Asia Cup 2007

2007-11-29T10:40:00.001+08:00

After you drop it there a simple double click run open the run dialog box. The fastest way is to press the windows key on your keyboard and tap the letter r. Ltbrgt ltbrgt another way is to drag the run command on the windows desktop. To do this open the start menu and drag the command to execute a stain on your desk. In windows there are two ways to get faster access to the course of dialogue bos. .
Article Generated by: Blogger Post Content|Short Video Site

Verbeek rejects Korea plea

2007-08-01T23:59:00.000+08:00

SEOUL - Pim Verbeek has rejected an appeal by the Korea Football Association to remain as national team coach following the third place finish at last month's AFC Asian Cup.

Verbeek, who served as an assistant coach at the last two FIFA World Cups with his compatriots Guus Hiddink and Dick Advocaat, resigned after leading an injury hit Korea to a 6-5 penalty shootout victory over Japan on Saturday to secure a place in the 2011 Asian Cup in Qatar following a goalless draw in Palembang.

Verbeek refused to discuss his future plans but admitted he would be taking a long break over the next five month's before returning to coaching.

The 51-year-old has already been linked to the Australia job along with Iraq coach Jorvan Vieira, with Advocaat stalling over a decision and Leo Beenhakker concentrating on Poland's Euro 2008 qualifying campaign.

"The KFA have recently accepted his request," said a KFA spokesman. "The KFA asked him to reconsider his decision, but Pim said that it is his final decision and that he would not change his mind.

"The first decision by Pim was made after the last game and the final decision from the KFA to accept it was made on Tuesday."

Korea were without English Premier League trio Park Ji-Sung, Lee Young-Pyo and Seol Ki-Hyun, but finished second in Group D behind Saudi Arabia before beating Iran 4-2 on penalties in their quarter final tie.

Verbeek's side failed to repeat the feat against eventual champions Iraq in their semi-final meeting in Kuala Lumpur after crashing out 4-3 on penalties following another goalless draw.

Iraq 1-0 Saudi Arabia: Captain seals Cup victory

2007-07-30T01:01:00.000+08:00

JAKARTA, July 29 (Reuters) - Iraq completed one of sport's great fairytales by beating Saudi Arabia 1-0 in the Asian Cup final on Sunday to provide a rare moment for celebration in their war-torn homeland.

The Saudis had been bidding to become the first four-times winners of the tournament but Iraq, riding a wave of global sentiment, upset the hot-favourites for a rare slice of sporting glory.

Iraqi captain Younis Khalef scored the winner in the 71st minute when he climbed above the defence at the far post and headed a perfectly-weighted corner from Hawar Mulla Mohammed into the Saudi net.

When the final whistle sounded, the Iraq players collapsed to the ground in a mixture of shock and an unbridled emotion, kissing the turf and embracing each other after their country's finest sporting moment.

Saudi Arabia were outplayed by an Iraqi team riding high on a wave of national support.

The Iraqis created a string of chances, only to be denied by sloppy finishing and extraordinary saves from Saudi goalkeeper Yasser Al Mosailem.

Saudi Arabia had been the best attacking team in the tournament, scoring 12 goals on their way to the final, but could not find a way past the Iraqis, who had the best defence in the competition, conceding just two goals in six matches.

Few people had given Iraq any chance of winning the tournament after a haphazard preparation brought about by the war at home and facing opponents who were appearing in their sixth final in 23 years.

Iraq were forced to train and play their qualifiers in neutral countries and their coach, Brazilian coach Jorvan Vieira, who said he planned to quit after the match, only had two months to mould a team that included Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurdish players.

None of the Iraqi players have been untouched by the war and although they have tried to mask their grief, there were constant reminders of the sectarian violence at home.

At least three players in the squad have lost relatives in the past two months and all the players wore black armbands during the final in memory of the 50 people killed by suicide bombers after Wednesday's semi-final win over South Korea.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who was at the Gelora Bung National Stadium for the final, said Iraq's achievement had inspired millions and was proof of sport's unique power to unite people in the most desperate circumstances.

Source : Soccernet

IRAQ WIN!!!!

2007-07-29T22:25:00.000+08:00

AFC Asian Cup: Final

IRAQ : 1 ( Younis Khalef (71) )

SAUDI ARABIA : 0

STADIUM : Gelora Bung Karno Stadium

IRAQ CHAMPION!!

Qatar to host 2011 AFC Asian Cup

2007-07-29T22:20:00.001+08:00

JAKARTA – The Asian Football Confederation announced on Sunday that the next edition of the AFC Asian Cup in 2011 will be hosted by Qatar.

AFC president Mohamed Bin Hammam confirmed that the event would be played in the Gulf state following the organisation’s executive committee meeting in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, the venue for this year’s Asian Cup final.

Qatar were the sole bidders for the event following the withdrawal of a bid by India and the Iran Football Federation’s failure to submit the official bidding documents.

However, the AFC said that they were impressed by the high quality of the Qatari bid and are confident of the country’s ability to host the Asian continent’s biggest international football tournament.

“Because of the high standards and criteria we are applying for any tournament, it is not possible for every country to host the AFC Asian Cup,” said Hammam.

“From tournament to tournament, the standards will continue to go higher and higher and it is up to the host country to ensure that all the measures are in place to host a successful event.

“We need to organise our tournaments in the best environment, we have to ensure that the teams have the best facilities available and that there is good access for fans to come and watch the games.

“These are the sorts of things that a host country must provide.”

The AFC president admitted that Australia had also been interested in applying to host the 2011 event.

“Australia were very interested in submitting a bid but due to the rotation of the event, it was decided that the candidates for the 2011 competition would be restricted to the South and Central and West Asian regions,” he said.

Hammam also suggested that the event is likely to take place in January due to concerns about the weather in the Middle East during the summer months.

“Immediately after this meeting, we will have to establish an organising committee for the 2011 tournament to decide on these matters but the indication is that it should be played in January,” he said.

“On the FIFA calendar, the confederations can host their events in January or July, but as July is the hot season in the Middle East, the tournament cannot be played then.”

It is the second time that Qatar has been selected to stage the tournament following its hosting of the 1988 tournament.

As a Qatari himself, Hammam was naturally delighted with the decision.

“Qatar is my home and maybe this will give me a reason to spend more of my time there,” he said.

“Hopefully it will be a successful tournament.”

Saudi Arabia - likely starters

2007-07-29T13:43:00.000+08:00

Yasser Al Mosailem, 23, goalkeeper
Despite conceding five goals in as many matches, Al Mosailem has emerged as a successor to former number one custodians Mabrouk Zaid and Mohammed Khoja, playing in all of Saudi Arabia's matches in their run to the final.

Osama Hawsawi, 23, defender
The tall central defender has been hailed by coach Helio Dos Anjos for his presence in the heart of the Saudi Arabia defence and, despite playing every minute of his team’s campaign thus far, has yet to pick up a booking.

Waleed Jahdali, 25, defender
Having replaced former AFC Player of the Year Hamad Al Montashari, 25-year-old Jahdali has become a key member of the Saudi defence, appearing in every minute of his team’s first four matches before being replaced by Redha Tukar late on against Japan.

Kamil Al Mousa, 24, defender
Kamil Al Mousa filled in the vacant spot at left back following an injury to former skipper Hussain Abdulghani and has appeared in all five of Saudi Arabia's matches in their run to the final.

Ahmed Al Bahri, 26, defender
The 26-year-old Al Nasr defender has also been a dangerman in attack for the Saudis with his pin-point crosses helping to set up two of Saudi Arabia's goals in the tournament against Indonesia and Japan.

Saud Khariri, 27, midfielder
Viewed as one of the best midfielders in Saudi Arabia after helping Al Ittihad to back-to-back AFC Champions League titles, Khariri has had an impressive tournament despite playing only two complete matches so far.

Khaled Aziz, 26, midfielder
The 26-year-old Al Hilal midfielder missed the 4-0 win against Bahrain through suspension after receiving two yellow cards in his team’s first two matches but has been an influential figure in the wins against Uzbekistan and Japan during the knockout stage.

Taisir Al Jassam, 23, midfielder
Filling in for the suspended Khaled Aziz against Bahrain, Al Jassam seized his opportunity, scoring two of Saudi Arabia's four goals to receive the man of the match award. The Al Ahli midfielder went on to start against Uzbekistan and Japan in place of Ahmed Al Mousa.

Abdulrahman Al Qahtani, 24, midfielder
Considered by many as the heir apparent to former playmakers Nawaf Al Temyat and Mohammed Al Shalhoub, Al Qahtani has been his side’s set-piece specialist, creating several scoring chances for his teammates and finding the net himself against Bahrain.

Malek Maaz, 25, striker
Malek Maaz was the hero of the semi-final win against Japan, scoring two goals and earning the match MVP award. The Al Ahli striker failed to score in the first four matches of the tournament but helped to set up a few with his pace and quick reaction.

Yasser Al Qahtani, 25, striker
Having been named Saudi team captain before the tournament, the "Sniper" has been in prolific form so far, bagging four of his side's 12 goals, winning two match MVP awards and forming an excellent partnership up front with Malek Maaz.

Iraq - likely starters

2007-07-29T13:40:00.000+08:00

Noor Sabri, 23, Goalkeeper
The young goalkeeper had had an impressive campaign, allowing only two goals, and took Iraq to their first ever AFC Asian Cup final by saving Yeom Ki-hun’s spot-kick in the penalty shootout victory against Korea Republic in the semi-finals.

Jasim Mohamed, 28, Defender
The bald-headed defender has been an ever-present in Jorvan Vieira's squad throughout the competition and despite his strong and physical presence on the Iraqi backline has yet to receive a booking in any of Iraq’s five matches.

