Hamburg  -

Sydney - Australia remained on course to qualify for the World Cup after beating Uzbekistan 2-0 in a qualifier in Sydney on Wednesday.

However the Socceroos' will have keep celebrations waiting after Bahrain defeated Qatar 1-0 to keep their chances alive.

Substitute Joshua Kennedy put Australia in front on 66 minutes and a Harry Kewell penalty seven minutes later made the game safe for Australia after Richard Garcia was fouled in the area.

Istanbul, Turkey  - European champions Spain pulled off a late 2-1 win away to Turkey on Wednesday, a result keeps intact their 31-game unbeaten run - and leaves them well set up to qualify for South Africa.

Liverpool midfielder Albert Riera hit the winning goal two minutes into injury-time, thus silencing the crowd in Galatasaray's packed Ali Sami Yen stadium.

"That was a really important goal," said Riera, "because it gives us a crucial win."

Hamburg - Bulgaria closed in on leaders Italy and Ireland in Group 8 of the European World Cup qualifiers with a 2-0 victory against Cyprus in Sofia on Wednesday.

Ivelin Popov and Dimitar Makriev scored the goals for the Bulgarians, who continued their unbeaten run in the qualifying campaign, but have just seven points from their five matches after drawing their opening four games.

Italy and Ireland, who clash in a later game in Bari, head the group with 13 and 11 points respectively.

Hamburg  - Schalke 04 Wednesday ended their search for an interim coach for the rest of the Bundesliga season, opting instead to stick with a trio of caretaker trainers.

A statement said the club had "great confidence" in Mike Buskens, Youri Mulder and Oliver Reck who had been appointed last week after the dismissal of Fred Rutten.

The trio had initially agreed to take charge while Schalke looked for a coach to lead the team until the end of the season.

Sydney - Australia remained on course to qualify for the World Cup after beating Uzbekistan 2-0 in a qualifier in Sydney on Wednesday.

However the Socceroos' will have keep celebrations waiting after Bahrain defeated Qatar 1-0 to keep their chances alive.

Substitute Joshua Kennedy put Australia in front on 66 minutes and a Harry Kewell penalty seven minutes later made the game safe for Australia after Richard Garcia was fouled in the area.