Group Stage Review

AFC – DOHA, With the knockout stage of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011™ set to kick-off on Friday, www.afcasiancup.com looks back on how the eight qualifiers stayed on course for continental glory.

Group A

Uzbekistan took the plaudits in Group A as Vadim Abramov eased through to the quarter-finals of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011 with a unbeaten record against Qatar, Kuwait and China.

The Uzbeks stunned hosts Qatar in the tournament’s opening game 2-0 to kick off their campaign in perfect fashion and that win was followed by another convincing display as they disposed of Gulf Cup champions Kuwait, also by a 2-0 score line.

The Kuwaitis had had a disappointing start of their own, losing 2-0 to China and the loss at the hands of the Uzbeks left Goran Tufegdzic and his side on the brink of elimination.

After an inauspicious start, Qatar found their stride in their second match when they took on the Chinese, defeating Gao Hongbo’s side 2-0 thanks to two wonderful strikes from Yusuf Ahmed. The first – a spectacular long-range, right-footed effort – will undoubtedly be among the candidates for the goal of the tournament.

A 3-0 victory over the Kuwaitis coupled with China’s 2-2 draw with Uzbekistan sealed a place in the last eight for Qatar, where they will meet Japan while Uzbekistan meet Jordan.

Key player: Odil Akhmedov (Uzbekistan)

A striker turned central defender, Odil Akhmedov has been in impressive form both in defence and when he moves into the attacking third. He scored the opening goal of the tournament with a spectacular strike from distance against Qatar while he also claimed Uzbekistan’s equaliser against China in his nation’s final group game.

Group B

Three-time champions Japan topped Group B but Alberto Zaccheroni’s side did not have the most comfortable start to the tournament, relying on a late header from defender Maya Yoshida to earn a 1-1 draw with Jordan.

From there, though, the FIFA World Cup qualifiers have steadily improved, eking out a 2-1 win over Syria thanks to a late penalty from Keisuke Honda before handing Saudi Arabia a 5-0 thrashing in their final group match.

That heavy defeat – which featured a hat trick from Japan striker Shinji Okazaki – brought an end to a disastrous campaign for the Saudis, who lost their opening game against Syria – a result that brought about the removal of coach Jose Peseiro.

Nasser Al Johar came in as replacement but the Saudi coach fared just as poorly as Jordan handed the six-time AFC Asian Cup finalists a 1-0 defeat.

That victory for the Jordanians, coupled with a 1-0 win over Syria in their final match, earned Adnan Hamed’s side a place in the quarter-finals at only their second AFC Asian Cup, emulating the nation’s achievement at their previous appearance at the competition in 2004.

The Syrians, meanwhile, were left to rue their missed opportunities by finishing in third place with the Saudis rooted to the bottom of the standings.

Key player: Bashar Bani Yaseen (Jordan)

Defender Bashar Bai Yaseen took over the captain’s armband after the loss of influential defensive partner Hatem Aqel in Jordan’s opening game against Japan and he has been just as reliable as the Jordanians have maintained an impressive defensive discipline.

Group C

The battle for top spot in Group C was always likely to be between Australia and Korea Republic, and so it transpired with Holger Osieck’s team finishing top by the narrowest of margins.

Both nations won their opening games, with Australia brushing past India with a 4-0 win while the Koreans picked up a relatively comfortable 2-1 victory over Bahrain.

The two giants of the group went head-to-head in the next round of matches, with Koo Ja-cheol gving the Koreans the lead only for Mile Jedinak to restore parity in the second half and earn the Australians a point.

A hard-earned win over Bahrain in their final game – with the goal again coming from Jedinak – saw the Australians pick up another three points but Korea’s 4-1 victory over Bob Houghton’s plucky Indians was not enough to take Cho Kwang-rae’s side to the top of the group.

So Australia claimed top spot on goal difference, setting up a quarter-final clash with Iraq while Iran await the Koreans in the last eight for the fifth AFC Asian Cup in a row.

Key player: Koo Ja-cheol (Korea Republic)

Although normally used as a defensive midfielder for club side Jeju United, Koo Ja-cheol has shone while playing in a more advanced role and is the tournament’s joint top scorer with four goals in three games. He has proven himself to be much more than a goal scorer though, providing assists for both of Ji Dong-won’s goals against India as well.

Group D

A group that featured the defending champions, a three-time winner of the AFC Asian Cup as well as a nation that had qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and one of the region’s most promising nations, Group D always looked set to be a tight contest.

That Iran should emerge unscathed, with the only 100 percent record remaining in the tournament at the end of the group stages suggests Afshin Ghotbi’s side will be one of the favourites for the title when the knockout round commences.

After a late win over reigning champions Iraq in their opening game, the Iranians defeated DPR Korea 1-0 before sending out a second-string side to beat the United Arab Emirates 3-0 in their final game.

Team Melli are joined in the last eight by Iraq, who overcame the opening day loss to pick up a dramatic, late win against the UAE thanks to an unfortunate own goal by Walid Abbas before Karrer Jasim’s goal gave the Iraqis a 1-0 win over DPR Korea.

DPR Korea’s campaign started with a missed penalty for captain Hong Yong-jo after just five minutes of the game against the UAE, which ultimately ended in a scoreless draw, and rarely improved while the Emirates’ inability to score cost them dear.

Key player: Younis Mahmood (Iraq)

Although he has lacked his usual spark in the attacking third of the pitch, Younis Mahmood remains a key component in the Iraqi arsenal. He scored his side’s first goal of the campaign against Iran and it was from his late cross that Walid Abaas scored the own goal that saw Iraq pick up a crucial win against the UAE.