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Japan, Saudi Arabia seal World Cup spots as Mitoma downs Australia

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March 24, 2022 Australia's Bruno Fornaroli looks dejected after the match REUTERS

Kaoru Mitoma's late double secured Japan's qualification for a seventh straight World Cup finals on Thursday as the Samurai Blue beat Australia 2-0 in Sydney to ensure Saudi Arabia also qualified for the finals in Qatar.

Mitoma replaced Takumi Minamino in the 84th minute and claimed a quick-fire brace that guaranteed Hajime Moriyasu's side a top-two finish in Group B of Asia's preliminaries and sealed Saudi Arabia's World Cup spot.

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