When the "best third place" appears, playing the group stage until the last minute also has an impact on the overall situation. The group stage of the Asian Cup was finalized by Group F, which ended in two draws, in which Kyrgyzstan drew with Oman and lost both of them to miss out on the round of 16, while Indonesia became the biggest beneficiary, finishing third and reaching the knockout stage of the Asian Cup for the first time in history.
In the final round of Group F of the Asian Cup, Saudi Arabia, who had already qualified, faced Thailand, while Kyrgyzstan and Oman battled for third place. Saudi Arabia's match against Thailand is a delicate affair that is affected by the previous Group E fixture, with South Korea in the first Group and Uzbekistan in second place.
The two teams played together as vice-runners, and the Thai defence lost an early stage to create a one-on-one chance for Saudi captain Salem al-Dawsari, and even though Thai goalkeeper Saranon Anuin cleaned it up, the Thai defender kicked down and was whistled for a penalty. Anu saved, and then both sides blew up twice, resulting in a blank draw in the whole game, Saudi Arabia retained the first place with 7 points, but shocked South Korea in the round of 16.
The result of Kyrgyzstan and Oman will have a greater impact on qualification, with Oman winning to finish third, while Kyrgyzstan will win by at least two goals to qualify, with a draw being the worst outcome for both sides. Oman opened the scoring after eight minutes and could claim the last place in the tournament. However, Ghanaian-born Kyrgyz striker Joel Kojo turned the tide with an equaliser in the 80th minute, which ended in a 1-1 draw and a place in the round of 16.
Indonesia qualified thanks to Kyrgyzstan
Under the "jade burning" of Kyrgyzstan and Oman, the Indonesian fisherman, who scored 3 points in 3 battles, won the last place in the best third place. Indonesia has participated in the Asian Cup in the past four times, all of which have been eliminated in the group stage, and this year finally made a breakthrough and entered the knockout stage for the first time. A group of Indonesian professional players watched the Kyrgyzstan vs Oman match together, and when they won the right to qualify, South Korean coach Shin Tae-ryong hugged the professional players one by one, and the generals shouted the name of the coach, and everyone could not hide their excitement. Indonesia will challenge Australia on Sunday (28th) to fight for a place in the top eight.