Australia, the winner of the 2015 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, is cruising to reclaim the top spot for the first time in eight years. It had a draw with Uzbekistan and took the top spot in Group B.
Australia, led by head coach Graham Arnold, drew 1-1 with Uzbekistan in the final Group B match of the 2023 Asian Cup at Al-Wakra Al-Zanup Stadium in Qatar on the 23rd (Korea time).
Australia (7 points), which already confirmed its advance to the round of 16 by defeating India and Syria in the first and second rounds, has grabbed the top spot in its group with two wins, one draw and no loss. As a result, Australia will meet one of the third-ranked teams in Group A, Group C and Group D to compete for a ticket to the quarterfinals. However, China, ranking third in Group A, will not be able to meet as it has been confirmed that it will fail to advance to the round of 16. The team will meet with either Palestine, ranking third in Group C, Japan, or Indonesia, which may rank third in Group D.
Uzbekistan, which is tied with Australia, also has one win and two draws (five points) to advance to the round of 16 teams as the second-ranked team in the group, and will compete with the second-ranked team in Group F to advance to the quarterfinals. Thailand is the most likely opponent team, and the team may meet Saudi Arabia or Oman.
The two teams were neck and neck from the beginning for the group’s top spot.
In the 11th minute of the first half, Kushini Yengi’s header shook the net in the left side cross, but Martin Boyle, who was competing for the header, was declared offside and the goal was canceled. In the 41st minute of the first half, Relay McGree’s left-footed shot of the cutback that Yengi gave after digging into the left side of the penalty area slightly deviated from the right post.
However, video reading (VAR) determined that the ball touched the hand during the tackle process of Uzbekistan’s Odi Johnham Ovekov just before Yengi’s cutback, and the referee declared a penalty through an “on-field review.” Australia finished the first half 1-0 with a right-footed shot by Boyle, who showed a penalty kick obtained in the extra time of the first half. Uzbekistan’s counterattack began with the start of the second half, and Umarbek Eshmurodov scored a goal by receiving the ball that was put forward in a free kick situation in the 15th minute of the second half, but offside was declared and the opportunity to tie the game was lost.
Uzbekistan, which focused on hunting the chase goal, finally succeeded in a 1-1 draw in the 33rd minute of the second half when Azizbek Turgunboev scored the equalizer with a header from the front of the goal area.
Australia, which advanced to the quarterfinals at the Asian Cup held in four Southeast Asian countries (Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia) for the first time after joining the AFC in 2007, ranked second after Japan at the Qatar event in 2011. Then, Australia hosted the Asian Cup in its own country in 2015, and won the title after beating Korea in overtime. At the UAE competition five years ago, it lost to the host country and fell to the quarterfinals.
Uzbekistan has participated in the UAE since 1996, advanced to the quarterfinals one after another in 2004 and 2007, and advanced to the semifinals in 2011 in Qatar, where it lost to Australia and Korea to rank fourth. In 2015, it lost to Korea in the quarterfinals, and in the previous tournament, it met Australia in the round of 16 and lost after a penalty shootout.
Syria defeated India 1-0 in the final match of the third group match at Albayt Stadium in Alkor to secure a place in the round of 16.
Syria, which secured four points with one win, one draw and one loss, finished third in the group, beating India, which lost three games. For now, it beat China, which ranks third in Group A, and also beat third in Group D, which includes Japan, to win a ticket to the round of 16. 랭크카지노
While Iraq has secured the top spot in Group D with two consecutive wins, if Japan wins or ties with Indonesia, Japan will rank second, and Indonesia will rank third in Group D with one win, two losses or one win, one draw and one loss. Even if Indonesia has one win, one draw and one loss, it will unconditionally lags behind Syria, which has zero gains and losses (-1).