Basem Abbas, 25, Defender
The Lebanon-based defender has made the left-back position his own during the tournament and while he has been steady at the back, he has shown an eye for going forward. He has also caused problems for opponents with his never-say-die attitude.

Haidar Abdul Amer, 25, Defender
Playing in his second AFC Asian Cup, the Al Faisaly defender missed the goalless draw against Oman after taking a knock early in the tournament but has appeared in all of Iraq’s other games.

Ali Hussein Rehema, 22, Defender
The right-back has been in impressive form in this year's tournament attracting interest from Qatar league side Al Wakra. He has played in all five of Iraq's matches and proved a threat in attack with his quick runs and pin-point crosses.

Mahdi Karim, 23, Midfielder
A talented player who first joined the national team in 2001 when he was just 17 years old, Karim has become a key player for Cypriot club Apollon Limassol and started in all of Iraq's five matches in the AFC Asian Cup.

Haitham Kadhim, 24, Midfielder
A commanding presence in midfield, Kadhim missed the match against Oman after receiving two yellow cards against Thailand and Australia. He returned to face Vietnam in the quarter-finals match but also missed the semi-final against Korea.

Nashat Akram, 23, Midfielder
Aged just 23, Nashat Akram has already established his place in the Iraq national team with more than 50 caps for his country. The free-kick specialist scored Iraq's opening goal against Australia and has also created two of Younis Mahmoud's three goals in the tournament.

Karrar Jassim, 20, Midfielder
The young midfielder, who plies his trade for Qatar league side Al Wakra, has had an impressive campaign since replacing the injured Salih Sadir in Iraq’s last two matches. The speedy and tricky player was on target against Australia after coming on as a substitute.

Hawar Mulla Mohammed, 24, Midfielder
Playing just behind main striker Younis Mahmoud, Hawar Mohammed’s work rate and skill with the ball has caused problems for opposition defences throughout the Asian Cup. The 24-year-old has started all of Iraq's matches and was on target against Australia.

Younis Mahmoud, 24, Forward
The Iraq skipper has had a successful campaign, scoring half of his side's six goals including a crucial equaliser against Thailand in the opening game and a brace against Vietnam in the quarter-finals. An excellent free-kick taker, Mahmoud is also a dominant figure in aerial challenges.

Korea down Japan in shootout

2007-07-29T00:21:00.000+08:00

PALEMBANG – Ten-man Korea Republic secured third place in the AFC Asian Cup 2007 and qualification for the next edition of the tournament after downing East Asian rivals Japan in a penalty shootout at Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium on Saturday.

The Koreans were reduced to 10 players in the third place play-off match when Kang Min-soo was sent off in the 56th minute but managed to hold on for their third consecutive goalless stalemate thanks to some excellent goalkeeping by Lee Woon-jae.

And the Korean keeper would emerge as his side’s hero once again in the shootout, saving Naotake Hanyu’s attempt to give his side a 6-5 victory.

With the win, the Koreans earned a berth in the 2011 Asian Cup with 2007 finalists Iraq and Saudi Arabia while three-time champions Japan will have to earn their spot via the qualification tournament.

An 11th minute Yasuhito Endo free-kick forced Lee into the first save of the match but it was the Koreans who had the majority of the chances in the first half, with Yeom Ki-hun firing narrowly wide after 16 minutes and forcing Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi to punch over a 24th minute free kick.

Kawaguchi was called into action again a minute later to tip over an Oh Jang-eun shot and also stopped a hard low grounder shot by Lee Chun-soo in the 41st minute.

But it was the Japanese that nearly went in front shortly before half-time when Shunsuke Nakamura’s corner was met by Yuki Nakazawa inside the Korean six-yard box, forcing an excellent point-blank save from Lee Woon-jae.

The game took a dramatic turn on 56 minutes when Kang was dismissed by United Arab Emirates referee Ali Al Badwawi after being shown his second yellow card for a body check on Naohiro Takahara.

However, the Japanese failed to take advantage of the extra man as Takahara fired over from the edge of the box and substitute Hanyu was brilliantly denied by Lee Woon-jae on 74 minutes after being sent clear by Nakamura.

With the match deep into stoppage time, Hisato Sato went within inches of winning the match as his shot from the left of the box flew just past the far point.

The Japanese had their chances in extra time with Hanyu squandering a glorious opportunity when he fired the ball at Kim Chi-gon with the goal at his mercy while Sato flicked Yuichi Komano’s low cross on target only to be denied by Lee Woon-jae.

The Korean goalkeeper’s heroics didn’t end there as he emerged as a penalty shootout hero once again, reaching up with his right hand to keep out Hanyu’s spot kick after the first 11 attempts had been converted.

Korea Win 3rd Place!!

2007-07-28T23:25:00.000+08:00

Korea ( 6 ) Japan ( 5 ) : Penalty Kick

Full Time : Korea 0 Japan 0

Organising Committee meets for final time

2007-07-27T23:15:00.000+08:00

JAKARTA - The final meeting of the AFC Asian Cup 2007 Organising Committee, under the chairmanship of Zhang Jilong from China, was held on Friday, two days prior to the competition’s Final Match between Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

Representatives from each host association were in attendance to review an interim report of all aspects of the competition to date.

Commenting on the success of the tournament, AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam applauded the four hosts for their hard work and cooperation.

“After long and hard preparation we have enjoyed three weeks of really entertaining football that has achieved the largest media platform in AFC’s history.

“I am impressed with how the Local Organising Committees overcame the challenges, and I am sure that we have established a new era in terms of organising our competitions, which will have impact on future Asian Cups.”

He continued, “I would like to pass my thanks to all involved, especially the volunteers, who have worked tirelessly.

“This event will hopefully be a turning point for football in the four venues and Southeast Asia in general in terms of performance of their national teams, organisation of football competitions, and fan support.”

Semi-final win silences cynics, says Saudi coach

2007-07-26T20:39:00.000+08:00

HANOI - Saudi Arabia's thrilling 3-2 semi-final win over defending champions Japan on Wednesday was the perfect riposte to those that have claimed the Green Falcons have been flying on luck according to head coach Helios dos Anjos.

"One thing that I have heard throughout this tournament is that we have been lucky," said the Brazilian, who is one match away from leading the Saudis to their fourth Asian Cup success.

"Luck might happen in one game but not in every game and tonight we have answered the people that have said we have been lucky."

The Saudis showed commendable resilience to record their first ever AFC Asian Cup victory over Japan after Ivica Osim's side had twice equalised shortly after Dos Anjos men had went ahead on two occasions.

Yasser Al Qahtani's 35th minute goal gave the Saudis the lead, which lasted just two minutes as defender Yuji Nakazawa headed the back-to-back champions back on level terms.

Malek Maaz took advantage of some slack defending from Nakazawa and Yuki Abe to restore his side's advantage just two minutes after the interval but Abe redeemed himself in the 53rd minute with a superb volley that should have give Japan the initiative.

However, Malek skipped past Nakazawa with alarming ease as the man of the match fired home the winner in the 57th minute.

"Tonight we saw a very tough game and one of the best in the tournament so far," beamed dos Anjos.

"I am very happy with the victory because it was over one of the best teams in the continent, especially when they have possession of the ball."

Dos Anjos, who is coaching outside of his homeland for the first time, was equally pleased with the contribution of his backroom staff, as his boys from Brazil made sure the Saudi players were in peak condition for the tournament.

"We told the (Saudi Arabian) federation that I would bring the best fitness and medical staff from Gremio club in Brazil and even though we had less time to prepare for this match and trouble travelling from Jakarta tonight was the fruit of their labour."
The 49-year-old, who took over the Saudi Arabian managerial reigns from compatriot Marcos Paqueta in March, must next test his tactical mettle against another Brazilian, after Jorvan Vieira's Iraq ousted Korea Republic 4-3 on penalties to set up an all-Arab final.

"Today was a victory for Arabian football, especially for Iraq because everyone knows what is happening there. These victories will bring happiness to the people of Iraq and of Saudi Arabia.

"It is nice also that while the two finalists are from the Arab school they are both being coached by Brazilians."

Saudis down defending champions

2007-07-26T08:48:00.001+08:00

HANOI - Malek Maaz helped end Japan hopes of a hat-trick of AFC Asian Cups with the livewire striker bagging a double as Saudi Arabia defeated the defending champions 3-2 in a see-saw semi-final at the My Dinh Stadium on Wednesday.

The Al Ahli forward scored the decisive goal in the 57th minute after the Saudis had twice squandered the lead. Yuji Nakazawa cancelled out Yasser Al Qahtani opener and Yuki Abe acrobatically drew Japan level after his defensive lapse allowed Malek Maaz to regain the Gulf side's advantage.

Japan and Saudi Arabia, both looking to win the competition for a fourth time, stuck with the same starting 11 that began their respective quarter-final victories over Australia and Uzbekistan and it was the defending champions who created the first chance of the match.

Yasuhito Endo and Shunsuke Nakamura exchanged passes at an eighth minute corner before the latter swung the ball into the six-yard area but the Celtic midfielder's cross was punched clear by Yaser Al Mosailem before it could reach the head of Yuji Nakazawa.

The Saudi keeper was called into action again seven minutes later when he blocked at the feet of Seiichiro Maki after Keita Suzuki had threaded the ball through to the JEF United striker.

Saudi Arabia, who had been distinctly second best in the opening exchanges, soon settled and in the 25th minute a shot from skipper Yasser Al Qahtani almost looped in after deflecting off the out-stretched leg of Nakazawa before Japan keeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi palmed away the resulting corner from Abdulrahman Al Qahtani.

The Al Qahtanis were both involved as the Saudis took a 35th minute lead, with Taiseer Al Jassam knocking down Abdulrahman free-kick in to the path of Yasser, who hooked the ball past Kawaguchi.

