far from having their own way.
The rounds top stories however focused (some would say about time) on those outside the higher echelons of AFC football. The captivating performances of Guam, with back to back victories in their first ever home World Cup qualifiers, Timor-Leste who picked up their first ever point and the Maldives who survived until the last minute to keep out a heavily fancied Qatar side, gave observers inside and outside of Asia a sight of football they’d rarely seen before. A sight of credibility that will no doubt breed optimism through to future matches. For every positive note there of course were those disappointments. Bhutan’s back to back hammering’s against Hong Kong and China PR, saw them ship 13 goals in the space of 6 days, while after much hope going into the qualifiers India disappointed by slipping to two defeats. One side note to consider however, given Indonesia’s suspension by the AFC, large margins, especially those seen against Bhutan will likely count for nothing come the culmination of the group. With so many aspects likely to go down to head to head ratings, at the very least, any whipping boys in the round will be largely glossed over.
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