Plum draw

The draw for the opening stages of the 2014 FIFA World Cup has been made in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon. It's the first qualifying round of the Asian region of the competition and Cambodia have been drawn home and away against our neighbours from Laos. There are 16 teams in the 1st qualifying round and the matches will be played, in Phnom Penh on 29 June, and in Vientiane on 3 July. On paper, according to the FIFA rankings, then Cambodia at 154th will have too much for Laos at 170th, but believe me, that won't be the case. Laos will be an extremely difficult opponent but the promise of a two-legged match against China in Round 2 will be a prize that should see both teams busting a proverbial gut to get through. China are the 76th ranked team in the world and the 5th best in Asia, so that would be a plum tie to get, with matches on 23 and 28 July. The games against Laos will be held during the mid-season break for the Metfone C-League which kicks-off this coming Saturday. The last meeting between the two countries was a goal-less draw in the Suzuki Cup in Vientiane in October last year.