The Saudis had barely finished celebrating the sniper's fourth goal of the tournament when Japan levelled two minutes later as Nakazawa charged in front of Al Mosailem to head home an Endo corner.

Japan almost stole a second going into the break when Al Mosailem flapped at a Nakamura free-kick but the ball bounced just past the Al Ahli keeper right hand post.

Just two minutes into the second half the Saudis went ahead when Malek Maaz ghosted in between Nakazawa and Yuki Abe to nod in Ahmed Al Bahari pinpoint cross from the right.

But for a second time Japan hit back soon after and for a second time the equaliser came from an Endo corner.

The Gamba Osaka midfielder's 53rd minute flag kick was headed back across the penalty area by Seiichiro Maki and dispatched past Al Mosailem via an acrobatic scissors kick from Abe.

Abe had appeared to atone for his earlier defensive lapse but the Urawa Reds midfielder and Nakazawa were again culpable as the Saudis made it 3-2 four minutes later.

Malek Maaz took possession on the left side of the penalty box and easily skipped past the Japanese duo before unleashing a powerful drive beyond Kawaguchi.

Japan struggled to break down the Saudis but came within a lick of paint to drawing level with nine minutes left to play as substitute Naotake Hanyu, a 75th minute replacement for Endo, sending a thunderous long range drive crashing off the cross bar.

The victory helped the Saudis avenge their 1-0 defeat to the Japanese in the 1992 and 2000 Asian Cup finals and set-up a showdown in Jakarta with Iraq after Jorvan Vieira's side defeated Korea Republic 4-3 on penalties following their goalless draw in the other semi-final played earlier in Kuala Lumpur.

FINAL AFC ASIAN CUP 2007!!

2007-07-25T23:17:00.000+08:00

IRAQ VS SAUDI ARABIA

29/7/07 19:35

Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, IDN

WHO WILL WIN???

Japan 2 - 3 Saudi Arabia

2007-07-25T23:13:00.000+08:00

AFC Asian Cup: Semifinals

Japan : 2 ( Yuji Nakazawa (37), Yuki Abe (53) )

Saudi Arabia : 3 ( Yasser Al Qahtani (35), Malek Maaz (47), Malek Maaz (57) )

Stadium : My Dinh National Stadium

Iraq through to final

2007-07-25T22:38:00.000+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR – Iraq claimed a place in the AFC Asian Cup final for the first time ever after outlasting Korea Republic 4-3 in a penalty shootout at Bukit Jalil National Stadium on Wednesday evening.

After a physical encounter which finished goalless, the Middle Eastern side prevailed in the spot kick lottery as goalkeeper Noor Sabri tipped aside Yeom Ki-hun’s spot kick and Kim Jung-woo hit the post with his side’s final attempt.

The Iraqis will face either Japan or Saudi Arabia in the final in Jakarta on Sunday, while the Koreans will be left to rue yet another missed opportunity as their title drought of 47 years continues.

Korea coach Pim Verbeek made two changes from his side’s quarter-final win against Iran with Cho Jae-jin replacing Lee Dong-gook at centre forward and Choi Sung-kuk coming in for Kim Jung-woo on the left of midfield, while Iraq coach Jorvan Vieira made only one alteration from the 2-0 win over Vietnam as Qusai Munir replaced Haitham Kadhim in midfield.

The heavy conditions caused by incessant rain didn’t make for good football in a scrappy and goalless first half.

The first real chance fell to the Iraqis on 16 minutes as the ball broke in the Korean box to Younis Mahmoud, who arrived late yard box and fired a half-volley into the side netting.

The Koreans should have been awarded a free kick on the edge of the Iraq box midway through the half after Jassim Mohammed pulled down Lee Chun-soo but Kuwaiti referee Saad Al Fadhli allowed play to go on and Cho Jae-jin fired in a weak shot that gave goalkeeper Noor Sabri no problems

Iraq then went close when Haidar Abdul Amer’s cross from the right on 28 minutes flew just in front of a completely unmarked Karrar Jassim.

Mahmoud then had another chance to increase his tally for the tournament in the 39th minute when he controlled Hawar Mohammed’s through pass on the turn and fired a left-footed shot across the body of goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae, just wide of the far post.

Two minutes before the break, Choi Sung-kuk’s free-kick from the right of the Iraq box was punched away by Sabri just in front of a flying Cho Jae-jin.

The action picked up after the break with the best of the early chances falling to Lee Chun-soo whose shot on the turn in the 48th minute flew just wide

Basem Abbas was shown the game’s first yellow card in the 59th minute for a sliding challenge on Yeom Ki-hun and from the resulting free-kick, taken by Yeom, Kim Jin-kyu headed over.

The Iraqis received a gilt-edge opportunity on 62 minutes when they were awarded a free kick on the edge of the Korean box after Karrar Jassim tumbled over under a challenge from Kim Jung-woo. Nashat Akram fired in a low shot that ricocheted off the foot of Hawar Mohammed but flew straight into the grateful arms of Lee Woon-jae.

Yeom’s left-footed free kick on 66 minutes forced Sabri to scramble the ball off his goalline, and the left winger’s corner kick two minutes later was met by Kim Jin-kyu, whose goal-bound header was deflected wide.

At the other end, Mahdi Karim’s low shot from the right of the Korean box crept between the legs of Younis Mahmoud and rolled just wide of the far post.

As both teams continued to create chances, Lee Chun-soo fired a volley wide while Hawar Mohammed rose in the Korean box to send a header just off target.

Deep into stoppage time, the Koreans were awarded a free-kick 30 metres from goal but with everyone anticipating a shot by Lee Chun-soo, it was Yeom Ki-hun instead who fired the ball into the wall before putting the rebound straight at Noor Sabri.

Extra time was called for Once again at Bukit Jalil and after a cagey opening, the Koreans nearly broke the deadlock in the 95th minute when Lee Dong-gook’s flick on released Lee Chun-soo who rifled in a low shot from 20 metres which forced a good diving save out of Sabri.

Only the width of the post prevented the Iraqis from going ahead near the end of the first extra period of extra time as Mahdi Karim’s cross from the right was misjudged by Lee Woon-jae and was met by Hawar Mohammed whose shot hit the left upright before being hacked off the line by Kim Jin-kyu.

In the second period of extra time, Lee Chun-soo sent a free kick from the right edge of the box just over the crossbar while Hawar Mohammed fired a shot across the face of goal with the Korean defence standing and watching.

As penalties loomed, a header off a Mahdi Karim corner flew straight at Lee Woon-jae before Lee Dong-gook squandered the final attempt of the game, firing high over the crossbar from 20 metres.

The first six penalties of the shootout were converted before Sabri tipped Yeom’s poorly-taken attempt around the post.

Ahmed Mnajed then converted before Kim Jung-woo’s final attempt for the Koreans hit the right post, sending the Iraqis through to their first ever Asian Cup final.

Japan maintain respect for dangerous Saudis

2007-07-25T03:42:00.001+08:00

HANOI – Despite their impressive record against Saudi Arabia at the AFC Asian Cup, defending champions Japan are taking nothing for granted for their semi-final clash at My Dinh National Stadium on Wednesday night.

The Japanese have twice defeated the Saudis in the Asian Cup final, winning 1-0 in Hiroshima in 1992 and again in Beirut in 2000, while also trouncing the Middle Eastern side 4-1 during the group stage of the latter tournament.

However, Japan coach Ivica Osim does not want his players to reach too much into those past results.

“Saudi Arabia are a very good side,” said the former Yugoslavia coach, who was in charge of Japan during the Asian Cup qualifiers last year when they lost 1-0 to the Saudis in Jeddah in September before gaining revenge with a 3-1 win in Sapporo in November.

“They were strong last year, but they are now different, a new team under a new coach,” added the Bosnian of the team now led by Brazilian Helio dos Anjos.

“They play a more aggressive and modern style of football and also have a few players who are difficult to deal with.”

Japan midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura admits to being impressed by the attack of the three-time winners, who began the tournament with a 1-1 draw with Korea Republic before recording three straight wins, defeating co-hosts Indonesia 2-1 and Gulf counterparts Bahrain 4-0 during the group stage, and Uzbekistan 2-1 in the quarter-finals.

“I’ve seen their games on television and I know they have a few good players, especially Yasser Al Qahtani, who is a dangerous player,” said the Celtic player.

“But we also have Bomber [Yuji Nakazawa] in our backline, too,” Nakamura added.

“It’s going to be a tough game, for sure. It’s going to be hot too.

“It’s important to have technique but you’ve got to be tough mentally as well.”

While there are doubts over the fitness of right back Akira Kaji, who hurt his ankle during the quarter-final victory against Australia and had trained separately from the rest of the squad for the last two days, Osim is hoping to name an unchanged squad for the last four clash.

“Any team has a speedy forward and the Saudi forwards are good. But that doesn’t mean that you have to change your backline. I don’t believe it is necessary to change our defenders as they have abilities,” the 66-year-old said.

“If I keep the same team or change the team around, I will get criticized if we fail anyway. But I as coach will take all the responsibilities if we lose tomorrow,” he added.

Saudis down resilient Uzbekistan

2007-07-23T17:02:00.001+08:00

JAKARTA – Saudi Arabia continued to bury the demons of their disappointing AFC Asian Cup showing in China three years ago by progressing to the semi-finals with a 2-1 win over Uzbekistan on Sunday evening.

Helio Anjos’ team will now meet the defending champions in Hanoi in the semi-finals in a repeat of the 2000 final, when Japan secured a second Asian title with a 1-0 in the Lebanese capital Beirut.

Goals from Yasser Al Qahtani – his third of the competition – and substitute Ahmed Al Mousa took the Saudis through, although they had an anxious last 10 minutes when Pavel Solomin pulled one back in the 81st minute.

