2 Asian teams eliminated in group stage, 4 still alive
Iran's midfielder Saeid Ezatolahi is comforted as he cries at the end of the Qatar 2022 World Cup Group B football match between Iran and USA at the Al-Thumama Stadium in Doha on Nov. 29. AFP-Yonhap
Two countries from Asia are gone from the FIFA World Cup, as they closed out the group stage with losses Tuesday night.
The host country Qatar had already been eliminated after dropping their first two matches in Group A, and they went out with a whimper by losing 2-0 to the Netherlands on Tuesday.
In Group B, Iran, the highest-ranked Asian team at No. 20, lost to the United States 1-0 when a draw would have been enough for their first trip to the knockout stage.
Saudi Arabia, Australia, Japan and Korea are the four remaining members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) still with a chance to progress to the last 16.
By losing to Ecuador in the tournament opener on Nov. 20, Qatar became the first host country to fail to win their opening match at a World Cup. They are now the first host to lose all three group matches.
Netherlands players celebrate after the Qatar 2022 World Cup Group A football match between the Netherlands and Qatar at the Al-Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, north of Doha on Nov. 29. AFP-Yonhap
The Dutch won the group with seven points and Senegal took the second seed after beating Ecuador 2-1 on Tuesday.
Iran finished their roller coaster of a tournament on a down note. They started out by losing to England 6-2 but bounced back with a 2-0 win over Wales. Iran entered Tuesday's match against the U.S. at Al Thumama Stadium in second place in Group B, but couldn't get over the final hurdle.
The U.S. will be moving on as the second seed, while England, 3-0 winners over Wales on Tuesday, won Group B.
In the round of 16, it will be the Netherlands against the U.S., and England against Senegal.
Japan's Wataru Endo, left, and Hidemasa Morita react as they leave the field after their loss in the World Cup, group E soccer match between Japan and Costa Rica, at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, Sunday, Nov. 27. AP-Yonhap
Korea are in third place in Group H with one point, heading into their final group match against Portugal on Friday. Korea must win that game and get help from Uruguay or Ghana when they play each other in the other Group H match the same day. A combination of a Korean win and a Uruguay victory could send Korea into the knockouts in a tiebreaking scenario, as could a Korean victory and a Ghana draw.
Saudi Arabia, who shocked Argentina 2-1 before losing to Poland 2-0, sit in third place in Group C with three points. They will close out the group phase against Mexico on Wednesday.
Australia are in second place in Group D with three points, two ahead of Denmark and Tunisia. Australia's final group match is against Denmark on Wednesday.
In Group E, Japan find themselves in second place with three points, and a date with Spain, who lead the group with four points, is coming up on Thursday.
The AFC has never had more than two countries in the knockout stage at a World Cup. In both 2002 and 2010, Korea and Japan were the only two AFC teams in the knockouts. (Yonhap)