Younis double takes Iraq to final four

BANGKOK – Two goals from skipper Younis Mahmoud saw Iraq defeat Vietnam 2-0 in the AFC Asian Cup quarter-finals at the Rajamangala Stadium on Saturday as the West Asian nation reached the final four of the continent’s premier competition for the first time since 1976.

Mahmoud opened the scoring with just two minutes gone but Vietnam rallied and kept the Iraqis at bay until the Al Gharafa striker curled home a 64th minute free-kick to seal the win.

Iraq coach Jorvan Vieira was without the suspended Qusay Muneer and fellow midfielder Saleh Sadir while defender Khaldoun Ibrahim dropped to the bench. Haitham Kadhim and Karrar Jassim Mohammed came into midfield and Haidar Abdul Amer started in place of the Iran-based stopper.

After going down 4-1 to Japan in their final group match Vietnam coach Alfred Riedl opted to start with two up-front as Binh Duong dangerman Nguyen Anh Duc came in for midfielder Phan Van Tai Em, who didn’t make the trip to Bangkok due to his wedding ceremony. Midfielder Phung Cong Minh came in for Nguyen Minh Chuyen while Chau Phong Hoa replaced Phung Van Nhien in defence.

Riedl had stated that his team were the underdogs and any hopes that Vietnam would cause an upset suffered a massive blow within 90 seconds when Mahmoud put Iraq one up with his second goal of the tournament, heading home a Nashat Akram free-kick curled in from the left.

Vietnam struggled to find a foothold and didn’t create anything until the 18th minute when Le Cong Vinh’s shot was blocked for a corner before the Song Lam Nghe Anh striker tested Noor Sabri a minute later with a long-range shot that was taken comfortably by the Iraq keeper.

In the 32nd minute Iraq were forced into making a substitution with Ahmad Abid Ali replacing Haitham Kadhim, who never fully recovered from a crunching tackle from Cong Minh four minutes earlier, which earned the combative 21-year-old the first yellow card of the match.

On the stroke of half-time Vietnam came close to drawing level when Nguyen Vu Phong burst through the centre and played a one-two with Phong Hoa but the Binh Duong winger’s drive across the area was cleared by substitute Ahmad Abid Ali before Cong Vinh could knock the ball home from close range.

Five minutes after the interval Ali Hussein Rehema was fortunate to escape a booking when he pulled down Cong Vinh and the Iraqis escaped further punishment when Noor Sabri palmed clear the resulting free-kick swung in by Vu Phong.

Iraq doubled their advantage in the 64th minute and again it came courtesy of Mahmoud as the 2006/07 Qatar League top scorer exquisitely swept home a free-kick, awarded after a foul on Karrar Jassim.

Mahmoud almost completed his hat-trick in the 78th minute but his downward header following Mahdi Karim’s cross from the right was kept out well by Duong Hong Son and the man of the match had to be content with taking his tournament tally to three.

Iraq, who bowed out of the last three Asian Cups at the quarter-final stage, head to Kuala Lumpur to face either neighbours Iran or Korea Republic in the semi-finals on Wednesday.

Kawaguchi the hero as Japan progress

HANOI - Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi was the hero for defending champions Japan as they eliminated Australia 4-3 in a penalty shootout to progress to the semi-finals of the AFC Asian Cup.

Kawaguchi saved from both Harry Kewell and Lucas Neill as Japan’s quest for a third successive Asian Cup title stayed alive with Yuji Nakazawa scored the winning penalty emphatically past Mark Schwarzer.

The Japanese rekindled memories of their last appearance in the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup, when they knocked out Jordan in similar fashion before going on to win the title. Ivica Osim's side will now take on either Saudi Arabia or Uzbekistan in the semi-final next Wednesday in Hanoi.

It was a brave performance, though, from the Australians who played the entire extra-time period with just 10 men after Vince Grella was sent off 14 minutes from the end of normal time.

The score at that stage was 1-1 after John Aloisi’s 70th minute opener was cancelled out less than two minutes later when Naohiro Takahara struck from close range.

