JAPAN boosted its World Cup qualifying hopes with a comfortable 3-0 triumph in Qatar on Wednesday.

The victory gave second-placed Japan seven points from three games in Group A of the Asian zone, two behind Australia.

Qatar is third with four points from four matches. The top two in the five-team section go through to the 2010 finals in South Africa.

“I had expected a tough match but my players did a good job to win all three points,” said Japan coach Takeshi Okada. “The race is still open and you never know who will qualify in the end.”

Qatar coach Bruno Metsu criticized his side after their defeat.

“When we play a team like Japan we can’t afford to make mistakes,” said the Frenchman. “We made quite a few today and paid the price.”(SD-Agencies)