The 2019 AFC Asian Cup is the 17th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international men’s football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation. It is being held in the United Arab Emirates from 5 January to 1 February 2019.
Australia’s Socceroos entered this tournament as the reigning Champions after their triumph in 2015. From a Wikipedia summary, we read that The AFC Asian Cup is an international association football tournament run by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It is the second oldest continental football championship in the world after Copa América. The winning team becomes the champion of Asia…………The Asian Cup was held once every four years from the 1956 edition in Hong Kong until the 2004 tournament in China. However, since the Summer Olympic Games and the European Football Championship were also scheduled in the same year as the Asian Cup, the AFC decided to move their championship to a less crowded cycle. After 2004, the tournament was next held in 2007 when it was co-hosted by four nations: Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Thereafter, it has been held every four years.
The Asian Cup has generally been dominated by a small number of top teams. Initially successful teams included South Korea (twice) and Iran (three times). Since 1984, Japan (four times) and Saudi Arabia (three times) have been the most successful teams, together winning 7 of the last 9 finals. The other teams which have achieved success are Australia (2015, current champions), Iraq(2007) and Kuwait (1980). Israel won in 1964 but were later expelled and have since joined UEFA.
Australia joined the Asian confederation in 2007 and hosted the Asian Cup finals in 2015. The 2019 tournament will be expanded from 16 teams to 24 teams, with the qualifying process doubling as part of the qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The tournament will be hosted by the United Arab Emirates. Unlike other confederation tournaments, the Asian Cup has often been rescheduled to another time of year to better suit the climate of the host nation, for example in 2007 it was played in July but the following three tournaments were played in January.
After qualifying rounds, the final tournament is played in two stages: the group stage and the knockout stage. In the group stage each team plays three games in a group of four, with the winners and runners-up from each group advancing to the knockout stage along with the four best third-placed teams. In the knockout stage the sixteen teams compete in a single-elimination tournament, beginning with the round of 16 and ending with the final match of the tournament.
For the 2019 tournament, we have 24 teams competing – initially competing at the Group stage, where there are four teams per group, with the top two teams in each group proceeding to the next stage. Australia was allocated to Group B against Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Group matches results
Group A
UAE drew with Bahrain 1-1
India defeated Thailand 4-1
Thailand defeated Bahrain 1-0
UAE defeated India 2-0
UAE drew with Thailand 1-1
Bahrain defeated India 1-0
Group B
Jordan defeated AUSTRALIA 1-0
- [at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium (Al Ain)
Syria drew Palestine 0-0
Jordan defeated Syria 2-0
AUSTRALIA defeated Palestine 3-0
- [at the Rashid Stadium (Dubai)
AUSTRALIA defeated Syria 3-2
- [at Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium (Al Ain)
Palestine drew with Jordan 0-0
Group C
China defeated Kyrgyzstan 2-1
South Korea defeated Philippines 1-0
China defeated Philippines 3-0
South Korea defeated Kyrgyzstan 1-0
South Korea defeated China 2-0
Kyrgyzstan defeated Philippines 3-1
Group D
Iran defeated Yemen 5-0
Iraq defeated Vietnam 3-2
Iran defeated Vietnam 2-0
Iraq defeated Yemen 3-0
Vietnam defeated Yemen 2-0
Iran drew with Iraq 0-0
Group E
Saudi Arabia defeated North Korea 4-0
Qatar defeated Lebanon 2-0
Saudi Arabia defeated Lebanon 2-0
Qatar defeated North Korea 6-0
Qatar defeated Saudi Arabia 2-0
Lebanon defeated North Korea 4-1
Group F
Japan defeated Turkmenistan 3-2
Uzbekistan defeated Oman 2-1
Japan defeated Oman 1-0
Uzbekistan defeated Turkmenistan 4-0
Oman defeated Turkmenistan 3-0
Japan defeated Uzbekistan 2-1
Round of 16 Results
From the Sydney Morning Herald, 21/1/2019 – Iran and China will face off in the Asian Cup quarter-finals after they both won their last-16 games on Sunday, while Vietnam scraped through after a thrilling penalty shootout. Three-times champions Iran came through an early scare before sealing a routine 2-0 victory over a spirited Oman. Goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand saved an Oman penalty in the opening minute but a goal from Brighton winger Alireza Jahanbakhsh and a penalty from captain Ashkan Dejagah gave Carlos Queiroz’s side victory. “We created more opportunities and there’s no doubt we deserved to move to the next step,” Queiroz said.