Alexander Geynrikh hit the post two minutes later as the Saudis survived by the skin of their teeth against an Uzbek side that hit the woodwork on a total of five occasions throughout the 90 minutes.

The Saudis took the lead in only the third minute when Abdulrahman Al Qahtani burst down the left before cutting his cross into the Uzbek penalty area. Goalkeeper Ignatiy Nesterov parried the ball away from goal, but only as far as Yasser Al Qahtani, who slotted home from 12 yards out.

Just two minutes later Uzbekistan almost snatched an equaliser when Server Djeparov smashed his effort from the edge of the penalty area but, with Yasser Al Mosailem well beaten, the ball came back off the Saudi keeper’s left upright.

The brisk opening continued in the 11th minute when Nesterov pulled off a fine save from Saad Khariri, the Al Ittihad midfielder flicking Abdulrahman Al Qahtani’s free kick towards goal with his head.

Uzbekistan captain Maksim Shatskikh caused problems throughout the opening period and 19 minutes into the game he tried his luck from distance, only for Walid Abdrabh Jahdali to deflect the shot wide via the post.

Three minutes later the Uzbeks were to be frustrated again, this time as Aziz Ibragimov steered Djeparov’s corner wide. But in the 28th minute Rauf Inileyev’s side thought they had finally pulled level.

Djeparov’s free kick was saved by Al Mosailem, and Shatskikh fired high into the net on the rebound. However, the assistant referee ruled the effort out for offside.

Yasser Al Qahtani almost doubled Saudi Arabia's lead in the 31st minute only to pull his shot wide while Malek Maaz’s header was also just off target three minutes later.

An end-to-end half finished with Vitaly Denisov firing a powerful shot from the left across the face of goal, narrowly missing the far post.

The Uzbeks continued their quest for the equaliser within four minutes of the restart when Djeparov’s cross was met by Ibragimov, but his downward header came back off the woodwork.

But as they became increasingly desperate, the gaps started to appear at the back. Inileyev’s side had two warnings – from Taisser Al Jassam and Al Mousa – in the minutes before the Saudis doubled their advantage.

Al Mousa started and finished the move that ultimately won the game for the Saudis, laying the ball off to Khaled Aziz, who found Yasser Al Qahtani and his perfect pass split the Uzbek defence and Al Mousa finished in style with 15 minutes to go.

Solomin, however, finally found the back of the net for the Uzbeks six minutes later when he bundled the ball over the line after Hayrulla Karimov's header had hit the crossbar and Geynrikh thought he had done enough to take the game into extra-time only for his right-foot shot to come back off the frame of the goal.

Shootout king Lee triumphant again

2007-07-23T16:59:00.000+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR – Lee Woon-jae continued his amazing record in penalty shootouts on Sunday when he stopped two Iranian spot kicks to send Korea Republic through to the semi-finals of the AFC Asian Cup.

The 34-year-old is perhaps best remembered for his heroics at the 2002 World Cup when he stopped Joaquin’s spot-kick in a quarter-final shootout against Spain to send the Taeguk Warriors through to the last four.

But Lee’s penalty-stopping exploits have also proved invaluable for his club, Suwon Samsung Bluewings, who have won a string of honours in shootouts with the veteran keeper between the posts.

Lee was in goal when Suwon won both the Asian Club Championship and Asian Super Cup on penalties in 2002 and repeated his heroics two years later when the Bluewings defated Pohang Steelers in yet another shootout in the K-League championship final.

And with his stops on Mehdi Mahdavikia and Rasoul Khatibi in Sunday’s quarter-final clash at Bukit Jalil National Stadium, the Korean skipper kept his country on course for a first Asian Cup title in 47 years.

Unsurprisingly, coach Pim Verbeek was delighted with the contribution of the most senior member of his squad, who was named the game’s most valuable player.

“I think that Lee Woon-jae really deserved his MVP award today,” the Dutch coach said.

“He made some fairly good saves in the second half and of course what he did in the penalty shootout was really, really good.”

But Lee himself was modest about his performance, which set up a last four meeting with Iraq in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.

“I don’t think I made good saves in the shootout,” Lee said. “It was more likely the mistakes of the Iranian penalty takers.

“If they had been well taken, I could not have saved them.

“When it comes to penalty shootouts, the advantage is with the goalkeeper because it is the players taking the kicks who will be more nervous.

“So I just had to wait for the moment when the Iran players made their mistakes.”

There was some concern for Lee after he stopped Khatibi’s attempt with his left foot, a save that would prove crucial as Kim Jung-woo stepped up to slot the ball past Vahid Taleblou with the next spot kick to seal a 4-2 win for the Koreans.

Lee was seen limping away after his save on Khatibi and attended the post-match press conference with his left foot wrapped in ice.

However, he reassured Korean journalists: “There is no problem at all and I will be okay for training tomorrow.”

SEMI FINAL !!

2007-07-22T23:27:00.000+08:00

DATE : 25/7/07

SEMI FINAL 1 ( 18:20 )

IRAQ VS KOREA REPUBLIC

STADIUM : National Stadium Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, MAS

SEMI FINAL 2 ( 20:20 )

JAPAN VS SAUDI ARABIA

STADIUM : My Dinh National Stadium, Hanoi, VIE

LETS GO TO THE STADIUM!!!

Iran pay penalty as Korea progress

2007-07-22T23:25:00.001+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR - Iran’s hopes of a first AFC Asian Cup title in 31 years were dashed on Sunday evening after Team Melli were beaten by Korea Republic in a tense penalty shootout at a rainy Bukit Jalil National Stadium.

The match went to penalties after a lively and physical quarter-final encounter between two familiar foes had finished goalless and goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae emerged as the hero for the Taeguk Warriors, stopping attempts by Mehdi Mahdavikia and Rasoul Khatibi to give his side a 4-2 victory.

Korea, who face Iraq in the semi-finals at the same venue on Wednesday, avenged a 4-3 defeat suffered to the Iranians at the same stage in China three years ago.

The two teams had also met in the quarter-finals of the previous two Asian Cups with the Koreans winning 2-1 in Lebanon in 2000 and Iran scoring a 6-2 win in the United Arab Emirates in 1996.

Korea coach Pim Verbeek made two changes from the side that beat Indonesia 1-0 with forwards Lee Dong-gook and Yeom Ki-hun replacing Cho Jae-jin and Choi Sung-kuk.

Meanwhile, Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei made three alterations from the side which beat Malaysia 2-0 with Rasoul Khatibi, Mehrzad Madanchi and Mohammed Nosrati replacing Reza Enayati, Eman Mobali and Ferydoon Zandi.

The Bukit Jalil Stadium was far from full for the clash between two superpowers of Asian football but the two sets of supporters created a rousing atmosphere that was mirrored on the pitch by robust play from both sides in the early exchanges.

The Koreans had the first real opening in the sixth minutes when they were awarded a free kick for Mohammed Nosrati’s challenge on Yeom Ki-hun but dead ball specialist Lee Chun-soo failed to take advantage, firing his effort from 20 metres over the crossbar.

The Koreans did much of the early probing but their high defensive line was nearly caught out on two occasions, Khatibi flagged offside both times as he looked to burst clear from midfield.

Yeom Ki-hun’s strong running caused plenty of problems for the Iranians and he very nearly forced an opening on 23 minutes when he made a mazy run through the heart of the Team Melli defence only to stumble on the soggy pitch as he closed in on goal.

A minute later, goalkeeper Hassan Roudbarian had to dive low to his left to keep out a low shot by Kim Sang-sik which took a slight nick off Lee Chun-soo on the edge of the Iran box.

Iran were struggling to contain the pace of the Koreans but Mehdi Mahdvikia almost caught out the east Asians with a quick break on the half-hour, turning Kim Chi-woo inside the Korean box before dragging his attempt wide.

As the half came to a close, it was the Iranians who enjoyed the best chances, with Ali Karimi denied by the feet of Lee Woon-jae on 42 minutes after receiving a neat pass from Vahid Hashemian, while Mahdavikia saw his goal-bound shot blocked by Kim Jin-kyu in the six-yard box.

Lee Woon-jae was called into action once again early in the second half, punching clear under challenge from Hashemian on the edge of his six-yard box.

On the hour, the Koreans nearly broke the deadlock when Yeom Ki-hun gathered the ball on the edge of the Iranian box after Nosrati had missed a header. The Jeonbuk Motors failed to connect cleanly but his shot bounced dangerously towards goal, forcing Roudbarian to desperately palm the ball aside.

The cut and thrust continued with Cho Jae-jin heading over after Kim Chi-woo had crossed from the left byline.

Khatibi nearly punished hesitant goalkeeping by Lee Woon-jae midway through the second half, as he beat the Korean skipper to a long ball played down the left flank only to be taken out by a crunching tackle by Oh Beom-seok, who received a yellow card for his troubles.

For all of the endeavour of the two teams, there were few clear-cut chances in the second half until the closing minutes when Javad Nekounam fired a fierce drive from 30 metres straight at Lee Woon-jae before Zandi put in a low cross from the left flank to fellow substitute Enayati, who put his shot wide at the far post.

For the second time in this year’s Asian Cup, extra-time was required but there were precious few chances in the extra frames with the Koreans going close on 99 minute when Choi Sung-kuk’s corner kick was flicked across goal by Kang Min-soo.

Nekounam then squandered an opening right before the teams changed ends, firing wide from the edge of the box after receiving an excellent layoff from Karimi.

Mahdavikia forced Lee Woon-jae into a diving stop early in the second extra period but with both sides tiring on the heavy pitch, a penalty shootout became almost inevitable.

