Japan on brink of reaching World Cup while Indonesia stuns Saudi Arabia

By The Associated Press

Indonesia's Marselino Ferdinan, 7, celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the 2026 World Cup Asian 3rd round qualifier soccer match between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia at Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Tatan Syuflana]

XIAMEN, China (AP) — Japan is within touching distance of an eighth successive World Cup appearance after beating China 3-1 in Xiamen put the team 10 points clear in its Asian qualifying group. Despite beating China 7-0 at home in September, it took Japan 39 minutes to break the deadlock with a Koki Ogawa header. He headed home a second and Japan’s third in the second half. The Samurai Blue have 16 points from six games, with four to go in Group C. Indonesia shocked Saudi Arabia 2-0 in Jakarta. It was a first ever win for Indonesia in the third round of qualification. In Group A, Uzbekistan took a big step towards a first World Cup after edging North Korea 1-0 in Laos.