Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Dubai: Australia head coach Graham Arnold gave his charges a resounding tick of approval, but insists there is still plenty of room for improvement after they revived their AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 knockout stage hopes with a consummate 3-0 win over Palestine.
Early goals from Jamie Maclaren and Awer Mabil got the ball rolling for the defending champions, before Apostolos Giannou came off the bench to add a layer of gloss to the scoreline in the final moments.
Australia's showing was a vast improvement from their 1-0 Matchday One defeat to Jordan, with the the inclusion of Chris Ikonomidis and Jackson Irvine paying instant dividends for Arnold's men.
Speaking after the match, Arnold paid tribute to his side, but warned that he expects their performances to become even stronger as the tournament goes on.
www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_asian_cup/video/group_b_-_matchday_two_palestine_vs_australia .html
www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/jamie_maclaren-australia.html
www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/tom_rogic-australia.html
www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/palestine-shot.html
www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/nourredine_ould_ali-palestine.html
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Dubai: Australia got their AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 title defence up and running, earning three crucial points with a 3-0 win over Palestine in their Group B clash at Rashid Stadium on Friday.
Sunday's defeat to Jordan seemed a distant memory when goals to Jamie Maclaren and Awer Mabil had the Socceroos 2-0 up within 20 minutes, before substitute Apostolos Giannou added a late third.
The result sees Australia leapfrog Palestine and Syria into second place in the group, with Noureddine Ould Ali's side dropping to fourth with one Matchday remaining.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Al Ain: After just two games into the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019, Jordan’s Mousa Suleiman Al Tamari is emerging as one of the stars of the tournament, with his game-changing performances helping Vital Borkelmans’ side secure their place in the Round of 16.
The Jordanians have impressed in their opening two matches, notching up wins over defending champions Australia and a Syria side that narrowly missed out on booking a berth at last year’s FIFA World Cup Finals.
Al Tamari has been instrumental in his team’s showing, scoring with an instinctive finish to give Jordan the lead on Thursday against Syria while also playing a key role in his side’s other two goals over the first two match days.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Al Ain: Jordan coach Vital Borkelmans could barely suppress his delight as he celebrated his team’s progress to the knockout rounds of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 on Thursday, with the Belgian claiming happiness has been key to his squad’s impressive performances so far.
Borkelmans’ team secured a 2-0 win over Syria in Al Ain that guaranteed the Jordanians a top two finish in Group B, having already opened their 2019 campaign with an impressive 1-0 win over defending champions Australia.
Those results mean Jordan will finish no lower than second in the group no matter what happens in the remaining matches and the country will advance to the knockout rounds of the AFC Asian Cup for the third time since making their debut at the competition in 2004.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Abu Dhabi: Park Hang-seo's Vietnam will face the Continent's top ranked team on Saturday in the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 and it is a Group D match the Southeast Asian side are relishing.
The recently-crowned AFF Cup champions may have among the youngest squads in the AFC Asian Cup but that, promised Park, won't stop them from giving Carlos Queiroz's Iran a tough fight.
And Iran, said Queiroz, expect that from a side the Team Melli head coach is highly impressed with.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Sharjah: Iraq head coach Srecko Katanec is not taking anything for granted when the Lions of Mesopotamia face Yemen in Group D of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 at the Sharjah Stadium on Saturday.
Iraq twice trailed in their opener against Vietnam, but produced a late fightback to collect three valuable points in a five-goal thriller at the Zayed Sports City Stadium on Tuesday.
After the win against Vietnam, Katanec believes his team are well prepared to face Yemen.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Dubai: Lebanon head into their match against Saudi Arabia at the Al Maktoum Stadium on Saturday needing a win to keep their AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 hopes alive.
In their group opener against Qatar on Wednesday, Lebanon held their opponents to a goalless first half, but were struck in the second half by goals from Bassam Al Rawi and Almoez Ali.
Sitting third in the group standings behind Qatar and Saudi Arabia, who have three points each, Lebanon head coach Miodrag Radulovic said his team must aim for a win on Saturday.