Iraq grabbed the last ​available place at the World Cup by beating Bolivia 2-1 in their inter-confederation playoff on Tuesday, ‌sealing their return to the finals after a 40-year absence.

Aymen Hussein steered home a second-half winner to see the Iraqis become the 48th and last team to qualify for the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the U.S.

Ali Al Hamadi handed Iraq a 10th-minute ​lead at the Monterrey Stadium, but Bolivia were level at the break through Moises Paniagua.

Iraq will compete ​in Group I at the June 11 to July 19 World Cup along with France, ⁠Norway and Senegal.

Iraq, the ninth team from Asia to qualify, were quickly out of the blocks and Bolivia goalkeeper Guillermo Viscarra made ​a fingertip save to push Amir Al Ammari’s curling free kick onto his crossbar.

But from the resultant corner, Al Hamadi, ​who plays for Luton Town in League One, got ahead of the Bolivia defence to head home the opener.

Bolivia slowly recovered from the shock of the early setback and by the break were deservedly level.

Their equaliser came when Ramiro Vaca’s forward pass, which looked ​initially to be a shot on goal, found Paniagua, who then had time to turn and slam home ​the ball from close range.

Iraq went ahead again in the 53rd minute as substitute Marko Farji’s cross found Hussein, who reacted quickest and got ahead of his marker ‌to ⁠steer home.

Mohanad Ali had a chance to score a third for Iraq and finish off the game near full time but squandered the opportunity.

Bolivia forced several late corners as they desperately bid to take the game into extra time but Iraq finished the fresher of the two sides.

“I must congratulate the players who played with real Iraqi ​mentality, fighting and putting their ​bodies on the line ⁠, and that’s why we won the game,” said Iraq coach Graham Arnold.

“You’ve got to give full credit to Bolivia, because they played well. And it was just through the ​great defending from our players, who put their bodies on the line, as ​I said, and ⁠we defended the crosses really well. That’s why we won the game.

“I am so happy that we’ve made 46 million people happy, and especially with what’s going on in the Middle East at the moment,” added Arnold, who took his ⁠native Australia ​to the round of 16 at the last World Cup in Qatar.

The Iraqis ​were seeded straight into the playoff decider, while Bolivia first had to get past Suriname in Monterrey last Thursday.

Iraq’s only previous World Cup appearance was in Mexico ​in 1986, where they lost all three group games.

–REUTERS

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Africa’s presence at this summer’s FIFA World Cup will increase to 10 teams after the Democratic Republic of Congo edged Jamaica 1-0 after extra time in a tense Intercontinental Playoff clash in Guadalajara, Mexico, early Wednesday morning.

The decisive Path 1 encounter, which kicked off at 10 pm GMT on Tuesday, was settled deep into extra time, with Axel Tuanzebe emerging as the unlikely hero to send the Leopards back to the global stage for the first time in 52 years.

DR Congo, competing at the World Cup for the first time since their 1974 appearance as Zaire, became the 47th nation to book a place at the tournament. They will now feature in Group K alongside Portugal, Colombia and Uzbekistan.

In a match largely devoid of clear-cut chances, both sides adopted a cautious approach in regulation time. DR Congo started the brighter, with captain Cedric Bakambu seeing an early goal ruled out for offside, but they failed to capitalise on their early dominance.

Jamaica gradually grew into the contest, with Kasey Palmer and Leon Bailey providing flashes of attacking threat, particularly in the second half. However, despite their improved showing, the Reggae Boyz struggled to create meaningful scoring opportunities.

Bakambu thought he had finally broken the deadlock late in normal time, only for his effort to be ruled out again for offside, compounding DR Congo’s frustration and sending the match into extra time.

With fatigue setting in for both teams, it was ultimately a set piece that proved decisive. In the 100th minute, substitute Brian Cipenga delivered a corner from the left that evaded everyone in the box before bouncing in off Tuanzebe, who had surged forward from defence.

There was a brief VAR review for a possible handball, but the goal stood, sparking jubilant celebrations among DR Congo players and fans.

It may not have been a goal of great quality, but its significance was immense — sealing a long-awaited return to football’s biggest stage and ending decades of disappointment for the Central African nation.

For Jamaica, however, the result extends their wait for a second World Cup appearance, with their only previous outing remaining France 1998.

The victory marks a remarkable resurgence for DR Congo, whose footballing history has been marked by long periods of decline since their pioneering World Cup appearance in 1974. On a sunlit afternoon in Guadalajara, they finally rewrote that narrative, turning past pain into present triumph.

Now, with their place secured, the Leopards can look forward to a new chapter and a long-awaited summer adventure on the world stage.

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Italy’s World Cup exile continues after they fell ​to a 4-1 penalty shootout ‌defeat by Bosnia and Herzegovina in their playoff final on Tuesday following ​a 1-1 draw.

Four-time champions ​Italy had lost out at the ⁠playoff stage to miss the ​last two World Cups, and ​their last qualification in 2014 coincided with Bosnia’s only previous appearance.

Italy got off ​to the perfect start, with ​Moise Kean putting them ahead in the ‌15th ⁠minute, but had Alessandro Bastoni sent off four minutes before the break to raise the hopes ​of the ​home side.

Bosnia ⁠levelled 11 minutes from time through Haris Tabakovic ​, and both Pio Esposito ​and ⁠Bryan Cristante missed their penalties, while the hosts made no mistake ⁠from ​the spot to repeat ​their semi-final shootout win over Wales.

-Reuters

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