here were maybe just 4,000 fans
at the Ulaanbaatar Stadium in
Mongolia in early September, but
that was still four times the usual
attendance. And those who made it
saw much to get excited about as, inthe country’s first-ever appearance in the second round
of qualification for a World Cup, there was a 1-0 win
over Myanmar. That was then followed by a hard-
fought, and in some ways even more impressive, 1-0
reverse against a talented and physical Tajikistan.
In an exciting international
break in Asia these two games
were another sign that the weaker
members of the world’s biggest
continent are improving.
Reaching the group stage
is crucial as the tournament
determines qualification for Qatar
2022 and the 2023 Asian Cup.
Defeat in the first round – as
experienced by such as Pakistan,
Timor Leste and Bhutan – means
no competitive game for four
years. Instead, Mongolia now
have eight games in Group F
- including home and away
fixtures against Japan.
Football is far from the most
scores an injury-time overhead-
kick winner against Strasbourg.
GERMANY: Bundesliga leaders RB
Leipzig come from behind to draw
1-1 with champions Bayern Munich.
HOLLAND: Donyell Malen gets all
five goals as PSV beat Vitesse 5-0.
ITALY: Juventus draw 0-0 with
Fiorentina and lose top spot in
Serie A for the first time since
March 3, 2018 – a total of 560
days. Internazionale, who beat
Udinese 1-0, replace them.
SPAIN: Eden Hazard makes his
Real Madrid debut as a sub in a 3-1
victory over Levante. On his first
start, 16-year-old Ansu Fati scores
after just two minutes as Barcelona
beat Valencia 5-2.
UAE: Defending league champions
Sharjah beat Al Ahli Dubai on
penalties to win the Super Cup
after a goalless 90 minutes.Sunday September 15
FRANCE: Marseille come from two
goals down to beat Monaco 4-3.
ITALY: Italian TV pundit Luciano
Passirani is suspended for making
on-air racist comments regarding
Internazionale’s Romelu Lukaku.
HOLLAND: Coming on as a 56th-
minute sub for his debut, and with
his new team-mates losing 2-1,Reza Ghoochannejhad scores four
times as PEC Zwolle come back to
beat RKC Waalwijk 6-2.
SINGAPORE: Hougang United’s
4-4 draw with Geylang
International means DPMM
are Singapore Premier League
champions for a second time.
USA: Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s hat-trick
in LA Galaxy’s 7-2 victory over
Sporting Kansas City sets a new
club record of 26 MLS goals in
a regular season.Monday September 16
AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE:
Qatar’s Al Sadd bounce back froma 3-1 first-leg loss in the quarter-
finals to beat Al Nassr of Saudi
Arabia 4-3 on aggregate.
ENGLAND: A High Court rules that
Kevin McCabe must sell his 50 per
cent stake in Premier League side
Sheffield United to Prince Abdullah.
who owns the other 50 per cent.
GERMANY: St Pauli win their first
derby on home soil for 59 years,
beating Hamburg 2-0 at Millerntor-
Stadion in Bundesliga 2.Tuesday September 17
AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Urawa
Red Diamonds draw 1-1 at home
to Shanghai SIPG to win on awayThe weaker
nations close
the gap
Continent’s World Cup
qualifiers get underway
Name game...Ai Kesen,
previously ElkesenT
Asia
JOHN DUERDEN