By The Associated Press
updated 12:41 p.m. ET Feb. 29, 2012
Saudi Arabia was eliminated from Asian qualifying for the 2014 World Cup with a 4-2 loss at Australia on Wednesday, and South Korea, Lebanon, Oman and Qatar advanced to the final round.
Coached by former Dutch star Frank Rijkaard, the Saudis (1-2-3) dropped behind Oman (2-2-2) into third place in Group D with the defeat at Melbourne.
Salem Al Dawsari put the Saudis ahead in the 19th minute, Alex Brosque tied it in the 43rd and Nasser Al Shamrani gave the visitors a 2-1 lead in first-half stoppage time. The Socceroos (5-1), already assured of one of the 10 berths in the final round, rallied on goals by Harry Kewell in the 73rd, Brosque in the 75th and Brett Emerton in the 76th.
Saudi Arabia played in four straight World Cups from 1994-06, but will miss its third straight.
"The equalizer, for us was like it was demoralizing the team," Rijkaard said. "We had less confidence and couldn't keep on playing like we wanted."
Oman (2-2-2) won 2-0 over visiting Thailand on goals by Hussain al-Hadhri in the 10th minute and Adbul al-Muqbali in the 90th. Thailand's Winothia Teeratep was ejected in the 85th minute for dangerous play.
South Korea (4-1-1), a 2002 semifinalist, needed at least a draw and won 2-0 at home against Kuwait (2-2-2) on goals by Lee Dong-gook in the 66th minute and Lee Keun-ho in the 72nd.
Lebanon (3-2-1) finished second to the Koreans and ahead of Kuwait in Group B despite a 4-2 loss at the United Arab Emirates.
Qatar (2-0-4) advanced with a 2-2 draw at Iran (3-0-3), which already had qualified. Mohammed Kasola tied the score in the 83rd minute, enabling the 2022 World Cup host to finish second in Group E ahead of Bahrain (2-1-3), which routed visiting Indonesia 10-0.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/46574310/ns/sports-soccer/
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