Iran brought on goalkeeper Vahid Taleblou in place of Roudbarian in the dying seconds for the shootout and his lanky frame kept out Kim Do-heon’s third attempt for the Koreans.

However, Lee Woon-jae kept out attempts by Mahdavikia and Khatibi, allowing Kim Jung-woo to roll home the winning kick, sending Korea through to a last four meeting with Iraq.

Saudi Arabia 2 - 1 Uzbekistan

2007-07-22T23:21:00.000+08:00

AFC Asian Cup: Quarterfinals

Saudi Arabia : 2 ( Yasser Al Qahtani (3), Ahmed Al Mousa (75) )

Uzbekistan : 1 ( Pavel Solomin (82) )

Stadium : King Fahd International Stadium

Iran 0 - 0 South Korea ( South Korea win 4-2 on penalties )

2007-07-22T21:02:00.000+08:00

AFC Asian Cup: Quarterfinals

Iran : 0

South Korea : 0

Stadium : National Stadium Bukit Jalil

South Korea win 4-2 on penalties

Younis double takes Iraq to final four

2007-07-22T12:07:00.000+08:00

BANGKOK – Two goals from skipper Younis Mahmoud saw Iraq defeat Vietnam 2-0 in the AFC Asian Cup quarter-finals at the Rajamangala Stadium on Saturday as the West Asian nation reached the final four of the continent’s premier competition for the first time since 1976.

Mahmoud opened the scoring with just two minutes gone but Vietnam rallied and kept the Iraqis at bay until the Al Gharafa striker curled home a 64th minute free-kick to seal the win.

Iraq coach Jorvan Vieira was without the suspended Qusay Muneer and fellow midfielder Saleh Sadir while defender Khaldoun Ibrahim dropped to the bench. Haitham Kadhim and Karrar Jassim Mohammed came into midfield and Haidar Abdul Amer started in place of the Iran-based stopper.

After going down 4-1 to Japan in their final group match Vietnam coach Alfred Riedl opted to start with two up-front as Binh Duong dangerman Nguyen Anh Duc came in for midfielder Phan Van Tai Em, who didn’t make the trip to Bangkok due to his wedding ceremony. Midfielder Phung Cong Minh came in for Nguyen Minh Chuyen while Chau Phong Hoa replaced Phung Van Nhien in defence.

Riedl had stated that his team were the underdogs and any hopes that Vietnam would cause an upset suffered a massive blow within 90 seconds when Mahmoud put Iraq one up with his second goal of the tournament, heading home a Nashat Akram free-kick curled in from the left.

Vietnam struggled to find a foothold and didn’t create anything until the 18th minute when Le Cong Vinh’s shot was blocked for a corner before the Song Lam Nghe Anh striker tested Noor Sabri a minute later with a long-range shot that was taken comfortably by the Iraq keeper.

In the 32nd minute Iraq were forced into making a substitution with Ahmad Abid Ali replacing Haitham Kadhim, who never fully recovered from a crunching tackle from Cong Minh four minutes earlier, which earned the combative 21-year-old the first yellow card of the match.

On the stroke of half-time Vietnam came close to drawing level when Nguyen Vu Phong burst through the centre and played a one-two with Phong Hoa but the Binh Duong winger’s drive across the area was cleared by substitute Ahmad Abid Ali before Cong Vinh could knock the ball home from close range.

Five minutes after the interval Ali Hussein Rehema was fortunate to escape a booking when he pulled down Cong Vinh and the Iraqis escaped further punishment when Noor Sabri palmed clear the resulting free-kick swung in by Vu Phong.

Iraq doubled their advantage in the 64th minute and again it came courtesy of Mahmoud as the 2006/07 Qatar League top scorer exquisitely swept home a free-kick, awarded after a foul on Karrar Jassim.

Mahmoud almost completed his hat-trick in the 78th minute but his downward header following Mahdi Karim’s cross from the right was kept out well by Duong Hong Son and the man of the match had to be content with taking his tournament tally to three.

Iraq, who bowed out of the last three Asian Cups at the quarter-final stage, head to Kuala Lumpur to face either neighbours Iran or Korea Republic in the semi-finals on Wednesday.

Iraq 2 - 0 Vietnam

2007-07-21T23:11:00.000+08:00

AFC Asian Cup: Quarterfinals

Iraq : 2 ( Younis Khalef (2) , Younis Khalef (66) )

Vietnam : 0

Stadium : Rajamangala Stadium

Japan 1 - 1 Australia ( Japan win 4-3 on penalties )

2007-07-21T21:25:00.000+08:00

AFC Asian Cup: Quarterfinals

Japan : 1 ( Naohiro Takahara (72)

Australia : 1 ( John Aloisi (69) )

Stadium : My Dinh National Stadium

Japan win 4-3 on penalties

Kawaguchi the hero as Japan progress

2007-07-21T21:22:00.000+08:00

HANOI - Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi was the hero for defending champions Japan as they eliminated Australia 4-3 in a penalty shootout to progress to the semi-finals of the AFC Asian Cup.

Kawaguchi saved from both Harry Kewell and Lucas Neill as Japan’s quest for a third successive Asian Cup title stayed alive with Yuji Nakazawa scored the winning penalty emphatically past Mark Schwarzer.

The Japanese rekindled memories of their last appearance in the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup, when they knocked out Jordan in similar fashion before going on to win the title.

It was a brave performance, though, from the Australians who played the entire extra-time period with just 10 men after Vince Grella was sent off.

At score at that stage was 1-1 after John Aloisi’s 70th minute opener was cancelled out less than two minutes later when Naohiro Takahara struck from close range.

Aloisi struck for the Socceroos with just 20 minutes to go when he pushed home a corner from substitute Harry Kewell after the ball had somehow managed to cross the six-yard box untouched.

But Australia’s lead lasted less than two minutes when Takahara capitalised on Mark Milligan’s miss-hit clearance before turning and firing past Schwarzer, via the goalkeeper’s right post.

Japan’s hopes of progressing improved further as time was running out when referee Kuwaiti Saad Khameel Al Fadhli sent midfielder Vince Grella off when he hit Takahara in the face with a flailing arm as both went up for a header, but Ivica Osim’s team were unable to take full advantage.

Not surprisingly, the champions controlled possession but they lacked the creativity to breach the tightly packed Australian defence.

The game went into extra-time but the Australians put up a dogged defence and successfully kept the Japanese at bay, even though there was a scare for the Socceroos with just second remaining.

A lofted cross into the penalty area was met by Shunsuke Nakamura’s flying volley, but Schwarzer’s reflex save to his right kept the ball out and took the game into a penalty shootout.

Kawaguchi guessed correctly to deny Kewell and Neill while Nakamura and Yasuhito Endo converted successfully before Tim Cahill put Australia on the board.

Yuichi Komano made it 3-1 and Nick Carle kept Australia alive with his spot kick. The pressure increased on Japan when Takahara put his effort over the bar and when David Carney scored that left Nakazawa to go head-to-head with Schwarzer.

The veteran defender, however, was equal to the task to send Japan into the semi-finals once again.

Vietnam star snubs key Asian Cup clash to get married

2007-07-21T12:10:00.000+08:00

BANGKOK, July 19 (Reuters) - Vietnam's Phan Van Tai Em is in coach Alfred Riedl's bad books after arranging his wedding party for the same day as their Asian Cup quarter-final against Iraq.

Although the midfield playmaker will miss Saturday's match in Bangkok, Riedl is more unhappy with Tai Em's lack of faith in the Vietnamese team.

'It's very disappointing that he has no confidence in his team, or he would not have arranged his wedding for the same day as the quarter-finals,' the Austrian told Reuters.

'I won't ask him to cancel. He's invited all the guests already. He just didn't believe the team had a chance,' Riedl added.

Buoyed by huge home support, co-hosts Vietnam finished a surprise second in Group B behind three-times champions Japan to reach the Asian Cup knockout stages for the first time in 47 years.

Source : soccernet

Viduka relishing Nakazawa battle

2007-07-21T12:07:00.000+08:00

HANOI – Australia striker Mark Viduka has admitted his battle with Japan’s veteran centre-back Yuji Nakazawa could be a major factor in deciding who comes out on top in Saturday’s AFC Asian Cup quarter-final meeting at the My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi.

Three-time winners Japan and Australia, making their first Asian Cup appearance, were billed as pre-tournament favourites and the battle between Viduka and Nakazawa is set to be a major factor in determining who advances to a semi-final meeting with either Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan in Hanoi next Wednesday.

Newcastle striker Viduka headed home two late goals in the must-win triumph over Thailand which helped secure Australia’s passage into the last eight after Graham Arnold’ side had weathered a second half storm from the co-hosts, who only needed a draw to advance and send the Socceroos crashing out.

The 31-year-old former Leeds and Middlesbrough frontman was also on the scoresheet during the 3-1 defeat by Iraq, while Yokohama Marinos defender Nakazawa led Japan to the top of Group B with a string of commanding displays for the defending champions.

“The last time we met I found him a very difficult defender to play against. He is big, he is strong and also very mobile and a very difficult player and it will be a big battle,” said Viduka.

“We both also have other strengths in our team apart from us two. We got players on the bench who can come on a make a difference so it should be a good all round battle.

“They have just come through their season so maybe they are fitter than us and accustomed to the weather and they do have an advantage over us in terms of that, but we are now getting to a point where we are getting used to it. But for both sides it’s going to be a difficult thing to overcome.”

Australia’s lacklustre displays against Oman, which saw a point rescued by a stoppage time strike from substitute Tim Cahill, and the defeat by group winners Iraq led to Arnold and his side coming under severe criticism from certain sections back home.

But Viduka was delighted as the Socceroos responded to down Thailand, capped off by two trademark headers from the veteran striker, who made his international debut in 1994.