Sunday, 20 January
Vietnam and Jordan 1-1 at Full Time, Vietnam won the Penalty Shoot Out 4-2
China defeated Thailand 2-1
Iran defeated Oman 2-0
Australia and Uzbekistan meet in an Asian Cup knockout clash on Monday but the two teams have been bumping into each other all week. The Socceroos and their opponents are staying at the same hotel in Al Ain in the build-up to their round-of-16 showdown. It’s made for a few days of awkward elevator rides and stilted lobby conversations for both teams. “It’s probably the first time I’ve ever seen it in my times in international football,” Socceroos coach Graham Arnold said. “We get to say hello to them every morning and good night every night. It’s nice.” Uzbekistan coach Hector Cuper simply smiled and said “no problema” in Spanish when asked about the accommodation arrangements for the two rivals.
Monday, 21st January
Japan defeated Saudi Arabia 1-0
AUSTRALIA defeated Uzbekistan 0-0 [won 4-2 in Penalty Shoot Out]
[Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium (Al Ain) 6pm local time]
- From ninenews.com – A controversial refereeing call that was labelled an “absolute joke” has left Australia without its best player for the Asian Cup quarter-finals. Coach Graham Arnold was disappointed to lose Rogic but believes he has the options to cope with the absence of the 26-year-old.“The yellow card was a bit harsh because Tommy had no intent,” Arnold said.“These things happen. We have the options and I can change the system if we need to.“We’ll look at how UAE play, we’ll analyse them tomorrow and, like I said, we’ve got plenty of options with different systems with these players that we can use.”The most likely option would be to start Massimo Luongo in place of Rogic as the key attacking midfielder but Arnold ever one for the mind games hinted at larger changes to the team structure.“I could change the system and play with two strikers, two number nines, we could play with a diamond midfield,” Arnold said. “We’ve got plenty of options.” Whatever the options the Socceroos would want to put UAE away without the need for another match to go to extra time or penalties with the need for Brighton No. 1 Mat Ryan to be the hero. Ryan starred in the penalty shootout to secure the Socceroos an Asian Cup quarter-final berth against hosts UAE. Ryan made two saves in his first penalty shootout in a national team shirt while substitute Leckie stroked home the winning spot kick after a frustrating 0-0 draw in Al Ain. Ryan denied Uzbek pair Islom Tukhtakhujaev and Marat Bikmaev with saves in the shootout.
UAE defeated Kyrgyzstan 3-2
Tuesday, 22nd January
Qatar beat Iraq 1-0 in a full-blooded contest to reach the Asian Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday as title-chasing South Korea dodged a bullet to secure their progress.
The Koreans were taken to extra time by tiny Bahrain where a thumping header from substitute Kim Jin-su dragged the tournament co-favourites through to face the 2022 World Cup hosts in the last eight.
South Korea defeated Bahrain 2-1
Qatar defeated Iraq 1-0
Quarter Final Results
Thursday 24th January
Three-time tournament winners Iran proved way too strong for Lippi’s side in Abu Dhabi as a comfortable 3-0 victory set up an last-four meeting with Japan. Mehdi Taremi and Sardar Azmoun capitalised on defensive errors to put Carlos Queiroz’s Iran ahead. China attempted to rally after the break but were unable to undo the damage with Karim Ansarifard capping the win in injury-time. World Cup winner Marcello Lippi confirmed that his two-year tenure as coach of China was over on Thursday following his team’s exit from the Asian Cup quarter-finals at the hands of Iran. The Italian had already said that he would not sign another contract but some in China had hoped he might reconsider if his team managed to land a maiden continental title in the United Arab Emirates.
Meanwhile, Vietnam’s fairytale run in the AFC Asian Cup 2019 came to an end as they fell to four-time champions Japan by a solitary goal in a tightly-contested quarterfinal at the Rashid Al-Maktoum Stadium in Dubai on Thursday. Vietnam began the game well and looked worthy opponents for the Asian giants in the first half, but a Ritsu Doan penalty early on in the second half, awarded after a VAR interception, was the difference between the two sides and sent Japan through to the semifinals of the continental championship.
Today’s results.
Japan defeated Vietnam 1-0
Iran defeated China 3-0
Friday 25th January
- South Korea suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Qatar in the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup on Friday.A superb strike from Abdelaziz Hatim 12 minutes from time was enough to send Felix Sanchez’s side into the last four. The loss was only South Korea’s second in 21 Asian Cup matches and their first to Qatar, ranked 40 places below them in FIFA’s official standings, since 1984
- Where did it all go wrong for the Socceroos? The defending champions were bundled out of the Asian Cup by hosts the UAE at the quarter-final stage after Milos Degenek’s costly blunder. The result will lead to a post-morten as Graham Arnold comes to terms with his team’s early exit. But the same problem persists — the Socceroos just could not find the back of the net. Chances were created, more than enough to win the game in the first half alone, but you can’t win if you don’t score.
Today’s results.