Aloisi scored for the Socceroos with just 20 minutes to go when he pushed home a corner from substitute Kewell after the ball had somehow managed to cross the six-yard box untouched.

But Australia’s lead lasted less than two minutes when Takahara capitalised on Mark Milligan’s miss-hit clearance before turning and firing past Schwarzer, via the goalkeeper’s right post.

Japan’s hopes of progressing improved further as time was running out when referee Kuwaiti Saad Khameel Al Fadhli sent midfielder Grella off when he hit Takahara in the face with a flailing arm as both went up for a header, but Osim’s team were unable to take full advantage.

Not surprisingly, the champions controlled possession but they lacked the creativity to breach the tightly packed Australian defence.

The game went into extra-time but the Australians put up a dogged defence and successfully kept the Japanese at bay, even though there was a scare for the Socceroos with just seconds remaining.

A lofted cross into the penalty area was met by Shunsuke Nakamura’s flying volley, but Schwarzer’s reflex save to his right kept the ball out and took the game into a penalty shootout.

Kawaguchi guessed correctly to deny Kewell and Neill while Nakamura and Yasuhito Endo converted successfully before Tim Cahill put Australia on the board.

Yuichi Komano made it 3-1 and Nicky Carle kept Australia alive with his spot kick. The pressure increased on Japan when Takahara put his effort over the bar and when David Carney scored that left Nakazawa to go head-to-head with Schwarzer.

The veteran defender, however, was equal to the task to send Japan into the semi-finals once again.

Goals of match and Penalties are on our Latest Videos Page

Uzbeks advance as China crash out

SHAH ALAM – Uzbekistan secured a quarter-final meeting with Saudi Arabia in the AFC Asian Cup after second half goals from Maksim Shatskikh, Timur Kapadze and Alexander Geynrikh lifted the central Asian side to a 3-0 win over China at Shah Alam Stadium on Wednesday.

Shatskikh fired the Uzbeks ahead after 72 minutes, Kapadze added a second with four minutes remaining before Geynrikh netted the final goal deep into injury time as Rauf Inileyev’s side claimed second place in Group C behind Iran.

The Uzbeks will travel to Jakarta to face the Saudis in the last eight on Sunday, while China missed out on the knockout stage of the Asian Cup for the first time since 1980.

China only needed a draw to progress and coach Zhu Guanghu made four changes to the side which drew 2-2 with Iran as Yang Jun replaced the injured Li Leilei in goal, Dong Fangzhou taking over from Wang Dong on the right wide and Du Wei and Zhang Shuai replaced suspended duo Li Weifeng and captain Zhang Zhi.

Meanwhile, Uzbekistan coach Inileyev made three alterations from their 5-0 win over Malaysia as Aziz Haydarov, Aziz Ibragimov and Anvar Gafurov replaced Victor Karpenko, Anzur Ismailov and the suspended Islom Inomov.

Both teams started cautiously on the slick pitch at Shah Alam, which had been drenched by an earlier thunderstorm, and it was China that created the first chance after three minutes as Mao Jianqing’s low cross from the left flank was turned wide by Shao Jiayi.

Uzbekistan needed a win to progress and they threatened to open the scoring after 15 minutes when a shot from Server Djeparov on the right side of the China box nicked off Du Wei and fell into the grateful arms of Yang Jun.

Six minutes later, Zhou Haibin saw his well-struck long range free-kick turned over the Uzbek crossbar by goalkeeper Ignatiy Nesterov.

Yang Jun, playing in his first match of the tournament, got good cover from his defence in the opening half as Sun Xiang put in a good sliding challenge to prevent Timur Kapadze from taking a shot inside the six-yard area after 31 minutes, while Du Wei blocked a close-range effort by Maksim Shatskikh two minutes later.

Yang was called into action as the half closed as the custodian went down on one knee to stop a Shatskikh snap shot from just outside the area and then finding himself in the right position again to gather Djeparov’s curling effort just before the interval.