“We started off on the wrong foot in the first two games in our group and were deserved to be criticised for the way that we played,” he added. “The criticism started to be focused on non-football things, especially in Australia, and we all knew in the last game we needed a good result and I think it brought us together and put us all in the same boat and gave us that extra motivation to do well.

“It’s always a good thing for a striker to score goals. Sometimes you have a blinder and you don’t get a sniff on goal but sometimes you have a shocker and they bounce off your backside and they go in. It’s always a good confidence factor when you score goals for any player, striker or non-striker.

“In the last game against Thailand I didn’t think I had played that well but I scored two goals and it could have been down to the formation. At the clubs I have played at I have always played with two strikers and personally I think it’s a lot easier to have somebody else up there, not just for myself, but it gives the other players another person to target.”

The Newcastle striker, who made the switch for St James’ Park from Middlesbrough at the end of the last domestic season in England, has revealed a long held respect for current Japan coach Ivica Osim, admitting their paths have crossed prior to this weekend’s meeting in northern Vietnam.

“I have always admired him as a coach since he coached the Yugoslavia national team at the World Cup in Italy,” said the striker. “I have always known of him and a few times when I was playing in Croatia we played some friendly matches against Sturm Graz where he was coaching at the time.

“I never met him until I played in a testimonial for Zvonimir Boban in Zagreb and he was the coach of the team I was playing for. I have found him to be a very approachable person and he made a good impression on me.”

Japan are favourites, says Arnold

2007-07-21T03:40:00.000+08:00

HANOI – Australia coach Graham Arnold has handed defending champions Japan the favourites tag ahead of Saturday’s eagerly anticipated AFC Asian Cup quarter-final showdown between Asia’s heavyweights in Hanoi.

Australia needed a 4-0 victory over Thailand in their final Group A game to advance, while Japan eased through by topping Group B and remain in northern Vietnam, all factors which lead Arnold to lean in the direction of Ivica’s Osim’s side ahead of kick-off at the My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi.

“I think Japan deserve to be favourites. If you look at the group games they have been in better form than us,” said Arnold, who enjoyed two years in Japan with J.League side Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

“Their local players in the J.League are in the middle of their season so at this stage they deserve to be favourites, but saying that, Australians love to be underdogs. We had our first final against Thailand, we came through that, and this is our second one.”

The Socceroos made a slow start to their maiden continental adventure after a draw against Oman and defeat by Iraq, but Arnold is confident his side will again produce the required performance on Saturday after storming to the crucial victory over Thailand.

Arnold goes into the game without the suspended Luke Wikshire, who collected a second yellow card during the victory over Thailand, but with Lucas Neill returning from a ban, Brett Emerton will take up the vacant midfield role on the right and Michael Beauchamp and Mark Milligan will join the West Ham man in a three man central defensive backline.

“It’s going to be a very difficult game as Japan have shown some good form in the group stage. We have grown in momentum in our three games and we are looking forward to the game,” he said.

“This game has come at a great time for us; maybe the first two games against Oman and Iraq shocked the players in showing how difficult the tournament is. You are going to have to come up against one of the favourites sometime and I’m quite happy to come up against them now.

“Japan have played a slow, patient style up to now in Hanoi but a fast pace would suit us because we have got players who thrive on fast football and love playing fast attacking football.”

Arnold has also played down any advantage his side may have following Australia’s victory over Japan at last summer FIFA World Cup which has dominated the majority of pre-match build-up.

“It’s a totally different competition, the Asian Cup it totally different from the World Cup last year. There are different players involved and different coaches involved,” said Arnold, who worked under Guus Hiddink in Germany.

“Japan are a very, very good side and we are going to have to perform at our best to be successful. We have trained very well over the last few days since we have been here in Vietnam, the group is very happy. The 4-0 victory over Thailand gave us a lot of confidence and we are looking forward to it,” said Arnold.

Quater Final Shedule

2007-07-19T09:13:00.000+08:00

Quarter-Final 1

Stadium : Rajamangala National Stadium, Bangkok, THA

Match : Iraq VS Vietnam

Kick Off :21/7/07 ( 20:20 )

Quarter-Final 2

Stadium : National Stadium Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, MAS

Match : Iran vs Republic Korea

Kick Off : 22/7/07 ( 18:20 )

Quarter-Final 3

Stadium : My Dinh National Stadium, Hanoi, VIE

Match : Japan vs Australia

Kick Off : 21/7/07 ( 17:20 )

Quarter-Final 4

Stadium : Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, IDN

Match : Saudi Arabia vs Uzbekistan

Kick Off : 22/7/07 ( 20:20 )

Norizan axed as Malaysia coach

2007-07-19T09:11:00.000+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR - Norizan Bakar has been sensationally axed by Malaysia’s football authorities despite his side earning plaudits galore during a narrow 2-0 AFC Asian Cup defeat to Iran on Wednesday.

An emotional Norizan told reporters that he had been told of the decision before the Iran match, an encounter that followed a 5-1 defeat against China as well as a 5-0 drubbing by Uzbekistan, results that were clearly beyond the pale for those in power at the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).

The former Perlis and Penang boss, whilst philosophical about the news, was adamant that he had been poorly treated.

“I have been told by the FAM that my assignment as national team coach has come to an end at the Asian Cup,” the 46-year-old said.

“I was told prior to the Iran match and I must say that I think the decision is unfair as I have always tried my level best to achieve things with the personnel that I have at my disposal.

“You know, my training is as a teacher and I know full well that when a student fails I do not then immediately have to stop teaching. Having said that, this is football. In coaching there will always be hiring and firing and football is all about results and because of that I have to accept the decision.

“There now have to be solutions found to the problems. There were definitely problems in terms of our preparation for this tournament. Problems though are meant to be solved."

Despite finishing bottom of Group C, Malaysia’s performance against the might of group winners Iran, especially in the face of recent criticism, delighted the departing Norizan.

“With all the criticism and all the humiliation thee has been, the morale of the players was very low going into this match, in fact it was going from bad to worse. I therefore have to take my hat of to them. They showed real guts in the way they played," he said.

“I suppose nobody wants to be criticised. It was very hard for the players to play here. I have to say that the players showed their true selves tonight in terms of team spirit and togetherness.”

Norizan also revealed that his player’s much improved display was proof that the Malaysian team needed to be supported even if they continue, for the time being at least, to struggle against the big hitters of world football.

“A game like we had tonight shows that Malaysia needs to be supported. After the two looses and all the criticism the players were very down. But they bounced back," he added.

“Look we have nothing to lose by playing these bigger teams. We must learn from our experiences,” he added before leaving to a standing ovation."

Uzbekistan stun China

2007-07-18T23:11:00.000+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 (Reuters) - Uzbekistan knocked Group C favourites China out of the Asian Cup with a stunning 3-0 upset victory at the Shah Alam Stadium on Wednesday. Dynamo Kiev striker Maksim Shatskikh, Pakhtakor midfielder Timur Kapadze and veteran Alexander Geynrikh scored late in the second half to break the hearts of the 2004 runners-up. I

ran finished top of the group on seven points after their 2-0 win over co-hosts Malaysia on Wednesday, with Uzbekistan second on six points. China finished with four points and Malaysia lost all three matches. China needed only a draw to reach the quarter-finals after a 5-1 victory over Malaysia and a 2-2 draw with Iran. Uzbekistan, who thrashed Malaysia 5-0 after losing 2-1 to Iran, needed to win to reach the last eight. Uzbekistan will travel to Jakarta to face Saudi Arabia in the quarter-finals on Sunday. Iran stay in Malaysia to take on South Korea.

Uzbekistan 3 - 0 China

2007-07-18T22:27:00.000+08:00

AFC Asian Cup: Group C

Uzbekistan : 3 ( Maksim Shatskikh (72), Timur Kapadze (86), Aleksandr Geynrikh (90) )

China : 0

Stadium : Shah Alam Stadium

Malaysia 0 - 2 Iran

2007-07-18T22:18:00.000+08:00

AFC Asian Cup: Group C

Malaysia : 0

Iran : 2 ( Javad Nekounam (pen 29), Andranik Teymourian (79) )

Stadium : National Stadium Bukit Jalil

Indonesia 0 - 1 South Korea

2007-07-18T20:18:00.000+08:00

AFC Asian Cup: Group D

Indonesia : 0

South Korea : 1 ( Jung-Woo Kim (33) )

Stadium : Gelora Bung Karno Stadium

Saudi Arabia 4 - 0 Bahrain

2007-07-18T20:09:00.000+08:00

AFC Asian Cup: Group D

Saudi Arabia : 4 ( Ahmed Al Mousa (18), Abdulrahman Al Qahtani (45), Taisir Al Jassam (68), Taisir Al Jassam (79) )

Bahrain : 0

Stadium : Jaka Baring Stadium

Forget Saudi loss, says Kolev

2007-07-18T12:06:00.000+08:00

JAKARTA – Indonesia coach Ivan Kolev has stressed that his players must put their injury-time defeat against Saudi Arabia out of their minds as they prepare to take on Korea Republic in their crucial Group D clash on Wednesday evening.

Both teams need to win to have any hope of progressing to the next round, with the Indonesians still smarting after the Saudis scored three minutes into injury time to take all three points in their encounter at a sold-out Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on Saturday evening.

Another full house is expected on Wednesday when the Indonesians take on the perennial World Cup qualifiers and their Bulgarian coach is working to keep his team focused on the task in hand.

“It’s difficult to forget the loss against Saudi but my players are professional and I think the players will come to the field with the final objective of qualifying in their mind,” he said.

“The most important game for us is the next game against Korea. We know so many good things about Korea and we have to attack. We have to find a way to score a goal and we will see the results when the game is finished.”