South Korea versus Qatar defeated South Korea 1-0. \
UAE defeated AUSTRALIA 1-0 – [at 8pm local time at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium (Al Ain) [3am Saturday, Melbourne time] – almost wished I’d not bothered to get up and watch this one, disappointing effort by Australia, who controlled much of the ball, especially in the first half but had nothing to show for it – as the commentary above notes, you generally can’t win if you don’t score, they got away with it against Uzbekistan [through a penalty kick-of] but not this time One slip up in defence, and the defending champions head home, as did the runners-up in the last Asian Cup, South Korea.
Semi Final Results
Monday, 28th January
Japan defeated Iran 3-0
By Ryan Benson [Football News]: Japan are into the 2019 Asian Cup final thanks to a 3-0 win over Iran, though there was more than a hint of controversy about their victory. Yuya Osako’s brace helped Japan beat pre-tournament favourites Iran 3-0 and book a place in the 2019 Asian Cup final, as they go for an unprecedented fifth title. Monday’s semi-final was billed as being a contest between the competition’s two best teams and, although Carlos Queiroz’s men had their chances, refereeing decisions did not go their way and Japan ultimately cruised
Tuesday, 29th January
Preview: Interesting pre-match comments from Fox News [Alex Broun]: Milos Degenek is a very popular man in the UAE right now. Indeed many are hailing him as a national hero. The unlucky Socceroos defender was devastated after his stray back pass sent Australia spinning out of the Asian Cup, but for the UAE, and the tournament organisers, Degenek’s error saved them both from major embarrassments. For the Asian Cup organisers, without the UAE’s presence, a semi-final between Qatar and Australia would have been lucky to draw four figures to the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium. And for the UAE government, the Whites 1-0 victory, achieved due to Degenek’s unfortunate error, meant escaping becoming the laughing stock of the Middle East — and the world.
The reason is diplomatic relations between the UAE and Qatar are at an all-time low, following on the UAE severing ties in June 2017, after the Qataris were branded supporters of terrorism. Local media and tournament organisers have watched with mounting horror as The Maroons have made their way impressively through the tournament, scoring 12 goals and conceding none. Qatar breezed through the pool stages defeating Lebanon 2-0, North Korea 6-0 and a surprisingly easy 2-0 triumph over highly rated Saudi Arabia The red faces were growing and if the Socceroos had sent the UAE packing while Qatar reached the final four, it would have led to a national day of mourning for the fiercely proud Emiratis. Qatar’s progress has also made covering the tournament very difficult for the local media as they desperately try to avoid even mentioning the 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts. Indeed since the semi-final match-up has been announced many media outlets have been previewing the game without even mentioning who the UAE will be playing. According to a local journalist covering the tournament for one of the three daily English language papers there has been no official instruction not to refer to Qatar, but coverage requires “careful management.” Unbelievable – so much for sport generating friendship, doesn’t appear to be the case here – match due to be played at 6pm local time [about 1am in eastern Australia], might be worth getting up [or staying up] to watch!!!
And the result:
Qatar defeated the UAE 4-0…………Qatar defied sandal-throwing local fans to storm into the Asian Cup final for the first time with a 4-0 win over hosts United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, setting up a decider against Japan in Abu Dhabi on Friday. Boualem Khoukhi’s early strike and an eighth goal of the tournament from striker Almoez Ali gave Qatar a 2-0 half-time lead and captain Hassan al-Haydos and Hamid Ismail completed the rout in the last 10 minutes. The UAE had been hoping to reach the Asian Cup final for the second time, but instead look likely to face sanctions after Ali was pelted with footwear as he celebrated his goal with Haydos and Ismail, who were also the target of footwear-throwing spectators.
ASIAN CUP FINAL: Friday, 1st February 2019
Qatar versus Japan .
In the Asian Cup Final this morning – the outsiders [and hosts in 2022] Qatar defeated Japan 3-1 [that against goal was the first one scored against Qatar in the tournament].
From ninenews.com…….‘Students became the masters in Abu Dhabi as a clinical performance from Qatar brought a first Asian Cup triumph in a 3-1 final victory over record champions Japan. Almoez Ali broke the deadlock with an overhead kick, his record ninth goal of the tournament, and Abdelaziz Hatim’s long-range curler doubled the advantage before halftime. Felix Sanchez’s Qatar, hosts of the World Cup in 2022, lifted the trophy having conceded only Takumi Minamino’s second-half strike during their campaign. They have netted a remarkable 19 times in winning all seven matches in the United Arab Emirates. Japan could not find an equaliser and Akram Afif’s late penalty ended coach Hajime Moriyasu’s bid to become the first to win the tournament as player and boss. The defeat was the Samurai Blue’s first in a final after four previous victories.
Qatar have largely been without fans in the UAE due to an ongoing political dispute in the region but nonetheless had thousands of backers in the Zayed Sports City Stadium. They made plenty of noise throughout and at full-time could celebrate the sweetest of victories with the players’
On to 2022, with Qatar as the hosts for the next tournament.
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