International Friendlies
Australia defeated New Zealand 2-0, Saudi Arabia lost 3-1 to Mali while Tajikistan lifted the Merdeka Tournament title after a 2-0 win over hosts Malaysia.
Several other Asian teams were in action in their buildup to Round 2 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Preliminary Joint Qualification so join the-AFC.com as we take a look at the results.
Several other Asian teams were in action in their buildup to Round 2 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027™ Preliminary Joint Qualification so join the-AFC.com as we take a look at the results.
.JPG?w=2400&q=80)
Iran turned on the power in the second half to cruise 4-0 past Qatar with Hossein Kanaanizadegan starring with goals in the 69th and 79th minutes.
Alireza Jahanbakhsh scored in the 73rd with Sardar Azmoun getting his goal two minutes later as Iran finished top of the four-nation event.
Iraq finished third after a 5-3 penalty shootout win over hosts Jordan, with the match having ended 2-2.
Son Heung-min was among the scorers in Korea Republic's 6-0 win over Vietnam.
Kim Min-jae opened the scoring in the fifth minute with Hwang Hee-chan adding the second in the 27th minute. An own goal from Vo Minh Trong (50th) was followed by further strikes from Son (61st), Lee Kang-in (70th) and Jeong Woo-yeong (86th).
Kyogo Furuhashi (43rd) and Junya Ito (69th) scored as Japan cruised 2-0 past Tunisia while goals from Harry Souttar (13th) and Jackson Irvine (76th) secured Australia victory over New Zealand.
Salem Al Dawsari scored for Saudi Arabia in the 58th minute as the West Asian side succumbed to a 3-1 defeat against Mali, with Moussa Doumbia (14th), Hamari Traore (42nd) and Lassine Sinayoko (71st) netting for the African team.
In other matches, the United Arab Emirates and Syria defeated Lebanon and Kuwait respectively by 2-1 margins, Bahrain edged the Philippines 1-0 while Thailand played to a 1-1 draw with Estonia.
Tajikistan defeated Malaysia 2-0 in the Merdeka Tournament final, thanks to goals from Rustam Soirov (44th) and Sharom Samiev (87th).