Victory would guarantee the Indonesians a place in the last eight while a win for Korea would leave Pim Verbeek’s side waiting anxiously on the result of the meeting between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, which will kick off at the same time in Palembang.

Kolev is aware of the difficult task facing his side in Wednesday’s game.

“We all know the Korean team is one of the strongest in Asia,” he said. “So it’s going to be a tough match.

“Both teams will go to the game with the same chance and both teams need to win to go through to the next round. We will see what the result is on the field tomorrow.”

Captain Ponaryo Astaman is expected to play after missing the Saudi Arabia game due to injury while Mahyadi Panggabean may also start.

“Ponaryo will be fit tomorrow while Mahyadi is 80 percent fit to come to the stadium to play tomorrow,” said Kolev.

Socceroos come good to advance

2007-07-17T12:51:00.000+08:00

BANGKOK – Mark Viduka scored twice in the final 10 minutes to seal a 4-0 win for Australia over Thailand and earn the Socceroos a place in the quarter-finals of the AFC Asian Cup.

The result flattered Graham Arnold’s team after Thailand dominated the second half and had the chances to pull level after Michael Beauchamp had given the Australians the lead with a 21st minute header.

But it was Australia’s aerial prowess that won them the game with Viduka holding off the Thai defence to score the goal that effectively won the game 10 minutes from time before sealing the result with a header three minutes later.

Harry Kewell then completed the win when he slotted past Kosin Hathairatanakul in injury time.

Graham Arnold made four changes from the team that lost 3-1 to Iraq, with Kewell axed along with Patrick Kisnorbo and Brett Holman while Lucas Neill missed the game due to suspension.

As a result, Beauchamp and John Aloisi started, as did Sydney FC duo Mark Milligan and David Carney, and the Australians looked the better for the changes.

With the rain falling incessantly throughout the first 45 minutes, the Socceroos started the game at a higher tempo than they have in their previous two games and they dominated the early stages of the game.

It took the Australians 21 minutes to put themselves on the scoreboard when Luke Wilkshire sent his free kick into the Thai penalty area and Beauchamp was left unmarked to head past Kosin.

Suchao Nutnum could have responded just two minutes later for the Thais only for his long-range shot to fly straight at Mark Schwarzer while moments later Suree Sukha sent in a searing low cross that Kiatisuk Senamuang only just failed to direct into the Australian goal.

Needing a draw to progress to the knockout phase, the Thais pushed for the equaliser and dominated the second period, although Wilkshire went close to adding a second just seconds after the restart.

Suree continued to cause problems down the right for Thailand while Tawan Sripan and Kiatisuk worked tirelessly in attack, and it was the former Hudderfield Town man who set up substitute Pipat Thonkanya with a back-heel into the area, only for Pipat to shoot straight at Schwarzer.

Kewell came off the bench and headed over the bar in the 68th minute before another long range effort from Suchao blistered the paint of Schwarzer’s left post. Datsakorn Thonglao tried his luck from distance soon after, only for the Middlesbrough goalkeeper to hold onto the shot.

With 10 minutes remaining and with the Thais pushing hard for the equaliser, Viduka killed off the game.

His first came when Tim Cahill sent in his cross from the left and Viduka controlled the ball on his chest before holding off the Thai defence and firing past Kosin.

Three minutes later Cahill and Viduka linked up again, with the Everton man crossing from the left this time to allow the powerfully built striker to head home.

And Kewell completed the scoring right at the end when he ran in unopposed on Kosin before sliding the ball to the right of the keeper.

Oman & Iraq draw 0-0 !

2007-07-16T22:46:00.000+08:00

AFC Asian Cup: Group A

Oman : 0

Iraq : 0

Stadium : Supachalasai Stadium

Thailand 0 - 4 Australia

2007-07-16T22:44:00.000+08:00

AFC Asian Cup: Group A

Thailand : 0

Australia : 4 ( Michael Beauchamp (21), Mark Viduka (80), Mark Viduka (83), Harry Kewell (90) )

Stadium : Rajamangala Stadium

Qatar 1 - 2 United Arab Emirates

2007-07-16T20:25:00.000+08:00

AFC Asian Cup: Group B

Qatar : 1 ( Sebastian Quintana (42) )

United Arab Emirates : 2 ( Saeed Al-Kas (59), Faysal Khalil (90) )

Stadium : Army Stadium

Vietnam 1 - 4 Japan

2007-07-16T20:22:00.000+08:00

AFC Asian Cup: Group B

Vietnam : 1 ( Keita Suzuki (og 8) )

Japan : 4 ( Seiichiro Maki (12), Yasuhito Endo (32), Shunsuke Nakamura (53), Seiichiro Maki (59) )

Stadium : My Dinh National Stadium

Koreans stunned by Abdullatif strike

2007-07-16T01:40:00.000+08:00

JAKARTA – Bahrain striker Ismail Abdullatif blew a massive hole in Korea Republic’s AFC Asian Cup hopes on Sunday evening when he scored the winner five minutes from time to leave the two-time champions’ quarter-final hopes in serious doubt after suffering a 2-1 defeat.

Abdullatif capitalised on slack defending from the Koreans to slam home his shot from just inside the penalty area, beating World Cup goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae low and to his left to give Milan Macala’s side the three points.

The win gave the Bahrainis their first points of the tournament after they lost their opening game to co-hosts Indonesia, who Korea must now beat in their final game on Wednesday to have any hope of progressing.

Bahrain, meanwhile, will meet Group D leaders Saudi Arabia in their final game and will need a win against their Gulf rivals to be sure of reaching the last eight.

However, Pim Verbeek’s side were fastest out of the blocks and within four minutes they had taken the lead thanks to the invention of Lee Chun-soo.

The former Numancia man’s free kick from the edge of the penalty area was blocked, but when the ball landed back at his feet he scooped it over the defence and into the path of Kim Do-heon, whose fine left-foot volley gave Abdulrahman Ahmed no chance in the Bahrain goal.

Kim’s goal took the early sting out of the game as the Koreans sought to control the tempo, and it was a tactic that largely paid off.

But with two minutes left in the half Bahrain were level as Abdulla Marzooqi pumped a free kick deep into the Korean penalty area and Salman Isa lashed a low, left foot shot to beat Lee Woon-jae at his near post.

Clearly affected by the equaliser, the Koreans came out at the start of the second half looking to regain the lead, going agonisingly close on several occasions.

Lee Dong-gook’s shot from outside the area flew just wide two minutes after the restart and seven minutes later he dragged another effort across the face of the goal.

But Korea’s best chances came in the 55th minute when Dong-gook saw his shot beat Ahmed only for defender Sayed Adnan Mohamed to block the goal-bound effort. The ball fell at the feet of Do-heon but his attempt was hacked away by Rashed Al Dosari.

With 15 minutes on the clock, Chun-soo was well placed to reclaim the lead for the Koreans when substitute Cho Jae-jin headed the ball into his path, but the Ulsan Hyundai man’s miss-kick caused Ahmed no problem.

However, as Korea pushed forward looking for the winner, the gaps started to appear in their defence and eventually Bahrain took advantage when substitute Talal Yusuf forced the ball through to Abdullatif and he made no mistake with a fine right-foot finish.

Bahrain 2 - 1 South Korea

2007-07-15T23:06:00.000+08:00

AFC Asian Cup: Group D

Bahrain : 2 ( Salman Isa (43), Ismail Abdullahatif (85) )

South Korea : 1 ( Do-Heon Kim (4) )

Stadium : Gelora Bung Karno Stadium

Iran battle back to hold China

2007-07-15T23:03:00.000+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR – Javad Nekounam headed home in the 73rd minute as Iran recovered from a two-goal deficit to hold China to a 2-2 draw in an entertaining AFC Asian Cup Group C encounter at Bukit Jalil National Stadium on Sunday evening

In a rematch of the 2004 Asian Cup semi-final, won by the Chinese on penalties, Shao Jiayi fired the east Asian side ahead with a sixth-minute free-kick and Mao Jianqing extended their advantage with a well-taken effort in the 33rd minute.

But Ferydoon Zandi reduced the deficit right at the end of the first half before Nekounam rose above the Chinese defence to head the sides level 17 minutes from time, keeping the two teams level at the top of Group C with four points each.

The result eliminated co-hosts Malaysia from the tournament but left the top two spots in the group still up for grabs with Uzbekistan, who face China on Wednesday, just a point behind the two front-runners.

China named an unchanged starting 11 from the side that hammered Malaysia 5-1 in their opener while Iran made only one alteration from their 2-1 victory over Uzbekistan with Rasoul Khatibi replaced by Hossein Kaebi.

The match kicked off in damp conditions in front of a small but noisy crowd and it was the Chinese that showed the early attacking intent, nearly taking the lead inside 20 seconds with a scissors-kick volley by Han Peng that flew over the crossbar.

The 2004 runners-up battered the Iranian goal in the early minutes and the pressure told in the sixth minute when Han was fouled by Javad Nekounam 25 metres from goal.

The Iranian midfielder was booked for the challenge and from the resulting free-kick, Shao Jiayi curled in an effort that Roudbarian got his hand to but could only palm into his own net.

The Iranians were having trouble coping with China’s high-tempo game and Ferydoon Zandi had to head the ball clear after Li Weifeng’s searching free-kick from his own half nearly picked out Han Peng.

China were fortunate to escape when Zandi’s low cross from the left byline was nearly deflected into his own net by Han but it could have been 2-0 on 31 minutes when Zheng Zhi worked a free-kick from the left over to an unattended Zhou Haibin who fired narrowly wide from 20 metres.

The Chinese would get their second though just two minutes later after Zheng floated in an inviting cross from the right flank that went just over the head of a leaping Shao Jiayi but dropped right at the feet of an unmarked Mao Jianqing, who rammed the ball past Roudbarian before Kaebi could close him down.