Striker Geynrikh came on at half-time for Ulugbek Bakaev as Inileyev looked to inject more urgency into his side and the China defence were kept on their toes in the early minutes of the second half as Sun Xiang and Zhang Yaokun alertly foiled Shatskikh’s attempts to force an opening.

Shao Jiayi twice tested Nesterov with a low shot from the edge of area six minutes before the hour mark and a free-kick from just outside the area on the hour but the Uzbek keeper was equal to the task on both occasions, diving low to turn aside both efforts.

It was the desperate Uzbeks who exerted much of the pressure and Shatskikh went close on four minutes later when his shot from the right of the China box fizzed across the face of Yang Jun’s goal.

Two minutes later, China went within inches of taking the lead as Zhang Shuai’s low cross from the right was met by an unmarked Wang Dong who rocked the underside of the crossbar from close range.

That miss would prove costly as the Uzbeks made the breakthrough with 18 minutes remaining as substitute Victor Karpenko curled in a free-kick into the area that was met by a glancing header from Shatskikh.

Yang Jun made a good stop on his line but the Uzbek striker followed up on his effort, crashing the ball into the back of the net to give the central Asians a precious lead.

The Uzbeks very nearly sealed the win two minutes later when Djeparov laid the ball off to an advancing Anzur Ismailov, who crashed his shot wide from the right edge of the box before Shatskikh put the ball into the net again shortly afterwards but was flagged offside.

However, the Uzbeks would claim a second four minutes from time when Karpenko curled in another free-kick that was just missed by the head of Shatskikh but met by Kapadze, who turned the ball past a helpless Yang.

And deep into injury time, Geynrikh piled further misery on China as he fired past Yang on the rebound after his initial free-kick had been blocked by the wall.

Ghalenoei pleased to top group

KUALA LUMPUR - In the wake of Iran’s 2-0 defeat of co-hosts Malaysia on Wednesday night, Team Melli coach Amir Ghalenoei revealed that his side were happy to have achieved their aim of finishing top of a strong Group C.

A first half penalty from Javad Nekounam coupled with a late Andranik Teymourian goal, helped Iran seal a less than comfortable victory at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, a result that nevertheless sets up a mouth-watering last eight clash with Korea Republic in Kuala Lumpur.

Ghalenoei said: “I think that today’s game was a very good one for our team. Even though we failed to convert too many of the chances we created, to finish top of the group with seven points, especially considering how tough this group was, is very good indeed.

“This result means that we can now stay in Malaysia and we are happy about that,” added the former Eteghlal boss.

Ghalenoei insisted that whilst Iran may have struggled to overcome opponent who had been berated for their poor performances, he saw plenty of positives in the albeit slender victory.

He added: “As you saw our system in this match was a very attacking one. I have to say that our forwards did well even though they missed some chances. In general though I am very pleased with my players tonight - even the strikers.

“Our attacking system has been working very well and I think that in the game against Malaysia we had good co-ordination and we were strong down the wings. Malaysia defended very deep so I am pleased with how my team performed.”

Following a 2-1 defeat of Uzbekistan and a 2-2 draw with China, Iran’s subsequent pole position finish has set up a mouth-watering last eight clash with Korea Republic, opponents that Ghalenoei preferred not to dwell on.

“We will have to look at the videotapes of Korea’s games and, when we have done that, we can work on how to attack some of their weaknesses.

“I really don’t want to say too much about that at the moment but what I will say is that we are not afraid of our quarter-final opponents.”

The 43-year-old also took time out to question why Malaysia had not been equally defence minded in the two games which saw them beaten heavily.

“I think that if Malaysia had played the same way in the two games against Uzbekistan and China in which they were beaten, they might have go some points. They should have used the same system that they used against us.”

Koreans edge into quarters

JAKARTA – Korea Republic booked their place in the quarter-finals of the AFC Asian Cup, downing co-hosts Indonesia 1-0 at a sold-out Gelora Bung Karno Stadium to squeeze into the last eight.

Saudi Arabia’s comfortable 4-0 win over Bahrain coupled with the victory over the Indonesians means Pim Verbeek’s team stay alive in the competition despite only picking up four points in their three Group D games.

