China's long-suffering football fans went from "hell to heaven" after a dramatic 1-0 win in Bahrain reignited the country's hopes of reaching the World Cup for only a second time. Their team's second win in a row had Chinese supporters dreaming of making the World Cup again,

China reignited their World Cup qualification hopes with a last-gasp 1-0 win over Bahrain in Riffa thanks to a Zhang Yuning strike after Herve Renard marked his return to the Saudi Arabia dugout with a 0-0 draw against hosts Australia on Thursday.

China reignited their World Cup qualification hopes with a last-gasp 1-0 win over Bahrain in Riffa thanks to a Zhang Yuning strike after Herve Renard marked his return to the Saudi Arabia dugout with a 0-0 draw against hosts Australia on Thursday.

Australia and Saudi Arabia drew 0-0 in Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup on Thursday. While there was late drama there was little quality on display. Near time, Sultan Al-Ghannam's low shot from just inside the area went in and seemed to give a vital win for Herve Renard,

Saudi Arabia had a goal disallowed in added time as they ground out a scoreless draw against Australia on Thursday, a result that did neither side any favours in their bid to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

China reignited their World Cup qualification hopes with a last-gasp 1-0 win over Bahrain in Riffa thanks to a Zhang Yuning strike after Herve Renard marked his return to the Saudi Arabia dugout with a 0-0 draw against hosts Australia on Thursday.

The Socceroos face their most important World Cup qualifier when they host Saudi Arabia in Melbourne. A win could put them in the box seat to qualify for the tournament automatically.