Socceroos edge Vietnam in scrappy victory

Australia edged Vietnam 1-0 successful Hanoi to marque it 2 wins retired of 2 successful Group B of Asia World Cup qualifying.

Rhyan Grant ran to the acold station to steer successful a header aft 43 minutes successful an bare My Dinh Stadium. His archetypal planetary extremity kept the Socceroos connected way for a 5th successive World Cup appearance.

Vietnam is making its archetypal quality astatine this signifier of qualifying but had chances, including a VAR reappraisal for a imaginable punishment against Grant's handball earlier the visitors took the lead.

In humid conditions and connected a hard playing surface, Vietnam pushed for a constituent but couldn't find a mode past Mat Ryan successful the Australia goal. Mitchell Duke looked to person sealed the triumph with a debased changeable 4 minutes from the extremity but the extremity was ruled retired for offside.

It was a sluggish show from the Socceroos, who failed to emulate the aforesaid attacking potency exhibited successful their 3-0 triumph against China. Grant's 43rd infinitesimal extremity was the lone changeable connected people for the Australians. They had 75 per cent of possession successful the archetypal 30 minutes but could lone negociate 2 shots successful that time.

In-form winger Martin Boyle, who scored his eighth extremity successful 10 appearances for nine and state this play against China, was ruled retired owed to a hamstring ailment picked up successful the triumph implicit China.

In Group A, South Korea defeated Lebanon 1-0 astatine Suwon World Cup Stadium to prime up its archetypal triumph of the stage, aft 0-0 against Iraq 5 days earlier.

South Korea's run to look astatine a 10th successive World Cup was deed by the precocious withdrawal of Son Heung-min. The Tottenham Hotspur prima injured a calf successful grooming connected Monday and was deemed unfit to play.

Without Son, South Korea struggled against Lebanon goalkeeper Mostafa Matar. The deadlock was breached lone connected the hour, erstwhile Kwon Chang-hoon changeable past Matar from adjacent range.

The apical 2 from some six-team groups suffice automatically for the World Cup successful Qatar. The third-place teams conscionable successful a playoff and the victor faces an hostile from different confederation.

The richest athletes successful sports successful 2021

For a regular dose of the champion of the breaking quality and exclusive contented from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!