Asian Cup 2023: The UAE loses to Tajikistan on penalties

The Tajikistan national team qualified for the quarter-finals after defeating the UAE by a 5-3 penalty shootout after the two teams tied 1-1 on Sunday at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Al Rayyan, in the round of 16 in the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023.

In normal time, the Tajikistan national team took the lead during the first half through Vahdat Hanunov (30), before the UAE national team responded with a last-gasp equalizer by Khalifa Al Hammadi (90 + 5).

The tie continued in extra time, and penalty kicks were resorted to, through which the victory went to the Tajik team, which scored five goals from five attempts, while the UAE scored three goals from four attempts.

The Tajikistan national team will meet in the quarter-finals, with the winner of the match between Iraq and Jordan, which will be held on Monday.

In the first round, the Tajikistan national team took second place in Group one with 4 points from three matches, 5 points behind leaders Qatar, compared to two points for China and one point for Lebanon.

The team began the competition with a 0-0 draw with China, then lost in the second round to Qatar 0-1, before achieving victory in the third match against Lebanon 2-1.

On the other hand, the UAE national team ranked second in Group three with 4 points from three matches, 5 points behind leaders Iran, and ahead of Palestine on goal difference, while Hong Kong China did not obtain any point.

The team succeeded in achieving victory in the first round against Hong Kong 3-1, then tied with Palestine 1-1, before losing in the third and final round to Iran with a score of 1-2.