1. I can't remember whether you said it at that time. I think it may be that Saudi Arabia is strong (in Asia) after all, but also at home (many teams in West Asia will be taken care of by referees at home). So, it's good to be able to draw, and if you're lucky, you might even win. With Qatar's strength, the possibility of losing in the last two games is very high, so China can't win the first place, and the second place actually exists only in theory, because even if Saudi Arabia loses to China, it can still win Qatar by 13 in the last game (of course, it won 1: 0 in the end). Even if China won 13 points in the last two games, do you think it's meaningful to talk about the goal difference because of the previous 2-4 and 0-4 losses to Iran? !

2. If I remember correctly, the Japanese head coach dismissed the class, and then takeshi okada took over. Qatar coach also had a poor record, and Hart took over (almost qualified in the end). The Saudi team also changed its head coach (I can't remember the name).

At that time, South Korea had already qualified ahead of schedule and played against Japan at home. There is no need to go all out, plus the last battle, Japan. It's understandable to lose, but it can't be said that it's a release.

4. I clearly remember that at that time, that is, 1997, there was no such rule in international football, and the points in group matches were the same, and the winning or losing relationship decided who would qualify. Just watch the goal difference. If it's the same, it depends on the number of goals scored.

It is for reference only and has no practical significance.