Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Al Ain: Alberto Zaccheroni was relieved his United Arab Emirates side held on to eke out a 1-0 win over Australia in the quarter-finals of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 on Friday night, with the Italian fearing his team would have struggled had the game gone to extra-time.
The tournament hosts had Ali Mabkhout to thank that the game ended after 90 minutes, with the Al Jazira striker scoring the only goal of the game midway through the second half when he capitalised on Milos Degenek’s poor back pass to round Maty Ryan and roll the ball home.
Zaccheroni’s defence then held firm as the Socceroos threw everything forward in an attempt to keep the defence of the title they won on home soil four years ago alive, only for those attempts to flounder.
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Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Al Ain: Australia coach Graham Arnold expects Milos Degenek to bounce back from the disappointment of gifting the United Arab Emirates the only goal of the game as the Socceroos’ defence of the AFC Asian Cup title came to an end in Al Ain on Friday evening.
Degenek’s mishit back pass was leapt on by Ali Mabkhout and the Al Jazira striker rounded Maty Ryan to score the 68th minute winner and take his country into the semi-finals of the AFC Asian Cup for the second tournament in a row.
“I’ve been in charge for eight games and have been changing the style and if you look, tonight there were four players who played at the World Cup,” said Arnold.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Abu Dhabi: The AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 final four line-up has been confirmed, with host nation United Arab Emirates joined by former winners Japan and Islamic Republic of Iran and first-time semi-finalists Qatar.
With the remaining teams all having proven their quality, the scene is now set for two mouth-watering semi-finals, with the winners to progress to the AFC Asian Cup Final at Abu Dhabi's Zayed Sports City Stadium on February 1.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Al Ain: Australia’s defence of their AFC Asian Cup title came to an end on Friday evening as Ali Mabkhout’s second half goal earned tournament hosts the United Arab Emirates a 1-0 win over the Socceroos and set up a semi-final meeting with Qatar.
Mabkhout took advantage of an under-hit back pass midway through the second half to steal in behind the Australian defence and round Maty Ryan to register the only strike of the game.
Alberto Zaccheroni’s side will now take on Qatar with a place in the final at stake as the hosts moved one step closer to emulating their run to the deciding game when the tournament was last held in the UAE in 1996.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Abu Dhabi: A superb second-half Abdelaziz Hatim goal proved the difference as Qatar beat Korea Republic 1-0 to claim a place in the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 semi-finals on Friday.
Hatim’s thunderous effort from distance settled a tense yet absorbing affair, one which sees Qatar head into their first-ever AFC Asian Cup semi-final in what is the nation's tenth appearance in the competition.
By way of contrast, the Koreans exit the tournament by the slenderest of margins having failed to make amends for their defeat in the final of the 2015 edition in Australia.
Qatar will now meet host nation the United Arab Emirates, who beat Australia in the day's later game, in the last four on Tuesday.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Dubai: Japan midfielder Wataru Endo praised his side's resilience, after they made it five successive AFC Asian Cup wins with a 1-0 victory against Vietnam in the UAE 2019 quarter-finals on Thursday.
Ritsu Doan's 57th-minute penalty sealed the Samurai Blue's fifth win in a row by a singe-goal margin, securing a place in the final four for the fifth time in the last six editions of the competition.
Like Turkmenistan, Oman and Uzbekistan before them, Vietnam made Hajime Moriyasu's side work hard for the final result, but while a consummate Japanese performance has yet to materialise, Endo said he was pleased with their building momentum.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021

Abu Dhabi: Islamic Republic of Iran head coach Carlos Queiroz has been quick to dismiss the notion that his side are favourites to win the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 after Thursday’s impressive 3-0 win over China PR saw Team Melli book their place in the semi-finals.
Iran shone brightly throughout the victory, with goals from Mehdi Taremi, Sardar Azmoun and substitute Karim Ansarifard ultimately making the difference as Queiroz’s charges reached the last four of Asia’s premier event for the first time since 2004.
Despite their impressive form – Iran have now racked up four wins and five successive clean sheets – Queiroz remains adamant that the three-time champions of Asia are still not one of the tournament’s leading contenders ahead of next Monday’s semi-final showdown with Japan in Al Ain.