World Cup: Four teams that unexpected in Asian qualifying
Palestine
Historic qualification for the third round is a sign of the significant development Palestinian football has seen under Tunisian coach Makram Daboub.
Despite all the challenges the team faced, they performed strongly to secure second place in their group.
Although they lost twice to Australia, two draws against Lebanon and a couple of wins against Bangladesh, scoring six goals along the way, saw Mohammed Rashid and his side secure eight points and a first ever qualification for the crucial third round.
Kuwait
Although Kuwait have a long footballing history, both results and performances have disappointed in recent years, seeing them fall to 139th in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking and failing to qualify for the most recent AFC Asian Cup. In the latest qualifiers, however, Al Azraq have demonstrated a real determination to return to the world stage.
Going into their sixth and final match, Kuwait sat at the bottom of their group with four points, although coach Rui Bento believed his team had performed better in their previous two matches, against Qatar and India, than the results suggested. They did not lose hope of turning things around in the final match, where they needed to beat Afghanistan and hope India failed to beat Qatar.
Fortunately, an 81st minute goal from Eid Al Rashidi secured the win for Al Azraq, while Qatar won their game 2-1
Kyrgyz Republic
Kyrgyz Republic qualified for the third round after finishing second in their group on 11 points, losing just one match, their opener against Malaysia, in the process. They also beat eventual group winners, Oman, in their home game and secured a draw in Muscat.
This is the first time the nation has qualified for the third round, an especially impressive feat considering their disappointing group-stage exit at the most recent Asian Cup, where they finished bottom of their group. Following the conclusion of the second round it was announced that Slovak coach, Stefan Tarkovic, would depart his post with Russian Maxsim Lisitsyn the man appointed to guide the nation through the third round of qualifiers.
Historic qualification for the third round is a sign of the significant development Palestinian football has seen under Tunisian coach Makram Daboub.
Despite all the challenges the team faced, they performed strongly to secure second place in their group.
Although they lost twice to Australia, two draws against Lebanon and a couple of wins against Bangladesh, scoring six goals along the way, saw Mohammed Rashid and his side secure eight points and a first ever qualification for the crucial third round.
Korea DPR
Having been absent from the last three World Cups, Korea DPR impressed with strong qualifying performances, demonstrating a real cohesion and fighting spirit. Victories over Syria and Myanmar, in neutral Laos, in their last two games secured second place in the group to qualify for the third round. Their second-round campaign had not got off to a good start, with just one win in their first four outings. Yet thanks to those crucial victories against Syria and Myanmar – and Japan’s victory over the Syrians on the final matchday – they took the second and final qualifying spot in the group.
