Asia's World Cup falls apart with just two teams remaining

Asia’s World Cup falls apart with just two teams remaining as only Australia and Japan advanced to the knockout rounds from the AFC after the group stage ended Saturday. Despite a record nine AFC countries reaching the finals in North America following the tournament expansion to 48 teams, AFC sides won only three of 27 group matches. Several major teams were eliminated early, including Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and champions Qatar, all finishing bottom of their groups. Iran also exited in the group phase, while South Korea’s campaign ended surprisingly and coach Hong Myung-bo resigned on Sunday. Uzbekistan, at its first World Cup, finished last with zero points and a minus nine goal difference. AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa cited the high level of global competition; Fabio Cannavaro called for improvements across Asian football.