Saudi Arabia suffered an unexpected setback in its 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign after a 1-0 defeat at the hands of North Korea at Kim Il Sung Stadium in Pyongyang Wednesday. Mun In-Guk scored in the first half and the Koreans plugged the holes in defense, hanging on for an important win. The defeat put Saudi Arabia in a hard situation as the Saudis play two crucial matches away against Iran and South Korea. Saudis should win all their next fixtures that include Iran, South Korea, North Korea and the UAE. The last two matches will be played in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia is now in the fourth spot in Group B on four points from four games. Any failure or draw during the next Saudi campaign may end the Saudi team's run toward a fifth World Cup appearance. Since its surprising performance in 1994 World Cup Finals, Saudi Arabia was one of the favorite teams in Asia that secured a qualifying spot in all the next three finals. In Pyongyang where the weather condition was not suitable for the sons of the desert, the Saudis were first to threaten when striker Sultan Al-Nomari sent the ball wide from the box. Saudi coach Nasser Al-Johar started with Al-Nomari beside Yasser Al-Qahtani up front. Mohammed Noor had another attempt but his long shot went over the bar. In the 24th minute, Mun In-Guk created the first real threat on Waleed Abdullah's goal but Mun's short range shot went wide. Five minutes later, Mun In-Guk put the home side ahead after he received a long pass near the Saudi box to blast it into the net of Waleed Abdullah. The second half was dominated by Saudis who struggled to break the tight Korean defense. Two minutes from close, Yasser Al-Qahatni almost equalized for Saudi Arabia when Mohammed Noor fed him outside the box but Al-Qahtani's brilliant shot was saved by North Korea goalkeeper Ri Myong-Guk. Saudi Arabia plays its next match against Iran in Azadi stadium on March 28. Elsewhere, Asian heavyweights Australia and South Korea secured away draws to maintain their lead. The Socceroos played out a goalless draw with Japan in Yokohama to stretch their unbeaten run at the top of Group One, while Park Ji-sung headed a late equalizer for South Korea to make the score 1-1 against Iran. In Tashkent, Mahmood Abdulrahman netted deep into stoppage time to earn Bahrain a 1-0 win over troubled Uzbekistan, which moved the Gulf side third behind Japan on four points. Bahrain's win left the faltering Uzbeks at the bottom of Group A with a single point. The top two teams in each of the two groups will advance to South Africa 2010. The two third-placed sides will playoff for the chance to take on Oceania champion New Zealand for one more berth. __
