Defensive errors cost Saudi Arabia the full three points and a chance of pulling further ahead in Group A of the Asian 2002 World Cup qualifying round as they drew 2-2 with closest rivals Iran in Riyadh. The Saudis, bidding to qualify for their third consecutive World Cup finals, retain their lead at the top of the Group with 11 points to nine for Iran.
In other matches, Qatar and Uzbekistan fought out a 2-2 draw in their Group B match in Doha - a result which was good news only for group leaders China. The result means Qatar remain in second spot, four points behind China who had beaten the United Arab Emirates 1-0 on Thursday, while the Uzbeks move up to third.
Iraq kept up the pressure in group a by beating Bahrain 1-0 in Baghdad, leaving them two points behind Iran.
Only the winners of the two Asian groups automatically qualify for next year's World Cup finals in Japan and South Korea, while the group runners-up will play off on a home-and-away basis with the winner qualifying to play the runners-up from the European zone group two, either the Republic of Ireland or Portugal. In Riyadh, the Saudis had dominated the match, taking the lead in the 20th minute through a clear penalty, which was converted by Abdallah waked.
Bureau Report