UAE, Qatar progress in Asia World Cup

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FINAL BERTHS: Qatar's Hussein Yasser (left) vies for the ball with Iraq's Mahdi Karim in Dubai. Qatar won 1-0. (AFP)

Qatar and the UAE on Sunday took the final two berths in the next phase of Asian qualifying for the World Cup 2010.

They join Australia, Bahrain, Iran, Japan, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Uzbekistan as the final 10 teams which will contest the last round of qualifying for football's showpiece tournament.

Playing in Dubai, Qatar notched up a vital 1-0 win away to Iraq, with Sayd Ali Bechir rising to meet a Hussein Yasser cross to score the game's only goal in the 77th minute.

The result left Qatar in second spot in Group 1, even on points with Australia but behind in goal difference, while Iraq are eliminated, along with China, with seven points from six matches.

"We were always confident about beating Iraq because we have had favourable results against them in the past," Qatar coach Jorge Fossati said.

"Many Iraqi players play in the Qatar League so we know their game very well."

The result came as a deep disappointment for Iraq, a football-mad country whose violence-scarred people look up to their football stars to bring them cheer.

"This is a very sad day for us," said Iraq coach Adnan Hamad. "We needed just a draw to qualify, but that header by Syed Bechir caught us napping."

In Group 5, the UAE advanced to the next phase despite suffering a 3-1 defeat at home to Syria.

Jehad Alhoussain scored twice and Firas al-Khatib added a third for Syria, with Ismaeil Matar scoring UAE's only goal from the penalty spot.

That penalty would prove decisive, however, as the result left the two sides even on seven points, but the UAE with a superior goal difference (0, as opposed to Syria's -1) just enough to send them through.

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