A quick summary of action around the CONCACAF semifinal round on WED 08 SEP 2004. more...

A quick summary of action around the UEFA group phase on WED 08 SEP 2004. more...

A quick summary of action around CONMEBOL on the weekend of SAT 04-SUN 05 SEP 2004. more...

A quick summary of action around the CONCACAF semifinal round on the weekend of SAT 04-SUN 05 SEP 2004. more...

A quick summary of action around the CAF second round on the weekend of FRI 03-SUN 05 SEP 2004. more...

A quick summary of action around the UEFA group phase on SAT 04 SEP 2004. more...

Ten of twelve teams in the CONCACAF semifinal round were in action as the round began. The day's biggest result was Honduras's 5-2 win over Costa Rica in Group 2. With both teams reeling from recent coaching changes, it was the Catrachos who came away on top, Amado GUEVARA scoring from the penalty spot to take the lead for good. Guatemala defeated Canada 2-0 in Vancouver, BC in the group's other match. Jamaica gave the United States trouble for 88 minutes, but in the 89th, Brian CHING scored his first goal for the US to salvage a 1-1 away draw. In Group 1's other match, ten-man El Salvador held on for a 2-1 win over Panama. Trinidad-Tobago defeated St Vincent-Grenadines 2-0 in Group 3, both goals from Errol MCFARLANE. The other teams in Group 3, St Kitts-Nevis and Mexico, were idle; their meeting at Basseterre was postponed to SAT 13 NOV 2004 owing to Mexico's participation in the Olympic football tournament.

Four matches began play in the UEFA group phase of qualifying for Germany 2006. Romania edged Finland 2-1 in a meeting of potential surprise packages in Group 1, but the early group leaders are Macedonia FYR, 3-0 winners over Armenia. In Group 3, Estonia seemed to struggle against Liechtenstein, who finished with nine players after Christof RITTER and Andreas GERSTER were both dismissed; the Estonians emerged with a 2-1 win. Slovakia defeated Luxembourg 3-1 at home in the day's only other match.

Japan took an early lead on Takashi FUKUNISHI's header and held on to defeat China PR 3-1 in the final of the 2004 AFC Asian Cup in Beijing. Though LI Ming drew the hosts level again shortly thereafter, Japan moved out in front again in the 65th minute when Koji NAKATA deflected in a corner; a furious Chinese side protested handball to no avail. Keiji TAMADA added a third in stoppage time to secure Japan's third continental title. Japanese midfielder Shunsuke NAKAMURA took home the tournament's most valuable player award, whilst A'ala HUBAIL of Bahrain and Ali KARIMI of Iran tied for the tournament lead with five goals.

The suspension placed on the Kenya Football Federation has been lifted on a provisional basis, which allows the national team of Kenya to resume playing. Kenya, which had been suspended on WED 02 JUN 2004 after KFF executive officers were sacked by the government, will belatedly begin CAF second round Group 5 action on SAT 04 SEP 2004 against Malawi. The missed matches against Guinea, Morocco, and Tunisia will be made up at a later date.

The 2004 AFC Asian Cup final between China PR and Japan will cap off a wild tournament that has seen its share of lopsided scorelines as well as hotly contested matches. Surprising results in the group phase included Uzbekistan's finish as the only team to win all three matches, each by 1-0 margins. In the same group, Saudi Arabia flamed out with a single point, sacking coach Gerard VAN DER LEM immediately after the last match. In one quarterfinal, China PR dismissed Iraq 3-0; the next day Ali KARIMI scored a hat trick to lead Iran to a 4-3 win over Korea Rep. China PR won the semifinal between the teams on penalties after Yahya GOLMOHAMMADI's attempt was saved easily by Chinese keeper LIU Yunfei. The Bahrain-Japan semifinal was another thrilling encounter as Japan, down a goal and down a man at halftime, mounted a furious fightback to move in front. After falling behind again with five minutes left, Yuji NAKAZAWA equalised in the 90th minute with a diving header to force overtime. Keiji TAMADA scored three minutes into overtime, and although A'ala HUBAIL had a golden opportunity to tie it yet again, Japan were able to hold on for the memorable 4-3 win. The China PR-Japan final is in Beijing at 12:00 UTC on SAT 07 AUG 2004.