Double or quits.
This was the challenge of the meeting between Japan and Australia this Thursday morning in Sydney.
The two countries were separated by three points before the meeting, in favor of the Japanese.
For the Australians, winning was crucial to stay in the game of a direct qualification before the final day.
This meeting essentially dominated by the round of 16 of the last World Cup was played in the last minutes.
Entering the game five minutes earlier, Kaoru Mitoma scored twice in the 89th and 94th minutes.
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The Union Saint-Gilloise player scored his first two goals with the Japanese selection on this occasion.
The most important of his career.
For Japan, this is the seventh consecutive participation in a World Cup, since their first in 1998. This result also qualifies Saudi Arabia, which did not even need to play its meeting against China this Thursday afternoon.
The Saudis, first in the group, will be present for the sixth time at a World Cup, disputed among their Qatari neighbors.
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For Australia this defeat is a blow, because the obstacles to join the World are again more complicated.
Indeed, it is now a barrage against the third of the other Asian pool that awaits the Socceroos.
This game will take place in June.
In case of victory, it will still be necessary to play an intercontinental play-off against the fifth in the South American zone.
Australia have not been absent from a World Cup finals since 2002.
