The gap between Asia’s best teams and the rest has been laid bare by the region’s disappointing World Cup as just two sides from the Asian region reached the knockout rounds.A record nine countries from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualified for the finals in North America after the tournament was expanded to 48 teams.But with the group phase having concluded on Saturday, only Australia and Japan remain.Of 27 group games contested by AFC teams, they won only three.In contrast, it has been a success story for African football, with nine of their 10 sides reaching the last 32.“Where we need to improve is in Asian football [as a whole], not only Uzbekistan,” said Fabio Cannavaro, the Italian 2006 World Cup winner and now Uzbek coach.Uzbekistan coach Fabio Cannavaro says every Asian team must improve. Photo: Xinhua
Asia’s disappointing World Cup exposes gap between region’s best and the rest
Player’s lack of time playing for or against teams in top leagues cited as reason only two sides survive first round, compared with Africa’s nine.
137 words~1 min read
