- Far from eye, Hurricane Milton's deadly tornados rampaged Florida
- At least 10 dead in Florida after Hurricane Milton spawns tornadoes
- Argentina held, Bolivia stun Colombia in 2026 qualifiers
- Socceroos have 'nothing to fear' from Japan
- Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex trafficking trial set for May 2025
- Bolivia stun Colombia in World Cup qualifiers
- Internet Archive reels from 'catastrophic' cyberattack, data breach
- Greece earn late win against England in Nations League, Italy-Belgium stalemate
- Trump biopic 'The Apprentice' hits US theaters weeks before election
- Pavlidis dedicates 'special' Greece win over England to tragic Baldock
- Wall Street stocks retreat from records on US inflation data
- 'Like a quake': Beirut shaken after deadliest strikes on centre
- Fallen giants Ghana in AFCON trouble after Sudan draw
- Asian leaders meet in Laos with US, Russia on world turmoil
- England gamble backfires as Pavlidis fires emotional Greece to victory
- Obama stumps for Harris, Trump talks US protectionism
- New-look France ease past Israel in Nations League
- Belgium fight back to draw with 10-man Italy in Nations League
- 'Get a life': Hurricane whips up US election storm
- Japan stay perfect in World Cup qualifying
- Relief as Lebanon evacuees dock in Turkey
- Lebanon says 22 dead in Israeli strikes on central Beirut
- NBA boss Silver sees games back in China 'at some point'
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 22
- Table tennis and Netflix push Ukraine teen into French Open contention
- Civilians flee Gaza's Jabalia in tightening Israeli siege
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 18
- At least 10 dead in Florida from tornadoes caused by Hurricane Milton
- Warhol's rare 'Queen' collection opens at Dutch museum
- Three-time NBA champion Green retires
- MLB Twins up for sale after 40 years
- S.Sudan floods affect 893,000, over 241,000 displaced: UN
- Solar storm could impact US hurricane recovery efforts: agency
- Windies sweat on injury to 'crucial' Taylor at World Cup
- Lebanon says 11 dead, 48 injured in Israeli strikes on Beirut
- Panama lashes out at EU over tax haven 'outrage'
- Erdogan says Gaza 'shame of humanity', calls for permanent ceasfire
- TD Bank to pay more than $3 bn to US in money-laundering case
- SAfrica prosecutors drop criminal complaint against president
- 'Good opportunity': Nagelsmann upbeat despite Germany's long injury list
- Hurricane whips up bitter US election battle
- Cameroon bans media talk of president's health amid rumours
- NFL MVP Jackson and rookie phenom Daniels set for showdown
- Chad's capital under threat as floodwaters rise
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit central Beirut
- No answers on strike on reporters in Lebanon one year on: watchdog
- Ramharack picks four wickets as Windies beat Bangladesh in Women's T20 World Cup
- France's City of Light switches to climate-resilient power cables
- Djokovic hails Nadal 'legacy' as Alcaraz in 'shock' over retirement
- Obama hits campaign trail for Harris
Australia coach Arnold in danger with World Cup hopes on knife-edge
Coach Graham Arnold has urged a demoralised Australia to be positive as he came under mounting pressure Friday after their failure to automatically qualify for a fifth successive World Cup.
The Socceroos needed to beat Japan in Sydney on Thursday and then win against Saudi Arabia next week to seal their place in Qatar.
But after holding the rampant Japanese goalless for 89 minutes, a brace from substitute Kaoru Mitoma stunned the home side, who now face a play-off against either UAE, Iraq or Lebanon.
If they get through that, they then meet a team from South America for the right to play at the World Cup later this year.
"It's been a tough two years but some people don't want to hear that," said Arnold, whose side were forced to play most of their games away from home due to Covid travel restrictions.
"It's always difficult (through the playoffs) to qualify for the World Cup. At the end of the day, we've got to brush ourselves off," he said following Thursday's 2-0 defeat.
"We've got the third-placed spot and you've got to be positive about that. We did that in 2018 (and qualified for the World Cup) and we've just got to move forward."
Australia made a stong start to the Asian qualifying campaign, but after losing to Japan away in October, three draws derailed their progress.
While Arnold has often been hampered by an understrength squad, the 58-year-old's tactics and style of play have come under criticism.
On Thursday he left in-form striker Jamie Maclaren on the bench until the 84th minute, while Mitchell Duke, who had not scored in nine games for his second division Japanese team, played but rarely threatened.
Arnold breaching quarantine after testing positive for coronavirus last week didn't help his cause and The Sydney Morning Herald reported on Friday that he could be axed after their dead-rubber clash against the Saudis in Jeddah next Tuesday.
The newspaper said the players needed reinvigorating and sacking Arnold could be the circuit-breaker needed to help reset for the crucial play-off in June.
"It's not looking good for him past Saudi," one 'insider' was quoted as saying.
"The disruption that was caused this week (by his quarantine breach), the disappointing results, the pattern of deteriorating performances all seem to be heading in one direction."
Arnold took charge after Australia were eliminated from the World Cup in Russia four years ago, with names floated as possible replacements including former Socceroos captain Kevin Muscat and Melbourne Victory coach Tony Popovic.
P.Martin--AMWN