Kaoru Mitoma’s late double secured Japan’s qualification for a seventh straight World Cup finals on Thursday as they beat Australia 2-0 in Sydney to ensure Saudi Arabia also qualified for the finals in Qatar.
Mitoma replaced Takumi Minamino in the 84th minute and claimed a quick-fire brace that guaranteed Hajime Moriyasu’s side a top-two finish in Group B of Asia’s preliminaries and sealed Saudi Arabia’s World Cup spot.
The Australians cannot finish higher than third and will face the third-placed finisher in Group A in a playoff …
- March 25, 2022
