Qualifying for 2022 World Cup gets underway in Asia

Posted June 06, 2019 7:00 am

The Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Qualifying for the 2022 World Cup got underway in Asia on Thursday, with Mongolia and Macau among the teams earning first-leg wins in the preliminary round.

Mongolia beat Brunei 2-0 in Ulaanbaatar, with captain Tsedenbal Norjmaa scoring from a free kick after nine minutes and Naranbold Nyam-Osor netting in the second half.

Macau beat Sri Lanka 1-0 while Cambodia, coached by former Japan international Keisuke Honda, won 2-0 against Pakistan.

Also Bangladesh won 1-0 in Laos and Bhutan beat Guam 1-0.

The return legs take place next week. The opening round of qualifiers features Asia's 12 lowest-ranked teams, with the six winners joining 34 other countries in the group stage that kicks off in September.

Malaysia plays Timor Leste on Friday.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/apf-Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Article Comments

Article Categories
Content Providers MLS Pro Sports Soccer Sports Sports Leagues Sports Types

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.