SHARE STORY
Substitute Kaoru Mitoma scored twice in the final few minutes to give Japan a 2-0 win over Australia in Sydney sealing their place in Qatar with a game to spare.
Victory lifted Japan top of Group B of Asian qualifying, above Saudi Arabia who are four points clear of Australia, with Japan through to a seventh successive edition of the World Cup finals.
Australia now face a play-off campaign to reach a fifth successive World Cup.
The Socceroos next face Saudi Arabia in Jeddah in what is now a dead rubber on Tuesday, before going on to face the country that finishes third in Group A in a play-off game on 7 June.
With two group games to go, the United Arab Emirates are third in that group, three points ahead of Lebanon, while Iraq are a further point adrift.
The winner of that tie goes on to a play-off against the fifth-placed team from South America.
