AFC First Round Results

Here are the aggregate results of the first round of World Cup qualifying for Asia. Overall this round went as expected without any major upsets according to the FIFA World Rankings.

Vietnam 13 Macau 1

The highest ranked team in this round according to FIFA at 140th had no problem with Macau, dispatching them 6-0 at home and 7-1 on the road for the biggest win of the round. Lê Công Vinh, who currently plays for the 2010 V-League champions Hà Nội T&T, scored a first half hat-trick in the first leg and followed it up with four more goals in the second leg. Second leg highlights are here

Myanmar 2 Mongolia 1

In a closely contested round, Myanmar overturned a 1-0 first leg deficit by winning the second leg at home 2-0 to advance. A 85th minute goal by Mai Aih Naing turned out to be the difference.

Bangladesh 3 Pakistan 0

A first leg victory at home by the score of 3-0 would be all Bangladesh would need to cruise by Pakistan. Mohamed Hasan scored in the first minute of the match. Highlights are here. The second leg in Pakistan ended 0-0.

Laos 8 Cambodia 6 (a.e.t)

In the craziest two legs of the round, these two southeast Asian nations battled in two high scoring games. The first leg in Cambodia resulted in a 4-2 victory for the home side. Laos opened the with two first half goals before Cambodia pulled one back before halftime. Laos scored two more at the beginning of the second half and appeared to be moving on until Cambodia made the leg 4-2 and 6-6 on aggregate with 15 minutes to go. Since each leg finished the same score, the teams went into extra time where Laos put the tie away with two goals to win the second leg 6-2 and advance to the next round. Here are some highlights of the second leg

Nepal 7 Timor-Leste 1

Nepal had the fortune of drawing the worst side in Asia according to FIFA as Timor-Leste is ranked 202nd in the world. They faced a difficult first leg at home however, winning 2-1. After a penalty put Nepal ahead in the first half, Timor-Leste equalized at the start of the second, before Ju Manu Rai ensured victory with a 70th minute tally. Highlights of the first leg here. The lack of infrastructure in Timor-Leste led to the second leg also being played in Nepal. They had a much easier go of it in this leg, winning comfortably 5-0.

Philippines 5 Sri Lanka 1

The Philippines scrapped out a 1-1 draw in the away leg. Nate Burkey, a former player at Virginia Commonwealth University, scored the equalizer in the 50th minute. The Philippines then erupted for four goals in the second leg to win the tie. Phil Younghusband, who played for Chelsea's youth and reserve teams, scored two goals in the 4-0 victory. Highlights of the second leg can be found here

Palestine 3 Afghanistan 1

In a slight upset, Palestine beat Afghanistan 2-0 on the road in the first leg to help propel them into the second round. In the second leg, Hussam Wadi scored a fantastic goal in the home leg to give his team the lead before Afghanistan equalized as it finished 1-1.

Malaysia 4 Chinese Tapei 4 (Malaysia advances on away goals rule)

Malaysia held off an upset bid from Chinese Tapei, barely advancing to the next round. They would win the home leg 2-1 thanks to goals from Safiq Rahim and Mohamad Abd Radzak. A late goal by Chinese Tapei would give them hope entering the second leg. They would use two penalties to edge Malaysia 3-2 on the day, coming from a goal down twice. However, it would not be enough to advance due to Malaysia scoring two away goals compared to the lone one for Chinese Tapei. Highlights of the two legs are here.