Hassan's Jordan draw 1-1 with Uzbekistan after scrappy playoff first leg

Reuters, Friday 6 Sep 2013

Jordan, who are coached by Egyptian manager Hossam Hassan, draw 1-1 with Uzbekistan in the Asian 2014 World Cup qualifiers on Friday

Jordan

Jordan and Uzbekistan played out a scrappy 1-1 draw in the first leg of their World Cup Asia zone qualifying playoff on a terrible pitch in Amman on Friday.

The Uzbeks started brightly and had the best of possession and chances, only to fall behind to a Musab Al Laham goal in the 30th minute when the midfielder neatly slotted home after clever Jordanian passing.

The Uzbeks grabbed a vital away goal five minutes later, though, when their captain Server Djeparov exchanged passes with Jasur Khasanov before firing home a low left-foot drive from inside the area.

The winner after Tuesday's second leg in Tashkent will advance to take on the fifth-placed South American side in the intercontinental playoff for a berth in Brazil.

Jordan are managed by Egypt's all-time leading scorer Hossam Hassan, who is keen to guide his side to the World Cup for the first time in their history.

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