The Koreans take second place in the group and will now face the winners of Group C at Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

Kim Jung-woo scored the only goal of the game when his shot from the edge of the area was deflected past Indonesian goalkeeper Markus Rihihina in the 34th minute, after Verbeek had made wholesale changes to his starting line-up

The Dutchman dropped six of the players who lost to Bahrain in the previous game, including Middlesbrough striker Lee Dong-gook and Zenit St Petersburg midfielder Lee Ho.

Indonesia, too, made changes with Astaman Ponaryo recovering from injury to return as captain while Yandri Pitoy made way between the posts for Markus Rihihina.

Despite both sides needing a win to be sure of a place in the knockout phase, the game started cautiously with Lee Chun-soo hitting his sixth minute free kick straight at Markus while three minutes later the Koreans could have claimed the opener.

Markus did well to parry Cho Jae-jin’s shot only for Son Dae-ho to push his attempt across the face of goal.

The Indonesians always looked dangerous on the break, though, and Elie Aiboy was a constant menace in the opening 45 minutes.

Just before the half-hour mark, the Arema Malang man shot just over the bar from the edge of the area after a searing run into the Korean half by Firman Utina had the visitors panicking.

But with 11 minutes to go to the break, the Koreans went in front. Lee Chun-soo’s run across the Indonesian penalty area was followed by a pass to Kim Jung-woo and his right-foot shot was helped past Markus by the finest of deflections off defender Muhammad Ridwan.

With seconds remaining in the half, Indonesia could have pulled level but Elie’s run into the penalty area ended with a shot across the face of goal rather than Lee Woon-jae picking it out of the net.

As the game wore on, the Koreans looked the more likely to strike again, but their problems in front of goal continued.

Nine minutes after the restart Kang Min-soo should have made it 2-0 when Cho Jae-jin’s header across the six-yard box gave him the simplest of opportunities, only for his attempt to cannon off the head of Richardo Salampessy.

Fourteen minutes later Kim Jung-woo looked odds on to score his second of the night when Lee Chun-soo set him up to score 12 yards from goal, but instead the Nagoya Grampus Eight midfielder’s shot was saved by Markus.

The Koreans, however, managed to successful run down the clock, breaking the hearts of the 90,000 Indonesian fans and setting up a possible showdown with Iran in the last eight.

Super Al Jassam sends Saudi through

PALEMBANG - A second half brace from Taisir Al Jassam steered Saudi Arabia to a 4-0 drubbing of Gulf neighbours Bahrain at the Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium in Palembang on Wednesday and a place in the quarter-finals of this year's AFC Asian Cup

The three-time Asian Cup champions built on a 2-0 lead by the end of the first half thanks to goals from Ahmed Al Mousa and Abdulrahman Al Qahtani before Al Jassam scored two goals in the 68th and 80th minutes as Saudi Arabia finished at the top of Group D standings.

Both coaches had only one change in their starting line-ups as Saudi Arabia coach Helio Dos Anjos introduced Taisir Al Jassam as a replacement for the suspended Khaled Aziz while the Czech coach of Bahrain Milan Macala replaced Mohammed Hubail by team skipper Talal Yusuf.

Bahrain had a powerful start to the match as they have controlled the early proceedings and they could have opened the scoring on seven minutes when Salman Isa sent Ismail Abdullatif clear but the 20-year-old striker could only shoot in the side netting of the Saudi goal.

Saudi Arabia started to get into the game gradually and their first chance fell for striker Malek Maaz in the 15th minute when he went into the area before shooting a powerful ball from the left flank but Bahrain goalkeeper Abdulrahman Abdulkarim blocked the ball.

However, the Saudis scored the opening goal three minutes later when a long ball edged Bahrain defender Abdullah Al Marzouqi who slipped inside the area and Saudi Arabia midfielder Al Mousa edged the Bahrain goalkeeper and scored in the empty goal on the left low corner.

