Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Shah Alam: A Yuya Kubo goal was enough for Japan to claim a spot in the AFC U-23 Championship 2016 as they beat hosts Malaysia 1-0 in their last Group I qualifying game on Tuesday.
Kubo, who scored a hat-trick as Japan beat Indonesia 5-1 during qualifying for the 2013 AFC U-22 Championship, found the the Malaysian net on 41 minutes to seal his side's third consecutive win from as many games.
Japan, who opened their campaign with a 7-0 victory over Macau before going on to beat Vietnam 2-0, finished top of the table above Vietnam who earlier downed Macau 7-0. The Vietnamese garnered six points, three adrift from Japan.
Ten group winners and five best second-placed teams from all groups will join hosts Qatar at the AFC U-23 Championship 2016, with January’s 16-team competition also serving as Asia’s qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games in Rio.
The final group winner and the complete line up of best second-place finishers will only be confirmed after the conclusion of Group B of the qualifiers, which features Jordan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan as well as hosts Pakistan.
Group B was scheduled to take place in Lahore at Lahore’s Punjab Stadium from March 23 to 31 has been postponed due to security concerns following the recent troubles in the Youhanabad area of the city.
A decision on an alternative venue and schedule for Group B will be announced in due course.
Photo: Kamarul Akhir / www.asiana.my