On April 27, Beijing time, in the last two important matchups of the quarterfinals of the U23 Asian Cup, Iraq won with a penalty shot to send Vietnam out, and Uzbekistan eliminated the defending champion Saudi Arabia by two goals. The semi-finals will see Iraq take on Japan and Uzbekistan against dark horse Indonesia, with four teams battling it out for three direct tickets to the Paris Olympics.
Iraq-Vietnam
Iraq, who quickly gained possession, played more calmly, did not speed up the transition too early, and only waited for Vietnam to press and wait for a long pass to play a fast attack. Vietnam, on the other hand, pressed and pressed in the midfield with a more positive attitude, striving to quickly regain the ball and quickly instigate an offensive to start the game, and once suppressed the opponent in the back in the first 15 minutes, but this momentum could not be maintained for a long time, and soon retreated to the half-court defense. Iraq has more offensive in the front, but the quality of the pass is insufficient, and the frequent long passes have formed a lot of pressure on the Vietnamese defense, and Mohammed has seized the opponent's mistake opportunity to clear the ball in the penalty area, but unfortunately his big open push was saved by the Vietnamese goalkeeper. Five minutes later, Nihad received a free-kick cross and headed it off the woodwork. Vietnam were pinned down at the back and could only play a fast counter-attack while defending solidly, but still created a good chance when Nguyen Van Kang shot away from the penalty area.
Vietnam were unable to break free from the suppressed situation in the second half, and Iraq kept the attacking rhythm and continued to look for space to break through on the flanks. Jassim, the core of the attack, was particularly active, interspersed with multiple penetrations of the defensive line to create danger. Vietnam was completely passive, with few opportunities to counterattack, and the pressure on the defensive line was huge. In the 64th minute, Iraq picked up a pass on the right side, and after two header relays, the ball was sent into the middle, and Nihad followed up to grab the point and was knocked down to create a penalty, and Jassim scored a spot. The leading Iraqi offensive was more fierce, the Vietnamese players were unbalanced, Nguyen Van Hung was sent off for stampeding red, and finally Iraq defeated 10-man Vietnam 1-0 to advance to the semi-finals.
Uzbekistan - Saudi Arabia
The two sides are evenly matched, and it is a high-intensity defensive battle, with both sides fighting for body and consumption to see who can't hold the ball first. After all, they are all teams that have reached the final of the last Asian Cup, and no one on either side has flinched, but they are tough and fiercely compete for midfield control. Saudi Arabia defended more aggressively and tried to deter their opponents, with Abu Shamatt and Latif receiving early yellow cards. Uzbekistan had a particularly strong physical advantage, gradually gaining the upper hand in the confrontation and causing many fouls to the opponent. Both teams were cautious for the first 30 minutes, with East reluctant to press too forward and expose the air defense, so that both sides had only one shot on goal in total. Towards the end of the half, Saudi Arabia accelerated their conversion speed and pressured up front to deliver a free-kick and a long-range shot from outside the box, which was not very threatening. Uzbeks also got their playmaking rhythm in motion, intensifying their pressing up front and forcing the Saudi backfield to make a fatal mistake in the second minute of stoppage time.
Both sides continued their attacking stance, with one threat from outside the box in the final minutes of the half. In the second half, Saudi Arabia strengthened its attack, but it was difficult to rely on passing and control to penetrate the penalty area, and the front court lacked high points, so it could only try more long-range shots, and the actual effect was not ideal. The long-lasting attrition made Saudi Arabia foul continuously, and Yahya was ejected from the game by the referee for a foul in the middle of the half. Uzbekistan, who were superior in numbers, were more aggressive in attack, and Rahmoneliye seized the opportunity of a team-mate's long-range shot from outside the box to be saved, and quickly followed up with a follow-up goal to end the game. In the end, Saudi Arabia lost the game 0-2 and missed the Olympics, and Uzbekistan won the game and advanced to the semifinals.