Bahrain recovered from the goal as they controlled the midfield and they could have levelled in the 36th minute when Sayed Mohammed Adnan sent a cross to Isa who sent a curled ball on the far corner but Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Yasser Al Musailem cleared the ball for a corner.

One minute later, Saudi Arabia midfielder Abdulrahman Al Qahtani saw his powerful shot from the edge the area saved by Bahrain goalkeeper Abdulrahman Abdulkarim.

The last minutes of the first half saw quick play from both sides and Bahrain nearly equalised two minutes before the break when Sayed Mahmoud Jalal tested the Saudi goalkeeper with a long drive while Maaz nearly doubled Saudi Arabia advantage with a long chip which went wide after a quick counter attack in the first minute of stoppage time.

The Saudi's were not to be denied a 2-0 lead though after another quick play which saw Yasser Al Qahtani feeding Maaz on the left flank before sending a low cross to Abdulrahman Al Qahtani who tapped the ball in the empty net in the last seconds of the first period.

Bahrain started the second half brightly and they could have pulled a goal back eight minutes after the restart when Isa sent a cross from the right flank directly towards the goal and Saudi goalkeeper Al Musailem deflected the shot into the right upright before the ball was cleared by Saudi Arabia defenders.

The Saudis killed the game off in the 68th minute when they made it 3-0 as Maaz centred the ball to Taisir Al Jassam who fired a 30-yard drive which sailed into the top right corner of Abdulkarim's goal.

And Al Jassam scored his second goal on the night after a nice piece of play which started from Maaz to second half substitute Omar Al Ghamdi who sent the ball from the left flank to Al Jassam who made no mistake with 10 minutes remaining.

Three minutes before the end, Al Jassam nearly completed his hat-trick with a powerful drive from inside the area but the ball was cleared from the goal line by Sayed Mohammed Adnan.

Socceroos come good to advance

BANGKOK (Pa Sport)– Mark Viduka scored twice in the final 10 minutes to seal a 4-0 win for Australia over Thailand and earn the Socceroos a place in the quarter-finals of the AFC Asian Cup.

The result flattered Graham Arnold’s team after Thailand dominated the second half and had the chances to pull level after Michael Beauchamp had given the Australians the lead with a 21st minute header.

But it was Australia’s aerial prowess that won them the game with Viduka holding off the Thai defence to score the goal that effectively won the game 10 minutes from time before sealing the result with a header three minutes later.

Harry Kewell then completed the win when he slotted past Kosin Hathairatanakul in injury time.

Graham Arnold made four changes from the team that lost 3-1 to Iraq, with Kewell axed along with Patrick Kisnorbo and Brett Holman while Lucas Neill missed the game due to suspension.

As a result, Beauchamp and John Aloisi started, as did Sydney FC duo Mark Milligan and David Carney, and the Australians looked the better for the changes.

With the rain falling incessantly throughout the first 45 minutes, the Socceroos started the game at a higher tempo than they have in their previous two games and they dominated the early stages of the game.

It took the Australians 21 minutes to put themselves on the scoreboard when Luke Wilkshire sent his free kick into the Thai penalty area and Beauchamp was left unmarked to head past Kosin.

Suchao Nutnum could have responded just two minutes later for the Thais only for his long-range shot to fly straight at Mark Schwarzer while moments later Suree Sukha sent in a searing low cross that Kiatisuk Senamuang only just failed to direct into the Australian goal.

Needing a draw to progress to the knockout phase, the Thais pushed for the equaliser and dominated the second period, although Wilkshire went close to adding a second just seconds after the restart.

Suree continued to cause problems down the right for Thailand while Tawan Sripan and Kiatisuk worked tirelessly in attack, and it was the former Hudderfield Town man who set up substitute Pipat Thonkanya with a back-heel into the area, only for Pipat to shoot straight at Schwarzer.

Kewell came off the bench and headed over the bar in the 68th minute before another long range effort from Suchao blistered the paint of Schwarzer’s left post. Datsakorn Thonglao tried his luck from distance soon after, only for the Middlesbrough goalkeeper to hold onto the shot.

