In the final match of the group stage, China almost lost its ticket to the next round after losing 0-1 to Qatar. Meanwhile, Tajikistan made history when it won a ticket to the round of 16 for the first time on the continental stage after defeating Lebanon with a score of 2-1.
Group A: China is almost certainly eliminated
Because they quickly won tickets to the next round, Qatar kept many pillars on the bench. However, the home team still caused China many difficulties. Qatar forced Coach Jankovic’s students into a position of struggling to fight back. During the first half, China only retreated deep and defended tightly to prevent the opponent’s pressure.
In the second half, Qatar was still in control of the match. On the contrary, China began to be forced to push their team higher in order to find a goal. However, China’s impatience has cost them. In the 65th minute, from a corner the ball was passed out and the player who had just entered the field, Haydos, had a beautiful long-range shot to open the score 1-0 for Qatar. The more they played, the more excited they became, as the home team continuously put pressure on the opponent’s field.
Notable parameters in the match between Qatar and China (Photo: AFC)
The match ended with a 0-1 victory for Qatar. And China fell to 3rd place on the rankings. With 2 points gained after three rounds, China will almost certainly be eliminated from the region’s largest tournament from the group stage.
Tajikistan makes history
Lebanon faces Tajikistan in the final match of the 2024 Asian Cup group stage. Both have 1 point after the first 2 matches, so the goal of both sides is to win to get tickets to continue. During the first half, Tajikistan dominated the ball while Lebanon chose a counter-attacking defensive style.
On to the second half. In the 47th minute, Jradi suddenly scored a super goal to help Lebanon open the match. However, by minute 56, Lebanon had only 10 people left on the field when El Zein received a red card. Tajikistan was outplayed and put all its strength into attack. However, in the 80th minute, Umarbaev scored a superb free kick from outside the penalty area to equalize 1-1 for Tajikistan. The spirit was high after the equalizer, Tajikistan became even more excited. Minute 90+2, Nuriddin scored an extremely sensational header to bring Tajikistan back to lead 2-1. There were 16 minutes left, but Lebanon could do nothing against the opponent’s solid defense.
Notable parameters in the match between Lebanon and Tajikistan (Photo: AFC)
In the end, Tajikistan won 2-1 against Lebanon. With 3 points, Tajikistan followed Qatar to continue in Group A of the 2023 Asian Cup. This is a historic achievement for Tajikistan football in its first participation in the continent’s No. 1 tournament.
Asian Cup 2023 Group A rankings after the end of the group stage:
