Asian Cup 2023 Group D

Qatar and Indonesia dropped below Vietnam in Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup after losing 1-3 to Iraq in their first match.

There were no surprises at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, as Iraq demonstrated their superior strength with a two-goal victory. However, Indonesia also impressed in the first half, especially in the 10 minutes after 20-year-old midfielder Marselino Ferdinand equalized. But Osama Rashid's controversial goal for Iraq at the end of the first half left the Southeast Asian side unable to recover. A decline in fitness in the second half led to Shin Tae-yong's team conceding another goal.

Mohanad Ali (number 10) opened the scoring for Iraq against Indonesia at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, in the first match of Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup on January 15, 2024. Photo: Lam Thoa

Indonesia played evenly with Iraq for the first 15 minutes, with both sides hitting the post and crossbar once. The West Asian side capitalized better on their chances to open the scoring when an Indonesian player's poor clearance created a through ball for Mohanad Ali, who raced past Elkan Baggott to face the goalkeeper. With a quick sprint, Mohanad calmly curled the ball into the near corner with his weaker right foot. This same striker scored the only goal that secured Iraq's 1-0 victory over Vietnam in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers at My Dinh Stadium in November 2023.

Iraq continued to press forward, but Shin's team played cautiously, waiting for opportunities to counter-attack. The surprise came in the 37th minute when midfielder Yakob Sayuri broke through on the right, nutmegged center-back Ali Adnan, and delivered a low cross to the far post for Marselino Ferdinan to easily slot the ball into the empty net, leveling the score at 1-1 for Indonesia. The first goalscorers for both Vietnam and Indonesia in the tournament were both 20-year-olds: Nguyen Dinh Bac and Ferdinan.

Key events of the match.

However, Indonesia only managed to hold on for 10 minutes. Right at the end of the first half, midfielder Ali Jassim received the ball on the left, near the penalty area, feigned a shot, then cut inside with his left foot to get past Asnawi Mangkualam. He fired a low shot diagonally into the net, which goalkeeper Ernando Ari couldn't hold onto, pushing the ball right to Osama Rashid, who easily tapped it into the empty net to score Iraq's second goal.

Coach Shin angrily demanded a review of the situation on the screen, then loudly confronted the referee. He was dissatisfied because in the preceding play, Mohanad appeared to be offside in his close-range header. However, the goal was still awarded to Iraq, possibly because the referee viewed the two situations differently, so VAR did not intervene.

Iraq's superiority was evident in their third goal in the second half. From a cross by Bashar Rasan on the right, Aymen Hussein, utilizing his 1.89m height, leaped to challenge center-back Rizky Ridho. While Ridho fumbled, Aymen remained steady and fired a powerful shot into the top corner, giving the Indonesian goalkeeper no chance to save. As with most of the one-on-one duels in the match, Iraq performed better thanks to their superior physique – the third best in the tournament, behind only Iran and China.

Aymen Hussein (right) celebrates the goal that sealed Iraq's 3-1 victory. Photo: Lam Thoa

Towards the end of the match, the Indonesian players ran out of steam, making several slow tackles that endangered their opponents. Midfielder Marc Klok made two tackles with the sole of his boot within minutes, but only received a yellow card from the Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev.

The first round of Group D concluded with unsurprising results. Japan and Iraq both won by two goals, placing them above Vietnam and Indonesia. Philippe Troussier's team is currently third in the group, ahead of Indonesia on goal difference. In the second round, the two Southeast Asian representatives will face each other on November 19th, with the losing team almost certainly eliminated.

Quang Dung - Hoang An

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