The Qatar Asian Cup in 2024 ushered in the third round of Group D on the evening of January 24, and the two games were contested at the same time. After a fierce battle, Japan defeated Indonesia 3-1 and finished second in the group to advance to the knockout round, while Indonesia still has the hope of qualifying. In the other 1 competition, the Vietnamese team was defeated by penalty kicks and finished at the bottom of the tournament with 3 consecutive defeats.
Asian Cup standings
With the end of the Group D competition, 14 places have been confirmed for the round of 16 of this Asian Cup, with Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Jordan newly added. The other teams that qualified were Qatar, Tajikistan, Australia, Uzbekistan, Syria, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Palestine, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
Indonesia failed to pick up points in the final round and finished third in Group D, so there is still a chance to live, so let's focus on the matches in Groups E and F. The Vietnamese team regretted that they did not grasp the good situation in this round, and finally did not get points in the final round, and they were ranked at the bottom of the group stage after 3 consecutive defeats.
Regarding the 1/8 final matchups, Iraq advanced as the group leader and will face Group E or Group F third. Since the probability of the Indonesian team qualifying is not large, Iraq has a higher probability of playing against the third place in Group F. Japan will face the top of Group E, between Jordan, South Korea and Bahrain, and there is still a lot of suspense.
Japan 3-1 Indonesia
Pre-match situation: Japan defeated Vietnam in the first round and lost to Iraq in the second round. Indonesia lost to Iraq in the first round and beat Vietnam in the second round, also with 1 win and 1 loss. However, Indonesia's goal difference is against the trend, and a draw does not guarantee promotion.
Venue: Doha-Sumama Stadium, Qatar
Referee information: Referee Hamis Mali is from the host country, and assistant referees Talib Mali and Saudi Arabia Makale are both from Qatar. In addition, the fourth official, Sadulo Ghumoroj, is from Tajikistan, and VAR referee Salman Al-Falahi is also from Qatar.
The Japanese team was led by head coach Mori Boichi, and this field sent Ueda Kishiseuni striker to lead, Ritsu Doyasu, Kenei Kubo, and Keito Nakamura followed closely to support, as well as Endo Hang, Tomiyasu Kenhiro, Nakayama Yuta and other starters. Indonesia's head coach is South Korean Shin Tae-ryong, who sent Marcelino, Strujk, and Vickery to lead the attack, as well as Arhan, Khubna, Amat, Walsh and other starters.
In the fourth minute of the opening game, Amat hugged Ueda Kiyo in the penalty area, and the referee reviewed VAR and awarded a penalty. In the 6th minute, Ueda scored a penalty kick to give Japan a 1-0 lead. In the 35th minute, Nakamura Keito shot the neutral post from the penalty spot, and the Indonesian team escaped.
Japan continued to dominate in the second half, extending their advantage in the 52nd minute, when Ritsu Doan crossed to the back post from the left flank, and Ueda Kiyo outflanked it and scored easily from close range. In the 88th minute, the Japanese team pushed forward the offensive again, and Ueda Kiyo fell to the ground and tackled to cause an own goal by Hubuna, and the Japanese team led 3-0 to seal the victory. In the 90+1 minute, Indonesia counterattacked with all its might, and Walsh volleyed from close range to pull back 1 goal.
Iraq 3-2 Vietnam
Pre-match situation: The Iraqi team played strongly in the first two rounds, won two consecutive wins to advance to the round of 16, and locked the first place in the group. The Vietnamese team is in a bad situation, losing the initiative after 2 consecutive defeats, and must win in the final round to have a chance of survival.
Venue: Al Raiyan-Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Qatar
Referee information: The referee Nazmi Nasaruddin is from Malaysia, and the Chinese referee Fu Ming is the VAR referee for this game. In addition, the two assistant referees, Zailul Tan and Arif Rasid, are both from Malaysia, and the fourth official, Ali Reza Fagani, is from Iran.
Iraq's head coach is Spaniard Jesús Casas, who sent Hamadi as a single striker to lead the game, followed by Majid, Iqbal and Bashar Bonian, as well as Mauseddin, Rashid and Doski to start the game. The Vietnamese team was led by the French veteran coach Troussier, and sent Qu Van Kang as a single striker, as well as Nguyen Dinh Bei, Nguyen Jun Anh, Nguyen Tai Thanh, Du Xiong Yong, Pan Jun Cai, Bui Hoang Viet Anh and other starters.
In the 18th minute, the Vietnamese team attacked and crossed from the left wing, and Tahsin tackled an own goal. However, VAR quickly intervened and the referee reviewed it and ruled that it was invalid for offside. In the 43rd minute, the Vietnamese team won a set-piece in the front, Qu Van Kang drove to the center of the penalty area, and Pei Huang Viet Ying quickly stepped forward to volley and scored, and the Vietnamese team took a 1-0 lead. In the 45+4th minute, Qu Wenkang made dangerous moves when scrambling, resulting in 2 yellows turning into 1 red and being sent off.
In the second half of the competition, in the 48th minute, the Iraqi team got a corner kick opportunity, drove to the center of the penalty area, and Gharib scored with a header, and the Iraqi team equalized. In the 73rd minute, Ali Jassim crossed from the left and Ayman Hussein scored with a strong header, and the Iraqi team took a 2-1 lead.
In the 82nd minute, Pei Huang Yueying fouled in the penalty area, and the referee awarded a yellow spot package after being reminded by VAR. Ayman Hussein then hit the post with a penalty and Iraq missed the chance to end the suspense. In the 90+1st minute, Nguyen Thanh Binh's header in the penalty area was ferried, Nguyen Quang Hai seized the opportunity to score a burst shot, and the Vietnamese team equalized. In the 90+11th minute, Iraq got another penalty opportunity, Ayman Hussein scored the penalty, and Iraq beat Vietnam 3-2.