Two leading members of the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) have qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil. Japan and Korea Republic both made it through the Asian qualifiers.

It was Japan who secured their ticket to Brazil first. After drawing with Australia at home on the 4th June, they qualified from Group B of the final qualifying round. This was their fifth time to qualify for the competition and fifth time in a row. In a game packed with thrills, Australia broke the deadlock on 81 minutes. Tommy Oar’s cross-cum-shot from the left side went over goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima and superbly found the net.
The Aussie team erupted with joy in a silenced stadium. However, Japan showed amazing resilience in Saitama Stadium 2002, where they had never lost a World Cup qualifier. Just as the game went into added time, the home side earned a penalty.
Keisuke Honda smashed a left-footed spot-kick straight down the middle and left goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer helpless. By salvaging a 1-1 draw, Japan secured a top-two finish with a game to spare.

After sharing the spoils with Japan, Australia successfully triumphed in a tight battle for the second berth in Group B. They beat Jordan on the 11th June and Iraq on the 18th June to qualify as group runners-up.

After Australia went scoreless against Iraq until the late stages, substitute Joshua Kennedy scored a goal with his head in the 83rd minute. This long-awaited winner sent the 80,000 home crowd into raptures and led Australia to their fourth (and third successive) appearance in the FIFA World Cup finals.

Meanwhile, Korea Republic were left in a cold sweat in the late stages of Group A.

Ahead of the final match day on the 18th June, Korea Republic were top of the table, leading second-placed Iran and third-placed Uzbekistan by one and three points, respectively. So the final standings significantly depended on the results of the matches between Korea Republic and Iran as well as Uzbekistan and Qatar.
In the game in Seoul, the opening goal was marked after an hour and it was Iran who broke the deadlock. Ghoochannejhad capitalised on the home defender’s failure to clear the ball to finish clinically.
Iran went on to win the away game. This result allowed them to grab top spot with Korea Republic slipping to second. Uzbekistan’s win against Qatar would mean the runner-up was to be determined by goal difference. The team who finished third would have to compete in the fifth qualifying round (Asian play-off) against Jordan, who finished third in Group B.

In the end, Uzbekistan won the final game. They eased to a 5-1 win and went level with Korea Republic on 14 points. However, Korea Republic boasted a better goal difference (six goals) over Uzbekistan (five goals) and earned the berth in the FIFA World Cup finals for the ninth time (and eight times in a row) with only one goal difference dividing the fate.
Korea Republic coach Choi Kang-Hee, who had clearly stated “I will continue to lead the international team only until the Asian final qualifying round,” announced his resignation after the game against Iran. As his successor, Hong Myung-Bo was appointed after he led the U-23 international team to a bronze-medal finish in the 30th Olympic Games (2012 / London).
The new coach, who enjoyed success as a player in Japan’s J. League, will get his first taste of competitive action in the 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup where Korea Republic will compete with Japan and China as well as guest contenders Australia. His presence will add to huge interest in the tournament to be held from the 20th July.