Paraguay have qualified. Chile can choke. Ecuador too. Argentina are at home to Peru next. Uruguay have superior goal difference. Venezuela are lurking. Colombia cannot be ruled out just yet.
There are so many permutations, yet it is difficult to discuss without getting drawn into the Argentine drama.
While Omar and his boys from Bahrain were shooting down the Saudis in the Kingdom, New Zealand were in that other Kingdom kicking it with the Hashemites. It was an experience. New Zealand won the friendly 3-1. The Hashemites ain’t got game no mo’.
New Zealand fancy their chances now. Former captain, Steve Sumner, interviewed for the Christchurch Press, said Bahrain was their “best and easiet” route to the World Cup finals. Sumner also sees English Premier League experience as important for New Zealand, noting in the same interview, the presence of some hacker from New Zealand in Blackburn Rovers’ squad.
New Zealand did not have it all the own way in the Oceania qualifiers. The Fiji “general public” had been demanding a good result.
Roy Krishna, the Lad from Lambasa, obliged with two goals. (If only Roy’s grandmother had been born in Kilmarnock…Scotland could have been coming down the road.)
Rafik Saidi’s 59th minute winner in Algiers this past weekend looks to have ended Zambia’s hopes for South Africa. Rwanda must beat Algeria and Zambia must beat Egypt for Zambia to have any chance. The Phoraohs will be praying for Rwanda too.
Algerians can get busy securing their various vantage points for the tournament. Save me a Spec at the Babylon Fútbol Café!
One…Two…Three…Algérie !!!
Nasser Al Shamrani scored the opener for Arabia, but in the 40th minute my man Abdulla Omar burst in the box and fed Brother Jaycee John. 1-1. It remained 1-1 until the 91st minute, when Hamad Al-Montashari nodded in what looked like the winner. The Kingdom gave all praises to Allah.
But Ismail Abdullatif had other ideas. And there was no Colombian referee to disallow Bahrain’s 92nd minute goal. Ya Allah Bahrain.
Bahrain will host New Zealand on October 10th. The 2nd leg will be in Wellington on November 14th.
When Ahmed Hassan wheeled away to celebrate scoring a 92nd minute equalizer against Trinidad and Tobago, Bahrain believed they were on their way to the 2006 World Cup. Colombian ref Oscar Julian Ruiz Acost had other ideas. The goal was of the Best Banks variety. The sort of goal no one wants to see disallowed, especially when the forward’s cheekiness is executed with such fine precision.
Trinidad and Tobago had experienced last minute heartache some years before. No one begrudged them their ticket to Germany, save for a few Sheikhs in Manama.
Who’s going to miss Ronaldo in South Africa? Not me.