With 10 minutes remaining and with the Thais pushing hard for the equaliser, Viduka killed off the game.

His first came when Tim Cahill sent in his cross from the left and Viduka controlled the ball on his chest before holding off the Thai defence and firing past Kosin.

Three minutes later Cahill and Viduka linked up again, with the Everton man crossing from the left this time to allow the powerfully built striker to head home.

And Kewell completed the scoring right at the end when he ran in unopposed on Kosin before sliding the ball to the right of the keeper.

Iraq through after drab draw

BANGKOK (Pa Sport) – Iraq reached the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup for the fourth successive tournament after their goalless draw with Gulf rivals Oman at the Supachalasai Stadium on Monday coupled with Australia’s 4-0 win over hosts Thailand saw Jorvan Vieira’s side finish top of Group A.

It wasn’t Iraq’s best performance in the competition but the point was enough to ensure that the Iraqis stay in Bangkok for and will face Vietnam, who finished second in Group B despite going down 4-1 to Japan earlier on Monday while Australia will take on the defending champions after their 4-0 win over hosts Thailand took them through to the last eight as Group A runners-up.

Oman, needing to win to have any chance of reaching the last eight, had the first chance of the match when Badar Mubarak played the ball through to Ismail Al Ajmi in space near the box but a combination of the slickness of the rain-soaked pitch and the alertness of Noor Sabri saw the Iraq keeper safely take possession.

Three minutes later Badar fired a low drive to the keeper’s right but Sabri got down well to save the effort before the Oman forward again released Al Ajmi but again Sabri was equal to the task.

The Iran-based keeper did give the pocket of Iraqi fans a minor scare when his momentum caused him to spill the ball outside of the area, although he recovered in ample time to clear the danger.

It was all Oman in the opening 20 minutes and but for a couple of unproductive corners Iraq struggled to find the attacking verve that saw them outclass Australia 3-1 in their previous Group A fixture.

With five minutes left to play Mahdi Karim’s acrobatic overhead set Iraq skipper Younis Mahmoud and Ali Al Habsi off on a race for the ball which the Bolton Wanderers keeper won with a timely header clear from outside his area.

Immediately after Fawzi Basheer should have opened the scoring after being set-up by Badar – easily the best player of a disappointing first half – but the midfield dynamo’s close-range angled shot was too tame to trouble Noor.

Oman pressed forward in the second half looking for the goal that would keep their Asian Cup dream alive but it was the Iraqis who had the first chance 15 minutes after the restart.

Mahdi Karim’s trickery took him past Issam Fayel allowing the midfielder to whip in a cross for Younis but the Iraq skipper, under pressure from two Oman defenders, headed wide.

The second half was punctuated by numerous free-kicks and from one of these Ahmed Hadid almost gave Oman a 62nd minute lead, but his curling effort was tipped over the bar by Noor.

Three minutes later Younis almost set up an unmarked Karrar Jassim, who came on at the end of the first half for the injured Hawar Mulla Mohammed, but the 2006/07 Qatar League’s top scorer under hit his square pass and the danger was cleared.

With ten minutes left to play Younis again had the chance to break the deadlock but his low strike was comfortably saved by Al Habsi.

Younis Al Mushaifri almost ensured Oman went out on a winning note but the substitute’s header three minutes from full-time flashed wide of Noor’s post before Imad Ali, one of a number of Omani players that Iraq coach Vieira groomed when the Brazilian was at the helm of the Gulf sultanate’s under 20s, saw a stoppage-time shot saved by Noor.

Emirates end Qatar's quarters dream

HO CHI MINH CITY (Pa Sport) – Saeed Alkas’ second half header and a stoppage time strike from Faisal Khalil robbed Qatar of a place in the quarter-finals of the AFC Asian Cup as the United Arab Emirates came from behind to earn a 2-1 win in Ho Chi Minh City on Monday.

Sebastian Quintana’s first half penalty, coupled with Japan’s 4-1 demolition of Vietnam in Hanoi, looked to have handed Dzemaludin Musovic’s Asian Games gold medallists the win they needed to advance.

