2016 AFC U-23 Championship Day 5 Recap

PFDC – DOHA, Another day of doubleheaders in Groups B and C produced two lopsided victories and two high scoring battles in the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship.

Group B – Grand Hamad Stadium, Doha

Thailand v Japan

Japan may have been a little worn out after their previous win against North Korea but this time they dominated and showed why they are a force to be reckoned with in this tournament.

An excellent ball from Wataru Endo towards the Thai 18-yard box was finished off easily by Musashi Suzuki in the 27th minute as he was able to fight off defender Adison Promrak with no problem. Thailand earned a draw in their previous match against Saudi Arabia but this time they were dealing with a much stronger opponent.

Four minutes into the second half, a left-footed cross from Riki Harakawa inside the penalty area was headed home by Shinya Yajima.

The rest of the damage was caused by striker Yuya Kubo of BSC Young Boys (Switzerland). His first goal came in the 75th minute when he was able to beat the poorly organized Thai offside trap by firing a powerful shot that keeper Somporn Yos almost kept out of the net. With seven minutes remaining, Kubo was fouled in the penalty area by defender Tanaboon Kesarat and it was Kubo himself who converted the penalty to complete the 4-0 rout.

Japan have already clinched the top spot of Group B with one game to play.

North Korea v Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Arabians were looking to put their disappointing draw against Thailand behind them as they took on the tough North Koreans in an entertaining match that finished in a 3-3 draw.

North Korea did not have many chances in the first half but they capitalized on their first opportunity when midfielder Kim Yong-il opened the scoring in the 27th minute as the North Korean supporters erupted. Kim Yong-il received a perfect pass from Kim Ju-song and he slid it perfectly under Saudi keeper Ahmad Al-Harbi.

Saudi Arabia equalized five minutes before the interval when a cross from Fahad Al-Muwallad was headed into the far corner by the tall midfielder Mohamad Kanno.

The Saudi Arabians carried the momentum into halftime but it was the North Koreans that regained the lead in the 52nd minute through a goal with perfect execution. First a great run into the left side of the penalty area and a centering pass by Kim Ju-song followed by a dummy from Jang Ok-chol, then finished off by Yun Il-gwang.

The Saudis equalized through Fahad Al-Muwallad in the 62nd minute. Seven minutes later Saudi Arabia took a 3-2 lead when some excellent ball movement at the top of the North Korean penalty area found second half substitute Adbulrahman Al-Ghamdi who put his shot past goalkeeper An Tae-song. The goal was assisted by the other second half substitute Abdulfattah Asiri. Dutch manager Adrie Koster felt he had to do something after his men fell behind for a second time and his substitutes definitely did not disappoint.

The North Koreans tied the game at 3-3 in the 85th minute when captain Jang Kuk-chol fired in a ball the Saudis desperately tried to clear out of their penalty area. The late goal by North Korea ensures that they still have a shot at a spot in the quarterfinals when they take on Thailand in their next match while Saudi Arabia will have to face a red-hot Japan that have yet to concede a goal in this tournament.

Group C – Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium, Doha

Yemen v South Korea

The South Koreans booked a spot in the quarterfinals with an easy 5-0 victory over a helpless Yemen.

Midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon scored a hat-trick in the first half as the Yemenis had no way of stopping the dangerous South Koreans.

In the 14th minute, Kwon carried the ball into the penalty area after receiving a pass from Hwang Hee-chan, and scored with ease as Yemeni keeper Salem Al-Harsh virtually no help from his defenders.

At the half-hour mark, defender Lee Seul-chan sent in a cross from the right that was headed home by Kwon. Ten minutes later, Kwon completed his hat-trick when an excellent pass from Ryu Seung-woo found Kwon wide open as he put the ball into the roof the net. The Yemeni defenders were all over place as they collapsed on Ryu and forgot about the man who had already scored the first two goals of the match.

In the 73rd minute, Kwon sent a left-footed pass to teammate Ryu Seung-woo who hammered the ball into the lower corner of the net.

The South Koreans continued the show when a nice one-touch pass from Park Yong-woo to Kim Seung-jun in the penalty area resulted in another easy goal to complete the rout at 5-0. The ball was stroked so perfectly into the corner that all Yemeni keeper Al-Harsh could do was stand and watch.

Uzbekistan v Iraq

AFC Youth Player of the Year Dostonbek Khamdamov continued his excellent form for the Uzbeks as he scored after only eleven seconds. A long ball after the kick-off from the Uzbeks became trouble as the Iraqis couldn’t clear it to safety. The ball eventually fell to the feet of Khamdamov in the penalty area as he put Uzbekistan up 1-0.
The Uzbeks got off to a perfect start and were playing with a sense of urgency knowing that the South Koreans had already defeated Yemen.

It took Iraq nearly forty minutes to find the equalizer when they punished Uzbekistan on a counter-attack. After an Uzbek freekick, Ali Husni carried the ball down the left flank and centered a pass to an unmarked Amjad Kadhim, whose shot deflected off of Javlon Mirabdullaev and into the net.

Five minutes later a long ball sent into the penalty area by Ali Faez could not be cleared by Uzbek captain Igor Sergeev. The ball fell right to the feet of Madhi Kamel who then fired in the shot to give Iraq a 2-1 lead.

In the 79th minute, Jaloliddin Masharipov sent a left-footed cross into the penalty area that was headed in by Timur Khakimov. The Iraqis played very careless defense as Khakimov was able to measure a free header and score the equalizer.

Neither side was in the mood to settle for a draw in this exciting match as minutes later a great move by the Iraqis enabled them to beat the Uzbek offside trap which forced keeper Abdumavlon Abduljalilov to come out of his box and clear the ball to safety as Iraq threatened to retake the lead.

On the ensuing attack in the 84th minute, a pass to Mahdi Kamil was chested and then appeared to be kicked by Timur Khakimov towards the Uzbek backline. Iraqi midfielder Humam Tariq received the ball in an offside position but the side referee’s flag stayed down. The Uzbek defenders believed the ball last touched Kamil on a deflection but nevertheless made a huge mistake by expecting a whistle instead of playing until the whistle. Tariq rounded keeper Abduljalilov and gave Iraq a 3-2 lead.

Tariq received a yellow card as he celebrated by taking off his shirt but at that moment he could care less because he finally got his name on the scoresheet but more importantly, the victory for Iraq booked them a place in the last eight of tournament.

The Uzbeks were crushed and disappointed at the final whistle knowing they had been mathematically eliminated from the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship. The game that began with a perfect start ended in heartbreak.

Group B Schedule for January 19

Saudi Arabia v Japan
North Korea v Thailand

Group C Schedule for January 19

Iraq v South Korea
Uzbekistan v Yemen

Image courtesy of the-afc.com