The victory of Qatar and Saudi Arabia and the loss of Iraq, the Emirates and Kuwait in the first round of the AFC U-23 Cup
Qatar x Indonesia
The host Qatar team succeeded in defeating Indonesia 2-0 at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, in the first round of Group one competitions in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024.
Khaled Ali (45+1 from a penalty kick) and Ahmed Al-Rawi (54) scored the winning goals for the Qatari team.
The Indonesian national team completed the match with nine players after midfielder Ivar Jenner (46 as a result of receiving a second warning) and substitute Ramadan Sananta (90 + 6) were sent off.
Qatar topped the group standings with 3 points from one match, compared to a point each for Jordan and Australia, while Indonesia remained devoid of points.
The second round of group competitions will be held on Thursday, April 18, where Jordan will meet Qatar, and Indonesia will meet Australia.
Thailand x Iraq
The Iraqi national team lost to Thailand 0-2 at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, in the first round of Group three competitions in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024.
Waris Chlotthong (26) and Terasak Puipimai (65) scored the winning goals for the Thai national team.
The Iraqi national team completed the match with ten players after striker Nihad Muhammad was sent off in the 71st minute as a result of receiving a second warning.
Saudi Arabia x Tajikistan
The second match in the same group also witnessed the victory of Saudi Arabia, the defending champion, over Tajikistan 4-2 at Khalifa International Stadium.
Rayan Hamed (17), Haitham Asiri (45+8), and Ayman Yahya (55 and 61) scored the goals for Saudi Arabia, while Ruslan Khayloev (23) and Rustam Sairov (64) scored the goals for Tajikistan.
Saudi Arabia topped the group standings with 3 points from one match, with a difference in the number of goals against Thailand, while Tajikistan and Iraq remained devoid of points.
The second round of group competitions will be held on Friday, April 19, where Tajikistan will meet Iraq, and Thailand will meet Saudi Arabia.
South Korea x UAE
The Republic of Korea national team snatched victory in the last breath when it defeated the UAE 1-0 at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, in the first round of Group Two competitions in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024.
The scoreless draw dominated the match until the fourth minute of stoppage time in the second half, when Lee Young-joon scored the winning goal for the Korean team.
Japan and the Republic of Korea topped the group standings with 3 points from one match each, while the UAE and China remained devoid of points.
The second round of group competitions will be held on Friday, April 19, where the UAE will meet Japan, and China will meet the Republic of Korea.
Kuwait x Vietnam
The Kuwaiti national team lost to Vietnam 3-1 at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, in the first round of the fourth group competitions in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024.
Nguyen Van Tung (45 + 1) and Bui Vi Hao (47 and 74) scored Vietnam’s goals, while Salman Al-Awadi (45 + 9 from a penalty kick) scored Kuwait’s goal.
The two teams completed the match with ten players after Kuwaiti midfielder Ibrahim Kamil and Vietnam defender Nguyen Ngoc Thang were sent off in the 31st minute (45+4).
Vietnam topped the group standings with 3 points from one match, with a difference in the number of goals against Uzbekistan, while Kuwait and Malaysia remained devoid of points.
The second round of group competitions will be held on Saturday, April 20, where Kuwait will meet Uzbekistan, and Malaysia will meet Vietnam.
It is noteworthy that the teams that finished in the three places in the tournament qualify to represent the Asian continent in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, while the fourth-place team will move on to compete in the global playoff match against the Guinea national team, representing the African continent.