Qatar team won the first ticket to the round of 16; China tied Lebanon

With a 1-0 victory over Tajikistan, the Qatar national team secured a perfect 6 points after two matches, advancing directly to the Round of 16 of the 2023 Asian Cup as winners of Group A.

Asian Cup 2023 bảng A: Đội tuyển Qatar giành vé đầu tiên vào vòng 1/8

The Qatar national team competing at the 2023 Asian Cup. (Source: Getty Images)

Qatar national team advances to Round of 16 of the 2023 Asian Cup.

Host nation Qatar continued their winning streak with a 1-0 victory over Tajikistan in their second matchday of Group A at the 2023 Asian Cup.

The victory against Tajikistan gave the defending champions a perfect 6 points (goal difference +4). Prior to that, they had beaten Lebanon 3-0 on the opening day.

This result officially makes Tintin Marquez's team the first to qualify for the Round of 16 of the 2023 Asian Cup.

Qatar has also secured first place in Group A, leading second-placed China by 4 points with only one matchday remaining.

China is also Qatar's final opponent in the group stage (the match will take place on January 22nd at the Khalifa International Stadium).

In the match at Al Bayt Stadium, the Tajikistan team proactively played an attacking game from the start in search of a goal, but failed to capitalize on their opportunities and instead conceded an early goal.

In the 17th minute, Akram Afif broke free to receive a through ball from Almoez Ali, then easily finished to score the opening goal for the home team, making it 1-0 in the Tajikistan net.

This was also Akram Afif's third goal at the 2023 Asian Cup, after scoring a brace against Lebanon in their opening match.

After scoring, the Qatar team played more comfortably. They controlled the ball and didn't give Tajikistan any chance to develop their game. In fact, if they had capitalized on their opportunities, the defending champions could have scored more goals in the first half.

In the second half, Qatar continued to be the better team and gained a significant advantage in terms of personnel when Amadoni Kamolov of Tajikistan received a red card after kicking a Qatari player in the face in the 79th minute.

However, coach Tintin Marquez's players did not score any more goals, thus securing a 1-0 victory.

While this result left many dissatisfied, it was enough to propel Qatar straight into the knockout round with one match to spare, while Tajikistan still has a chance to advance.

China's national team drew with Lebanon.

In the earlier match in this group, the Chinese team, despite being considered the stronger side, only managed to secure one point after a 0-0 draw against Lebanon.

This was also the second consecutive match in which the Chinese national team drew 0-0, the first being against Tajikistan.

China could even have suffered a defeat in this match if luck hadn't been on their side, as the ball hit the crossbar twice after shots from Hassan Maatouk and Hasan Srour.

Thus, after two matches played in Group A, the Chinese team has 2 points but all tie-breaking criteria are zero (0 goals scored, 0 goals conceded).

Asian Cup 20223 Group A: Matchday 3

In their final match, the Chinese team will face their biggest challenge: a clash with the host nation, Qatar.

It was just a formality for the defending champions Qatar, as they had already qualified as group winners, but for China it would be a do-or-die match.

The Chinese team needs to win against host nation Qatar to secure the second direct qualification spot from Group A to advance to the knockout round.

In the event of a draw, China would still secure second place in the group if, in the other match played at the same time, Lebanon and Tajikistan also ended in a draw.

If they draw and only finish third, China will have to hope to be one of the four best third-placed teams. However, having a goal difference of zero will put them at a disadvantage when competing on tie-breaking criteria.

In the other match, Lebanon and Tajikistan both have 1 point and will face each other in a game that will decide the fate of both teams.

The team that wins this match will secure a direct qualification spot (in case China doesn't win) or also have a good chance of competing for the best third-place finish with the other groups.

( according to Vietnam+ )

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