South Korea avoided a clash with pre-tournament favorite Japan after Malaysia staged a late comeback to draw 3-3 with them on Thursday. Substitute Romel Morales’ late goal earned a share of the spoils for the Asian Cup debutants, who came from two goals down at half-time to equalize with seven minutes left. It meant the Group E runner-up was determined by goal difference, and South Korea edged out Bahrain to finish second. The result also saw Jordan, who beat Malaysia 1-0 earlier in the day, finish third with four points. The top two teams in each group advance to the last 16, while the four best third-placed teams also make the knockout stages.
Jordan coach Hussein Ammouta was adamant his team would not take Bahrain lightly when the sides met in their final match in Group E at Khalifa Stadium today. The Moroccan wants his side to maintain their fine run and snatch first place from Bahrain to avoid a tussle with hosts Qatar in the next round.
The pair met in the tournament’s opening game on Monday, and Jordan came out on top courtesy of an early penalty from Yazeen Al-Naimat, which gave them a 2-0 lead at half-time. Al-Naimat’s goal was canceled out in the 53rd minute by a superb header from Bahrain’s Abdulla Yusuf Helal as the Mlada Boleslav striker latched onto Komail al-Aswad’s pass and drilled a low shot into the bottom corner of goalkeeper Noor Al-Rawabdeh.
Helal’s second came in the 15th minute of added time when he raced through onto a loose ball and rounded Al-Rawabdeh before calmly slotting home. Helal, who finished as the top scorer in the group, ended with six points, while South Korea – the other runner-up in the group – finished with five.
South Korean midfielder Lee Kang-in is among many players whose futures at the club have been in doubt this season. But the Paris Saint-Germain star will return to Seoul with a tally of three goals in just his fourth appearance for his national team. The 24-year-old was rewarded for his efforts with a spot in the squad for the upcoming World Cup.
The other teams that qualified for the last 16 are Oman, Palestine, and Tajikistan. The Group F matches will be held on Tuesday at Education City Stadium in Doha, and later that day, Australia play Indonesia while the UAE take on tournament debutants Kyrgyzstan. The final two places in the last 16 will be decided on Wednesday when Thailand plays Saudi Arabia, and Oman faces tournament favorite Uzbekistan. All four games are scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. local time or 1 a.m. on Wednesday in Seoul. Follow the action live here. GOAL has partnered with NordVPN to offer fans worldwide a safe and secure way to stream all the Asian Cup matches on our app and website.