Stung into life by the second goal, Iran enjoyed their first decent period of possession in the closing minutes of the half.

Hashemian saw his glancing header saved by Li Leilei in the 36th minute and the China goalkeeper did even better on 43 minutes when he pushed aside a fierce drive by Mahdavikia from the top of the box.

However, Iran would got a lifeline right at the end of the half when they won a free-kick on the right of the Chinese box 20 metres from goal, Mahdavikia touching the ball to Zandi, who lashed a fierce shot past Li Leilei into the top right corner of the net.

Iran assistant coach Nasser Ebrahimi, who took charge with Amir Ghalenoei suspended, made two changes at the break, bringing on Eman Mobali and Javad Kazemian, for the disappointing Ali Karimi and Hossein Kaebi.

The start of the second half would be a scrappy affair as Iran tried to impose themselves on the Chinese, who were content to sit back and absorb the pressure.

For all their pressure, the Iranians made little headway early on with their best opportunities falling to Mobali, who dragged an effort wide from 20 metres in the 55th minute, and Hashemian, whose drive from the edge of the box was deflected over by Li Weifeng six minutes later.

The Iranians were virtually camped in the Chinese half and both Reza Enayati and Nekounam headed wide before the equaliser finally arrived in the 73rd minute when Nekounam rose majestically above the Chinese defence to level the score.

China had offered little to that point in the second half but they enjoyed the better of the closing minutes and could have stolen a winner in the 78th minute when Zhu Ting crossed from the left flank for Zhao Xuri, who lashed a first time volley narrowly wide.

At the end though, a draw was a fair reflection on a spirited encounter dominated by the Chinese in the first half and by the Iranians after the break.

China 2 - 2 Iran

2007-07-15T20:57:00.000+08:00

AFC Asian Cup: Group C

China : 2 ( Jiayi Shao (7), Jianquin Mao (33) )

Iran : 2 ( Ferydoon Zandi (45), Javad Nekounam (74) )

Stadium : National Stadium Bukit Jalil

Saudi Arabia 2-1 Indonesia: Hero Al Harthi

2007-07-15T19:10:00.000+08:00

JAKARTA, July 14 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia crashed Indonesia's Asian Cup party on Saturday by beating the co-hosts 2-1 in Group D thanks to Saad Al Harthi's stoppage-time winner. After dominating for the better part of an hour, Indonesia simply ran out of gas in the latter stages. Saudi Arabia, three times winners of Asia's premier soccer tournament, climbed to the top of the group on four points after the win, with Indonesia in second a point behind.

South Korea play Bahrain in the other group match on Sunday. Indonesia coach Ivan Kolev, who had hoped for a brighter end to his 50th birthday, could not hide the heartbreak. 'I felt very disappointed for the team, especially for the supporters,' said the popular Bulgarian, who received an ovation from the local media at the post-match news conference.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was among the 88,000 in attendance at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, hoping to see the home side clinch a quarter-final berth with a win. Indonesia, backed by a manic home crowd, started brightly and carved out a couple of early chances, but it was Saudi Arabia that grabbed the lead in the 15th minute. Ahmed Al Bahri surged down the right and delivered an inviting cross into the box, where Yasser Al Qahtani snapped a header past Indonesia goalkeeper Yandri Pitoy.

The home side struck back five minutes later. Elie Aiboy, who earlier spurned an opportunity with the goal at his mercy, latched onto a through ball and strode into the penalty area, drawing Saudi goalkeeper Yasser Al Mosailem and slotting home. The Saudi keeper had to make two stunning stops just before half-time as Indonesia's impish wingers threatened to run riot, but they failed to press home the advantage. Saudi Arabia looked the stronger side in the second half while the co-hosts wilted, and it was only goalkeeper Pitoy that kept Indonesia in the game.

But after two great saves to deny Abdulrahman Al Qahtani, Pitoy was finally beaten deep in injury time when substitute Al Harthi popped up to head home the winner. The goal put Saudi in pole position in Group D, but coach Helio Cesar dos Anjos received more criticism than acclaim for his side's performance from the Saudi Arabian media.

'There's no national team on the planet that can play a game without having a few problems,' the Brazilian countered. 'It doesn't matter if it's Germany, Brazil or Argentina who were playing today, they all would have had problem moments.'

Saudi Arabia 2 - 1 Indonesia

2007-07-14T22:55:00.000+08:00

AFC Asian Cup: Group D

Saudi Arabia : 2 ( Yasser Al Qahtani (12), Saad Al Harthi (90) )

Indonesia : 1 ( Elie Aiboy (20) )

Stadium : Gelora Bung Karno Stadium

Uzbekistan 5-0 Malaysia: Shatskikh at the double

2007-07-14T22:49:00.000+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 (Reuters) - Maksim Shatskikh made a triumphant return from suspension to spark Uzbekistan to a 5-0 drubbing of hosts Malaysia in Asian Cup Group C on Saturday. Captain Shatskikh, suspended for Uzbekistan's 2-1 loss to Iran, scored twice as his side revived their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals. Tournament co-hosts Malaysia face almost certain elimination following their opening 5-1 defeat by China.

Striker Shatskikh, who plays for Dynamo Kiev, opened the scoring in the 10th minute, Timur Kapadze scored a classy goal on 20 minutes and Ulugbek Bakaev stroked home a penalty in first-half stoppage time to give Uzbekistan a 3-0 lead. Substitute Aziz Ibragimov added a fourth after 85 minutes and Shatskikh struck four minutes later to give the Uzbeks three points from two matches, level with China and Iran who meet on Sunday.

Despite being named man of the match, Shatskikh was unhappy with his performance. 'I'm not into assessing my own play, I leave that up to the coaches,' he told a news conference. 'But I what I can say that I did not do enough today. It was difficult to play in this hot climate but we won because we were able to take our chances.' Shatskikh added much-needed firepower to the forward line and became the first player from his team to score a goal in the competition. Against Iran, they scored via an own-goal from defender Rahman Rezaei.

Server Djeparov's 10th-minute free kick from the right bounced past the Malaysian defence and Shatskikh was free at the far post to score with an easy header. Malaysia, vilified for their poor performance against China, appeared more determined against the Uzbeks. However, any hopes of a comeback were dashed by Kapadze's brilliance. The Pakhtakor midfielder bamboozled centre-back Khaironnisam Hussain before ghosting through two more defenders to slot the ball past goalkeeper Azizon Kadir.

Azizon gave away the third goal seconds before halftime when he brought down Bakaev, who converted the resultant penalty. Ibragimov made it 4-0 five minutes from the end when he turned in Pavel Solomin's cross and Shatskikh completed the rout by hitting the target from close range after a pass from Djeparov.

source : soccernet

Uzbekistan 5 - 0 Malaysia

2007-07-14T20:16:00.000+08:00

AFC Asian Cup: Group C

Uzbekistan : 5 ( Maksim Shatskikh (10), Timur Kapadze (29), Ulughbek Bakaev (pen 45), Aziz Ibragimov (85), Maksim Shatskikh (89) )

Malaysia : 0

Stadium : National Stadium Bukit Jalil

Takahara delighted with result

2007-07-14T20:11:00.000+08:00

HANOI - Japan striker Naohiro Takahara was a happy man after helping his side beat the United Arab Emirates 3-1 in the AFC Asian Cup.

Takahara scored twice while Celtic midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura converted a penalty as the defending champions overcame the hot and humid conditions at My Dinh National Stadium to send the Gulf Cup champions crashing out of the tournament.

"I’m pleased with the win,” said Takahara. “I was hoping to grab a win so that we would find our rhythm.

"Getting this good result can help encourage us to play better in the coming game. In a tournament like this, the more you win the stronger you get.”

The Eintracht Frankfurt striker found the net in the 22nd minute and the 27th minute and he admitted he just aims to be in the right place at the right time.

"I always try to be in the position where I can score when we get a chance. That’s important to me,” said Takahara. “The United Arab Emirates didn’t play too defensively against us and I was looking for a space to move in [for scoring].”

Japan had to win the game in order to keep their hopes of going for their fourth overall Asian Cup title well alive after being held to a 1-1 draw by Qatar in their opening Group B match on Monday.

Japan and Gamba Osaka midfielder Yasuhito Endo said he and his teammates were determined to do well before going into Friday’s game.

“Everyone was up for the game from the very start,” said Endo. “The win has given us more confidence.”

But Japan goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi didn’t forget to point out what has to be fixed ahead of their next game against Vietnam.

With a win there, Japan can win the group and with it a place in the quarter-finals.

“We should review the fact that we gave up one goal when we had more players than the opponents,” the three-time World Cup player Kawaguchi said.

Takahara, who motioned to the bench for substitution and was consequently taken off in the 67th minute, admitted that he was feeling sick during the game after he had got little sleep the night before.

“I thought that it would be better for our team to play with a fresh player,” said Takahara. “But I will be ready for the next game. I have no intention to sit out.”

UAE 1 - 3 Japan

2007-07-13T23:32:00.000+08:00

AFC Asian Cup: Group B

UAE : 1 ( Saeed Al-Kas (66) )

Japan : 3 ( Naohiro Takahara (22), Naohiro Takahara (27), Shunsuke Nakamura (41) )

Stadium : My Dinh National Stadium

Iraq 3 - 1 Australia

2007-07-13T20:17:00.000+08:00

AFC Asian Cup: Group A

Iraq : 3 ( Nashat Akram (23), Hawar Mulla Mohammed (60), Muhamed Karrar (86) )

Australia : 1 ( Mark Viduka (47) )

Stadium : Rajamangala Stadium

Qatar 1 - vietnam 1

2007-07-12T22:42:00.000+08:00

AFC Asian Cup: Group B

Qatar : 1 ( