The Netherlands attacks and the Germans defendThis is the lineup of Asian countries ranked 200th
Sep 22, 2024
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Sri Lanka, ranked 200th in the FIFA rankings, caused a stir by beating Cambodia, ranked 180th, in the second round of the 2027 Saudi Arabia Asian Cup qualifying playoff against Cambodia on the 10th. Sri Lanka, which drew 0-0 at home in the first round of the playoffs, won the penalty shootout 4-2 after drawing 2-2 away in the second round to qualify for the final round.
Sri Lanka has made the most remarkable achievement in the history of the national team in Cambodia, paving the way for South Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Iran to participate in the finals.
What drew more attention was not the result of the game, but Sri Lanka's changed lineup. As many as eight of the 11 Sri Lankan representatives who started against Cambodia were naturalized players. Leon Perera, Claudio Camernecht and Jason Tayaparan are of German descent, Jack Hingert and Sam Durant are of English descent, Oliver Kellat is of Australian descent, Wade Decker is of Dutch descent and Adhavan Rajamohan is of Swedish descent.
Kellat and Kamernecht scored the first goal and a dramatic overtime equalizer against Cambodia, respectively. Defender Hingert is a 13-year - old Brisbane Roar player 'League Legend' who became a surprise naturalized player to Sri Lanka this year, contributing to his team's victory.
Sri Lanka, led by interim coach Abdullah Al Mutairi from Kuwait, has 17 players, except for only eight of the 25 players selected on September's A-match day, playing in overseas leagues including Germany, France, Ireland, Sweden, Iceland and Australia.
Sri Lanka's victory over Cambodia saw its FIFA ranking jump five spots from 205th to 200th in September. It is aiming to re-enter the top 100 for the first time in six years since 2018.
Earlier, Qatar and China actively used naturalization policies to fill the lack of power. Recently, a new naturalization trend has been blowing mainly in Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia led by head coach Shin Tae-yong, Malaysia led by current Ulsan coach Kim Pan-gon, and the Philippines. As players born in Europe and who have gone through the European youth system have been incorporated into the Asian stage, it is evaluated that the power of Southeast Asian countries is gradually increasing.
yoonjinman@sportschosun.com
