WORLD SERVICEWhichever of the two AFC nations
progress, the favourites will be Peru,
appearing in the play-offs for the
second consecutive time. They reached
the 2018 World Cup in Russia by
overcoming New Zealand 2-0 on
aggregate, and head to Qatar having
sealed fifth place in South American
qualifying off the
back of just one
defeat, and four
victories, in their
last six qualifiers.
A 2-0 win over
Paraguay in the
final game ensured that they edged
out Colombia by a single point.
The Peruvians and their successful
coach Ricardo Gareca can teach both
Australia and the UAE a thing or two.
Their domestic football is in crisis and
the current team is not better than
previous generations, but under Gareca
they have gotten the basics right, and
are playing football as a unit. They
defend and attack as one. Record
scorer Paolo Guerrero andJeffersonFarfan have both been phased out
of the side and not been missed.
In short, Peru will fear neither
the UAE nor Australia, the team they
defeated 2-0 at the 2018 World Cup.
OnJune14, Oceania powerhouse
New Zealand and Costa Rica, the
fourth-ranked team from CONCACAF’s
World Cup qualifiers, will compete for
the very last ticket to Qatar. Although
this encounter seems more balanced,
the Western hemisphere side might
again have the edge.
In the OFC qualifiers, the All Whites
struggled to break down the massed
defences of both Solomon Islands and
Tahiti. Although they lacked creativity
and tactical variation, coach Danny
Hay did praise his young team for their
composure. The vast majority of the
current squad have less than a dozen
caps. Captain and defensive anchor
Winston Reid is currently unattached
and striker Chris Wood has been far
from prolific since joining Newcastle
United for £25 million inJanuary.
Hay’s optimism will be much needed
against Costa Rica, who are at the other
end of the spectrum. TheTicosare an
ageing squad: at 34, Kendall Waston
still leads the defence, captain Bryan
Ruiz is now a super sub at 36 and
strikerJoel Campbell, once of Arsenal,
willturn30atthe end ofJune.
Even so, Costa Rica finished the
qualifiers in barnstorming fashion with
19 points from their last seven matches
to pip Panama to fourth place. They will
seek to ride that momentum and reach
a third consecutive World Cup.
New Zealand last featured in the
global finals in 2010 when Reid, Wood
and Tommy Smith, three survivors from
that squad, almost reached the second
round. They know that, even if they
successfully negotiate the clash with
Costa Rica, a repeat will be difficult to
repeat - Germany, Spain andJapan
await the winners in Group E.Talismanic...New
Zealand striker
Chris Wood
van Marwijk, incidentally the man who
had coached the Aussies at the 2006
World Cup. The Dutchman imposed
too much of a possession-based
style, which did not fit the players
at his disposal.
With a fine record in the UAE
League, his successor RodolfoArruabarrena’s style is more
hands-on and realistic. Among his
innovations was to hand a chance to
Hareb Abdullah, an old acquaintance
from his time at local club Shabab
Al Ahli, and the19-year-old rewarded
the Argentine’s faith in him by netting
the winner against South Korea. That
result, as well as the UAE’s1-0 victory
against Australia and Arnold at the
2019 Asian Cup, will strengthen
the belief of the Emirati.Emerging talent
...UAE midfielder
Hareb AbdullahFeeling the
pressure...
Socceroos’
Graham
ArnoldOne last
hurrah...Costa
Rica veteran
Bryan RuizWhichever of the two AFC nations progress,
the favourites will be Peru, appearing in the
play-offs for the second consecutive time