But Al Sharjah frontman Alkas headed home just before the hour mark and Khalil tapped home from close range in added time after Ismail Matar’s long range free-kick was only parried by Mohamed Saqr to hand the UAE their first points of the group stage.

The result means Qatar are eliminated and Vietnam qualify for the quarter-finals.

Qatar coach Musovic handed Hussain Yasser an instant recall after the Al Rayyan frontman missed the draw with Vietnam through suspension as the Bosnian made four changes to his side from the draw with the co-hosts.

UAE coach Bruno Metsu was without the services of goalkeeper Majed Nasser, Basheer Saeed and Haidar Alo Ali through suspension and also made five other changes from the 3-1 defeat by defending champions Japan, which ended their hopes of progressing.

Roared on my a vocal band of Vietnamese supporters inside the Army Stadium, the UAE dominated early possession while Qatar’s Majdi Siddiq saw his rising effort from the edge of the area turned over the crossbar from Waleed Salem

Qatar danger man Quintana had a goal ruled out for offside after finding himself in space behind a high defensive line on a rare foray into opposition territory.

Metsu’s side continued to dominate as a surging Ahmed Mubarak sent a curling effort narrowly wide from just outside the area, while Alkas forced Qatar custodian Saqr into a full length diving save 12 minutes before the break after the veteran frontman had burst into the area and fired low towards the bottom corner.

Qatar grabbed what appeared to be the crucial goal three minutes before the break as Quintana beat the UAE offside trap on the right, twisted and turned inside the area to break clear of two defenders, but as the Uruguayan-striker cut in towards goal he was upended by Abdulrahman.

Quintana picked himself up and at the second attempt following encroachment from his team-mates, sent Salem the wrong way from the spot to grab his third goal of the tournament.

UAE captain Abdulraheem Juma saw his low shot across the face of goal turned away by Saqr 12 minutes into the second half as the UAE stepped up the pressure for an equaliser after the break.

Their efforts paid off a minute before the hour mark as Mubarak floated a ball into the Qatar area for Alkas to send a looping header over Saqr to send the largely Vietnamese crowd inside the Army Stadium into raptures.

A host of changes for both sides followed but Qatar failed to test Salem as the UAE defence stood firm, with Yasser’s blocked shot from the edge of the area with four minutes remaining the only real attacking threat from Musovic’s men.

Matar had only moments earlier sent a long range free-kick wide before his second speculative attempt paid off as Saqr parried the well-struck effort into the path of the onrushing Khalil, who had the simplest of task to snatch all three points with a close range header.

Classy Japan hammer Vietnam

HANOI (PA Sport) – Defending champions Japan remained on course for a third straight AFC Asian Cup title and fourth overall as they recovered from a early deficit to outclass Vietnam 4-1 at My Dinh National Stadium on Monday.

With the victory, Japan finished top of Group B with seven points but they will be joined in the last eight by Vietnam, who finished second in the group on four points after United Arab Emirates beat Gulf rivals Qatar 2-1 in a simultaneous match at Ho Chi Minh City.

The co-hosts took a shock lead when Keita Suzuki scored an early own goal but Seichiro Maki chested in the equaliser shortly afterwards before Yasuhito Endo fired Japan in front with a free-kick to put the Japanese 2-1 up at the break.

Shunsuke Nakamura extended Japan’s advantage in the 53rd minute before Maki netted his second of the game six minutes later.

Japan coach Ivica Osim made no changes to the team that defeated United Arab Emiates 3-1 on Friday while Vietnam boss Alfred Riedl made only one alteration from last Thursday's 1-1 draw with Qatar with midfielder Nguyen Minh Chuyen replacing forward Phan Thanh Binh.

It meant a more defensive formation for the co-hosts but they stunned the defending champions in the eighth minute when Le Cong Vinh’s low corner from the left deflected off Keita Suzuki, who was under pressure from Phan Van Tai Em, and flew into the Japanese net at Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi’s near post.

