Would victory in these battles justify raising a toast to success? Absolutely not. Every rebellion breeds new resistance. Pushing for reform invites fierce opposition.

Japan aims to become the first team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup with a win over Bahrain, continuing their dominant form in Asia's preliminaries.

Australia will need to go through the fourth round of World Cup qualification after Kaoru Mitoma's late brace sent Japan to Qatar 2022.