But Japan responded quickly and they levelled the score in the 12th minute when Shunsuke Nakamura beat Nguyen Huy Hoang on the left flank before crossing for Maki to chest the ball into the net at the far post.

Backed by a noisy home crowd, Vietnam nearly retook the lead in the 19th minute when Nguyen Vu Phong fired a shot from 30 metres that fizzled narrowly wide of Kawaguchi’s right post.

Japan would take the lead though in the 32nd minute when they received a free kick on the edge of the Vietnam box for Huy Hoang needless sliding challenge on Naohiro Takahara.

Endo punished the home side by blasting the ball into the back of the net, giving goalkeeper Duong Hong Son no chance.

Vietnam nearly got back on level terms six minutes before the break when a diving Le Cong Vinh just failed to reach another driven corner by Minh Phuong.

But the Japanese would put the game away seven minutes into the second half when Endo laid of a pass to Shunsuke Nakamura, who struck an accurate right foot shot into the top left corner of the Vietnamese net from 20 metres.

Maki then added his second of the game in the 59th minute, heading home an Endo free-kick from the left after losing marker Vu Nhu Thanh.

Japan took off goalscoring heros Endo, Maki and Shunsuke Nakamura to rest them for the knockout stage but they continued to create the better chances with Takahara and Kengo Nakamura shooting wide before Nhu Thanh nearly turned Koki Mizuno’s cross into his own net.

The disappointed home fans would have reason to cheer though in the dying minutes when they learned that UAE had come from behind to Qatar to send Vietnam through to the last eight.

Koreans stunned by Abdullatif strike

JAKARTA ( PA Sport) – Bahrain striker Ismail Abdullatif blew a massive hole in Korea Republic’s AFC Asian Cup hopes on Sunday evening when he scored the winner five minutes from time to leave the two-time champions’ quarter-final hopes in serious doubt after suffering a 2-1 defeat.

Abdullatif capitalised on slack defending from the Koreans to slam home his shot from just inside the penalty area, beating World Cup goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae low and to his left to give Milan Macala’s side the three points.

The win gave the Bahrainis their first points of the tournament after they lost their opening game to co-hosts Indonesia, who Korea must now beat in their final game on Wednesday to have any hope of progressing.

Bahrain, meanwhile, will meet Group D leaders Saudi Arabia in their final game and will need a win against their Gulf rivals to be sure of reaching the last eight.

However, Pim Verbeek’s side were fastest out of the blocks and within four minutes they had taken the lead thanks to the invention of Lee Chun-soo.

The former Numancia man’s free kick from the edge of the penalty area was blocked, but when the ball landed back at his feet he scooped it over the defence and into the path of Kim Do-heon, whose fine left-foot volley gave Abdulrahman Ahmed no chance in the Bahrain goal.

Kim’s goal took the early sting out of the game as the Koreans sought to control the tempo, and it was a tactic that largely paid off.

But with two minutes left in the half Bahrain were level as Abdulla Marzooqi pumped a free kick deep into the Korean penalty area and Salman Isa lashed a low, left foot shot to beat Lee Woon-jae at his near post.

Clearly affected by the equaliser, the Koreans came out at the start of the second half looking to regain the lead, going agonisingly close on several occasions.

Lee Dong-gook’s shot from outside the area flew just wide two minutes after the restart and seven minutes later he dragged another effort across the face of the goal.

But Korea’s best chances came in the 55th minute when Dong-gook saw his shot beat Ahmed only for defender Sayed Adnan Mohamed to block the goal-bound effort. The ball fell at the feet of Do-heon but his attempt was hacked away by Rashed Al Dosari.

With 15 minutes on the clock, Chun-soo was well placed to reclaim the lead for the Koreans when substitute Cho Jae-jin headed the ball into his path, but the Ulsan Hyundai man’s miss-kick caused Ahmed no problem.

However, as Korea pushed forward looking for the winner, the gaps started to appear in their defence and eventually Bahrain took advantage when substitute Talal Yusuf forced the ball through to Abdullatif and he made no mistake with a fine right-foot finish.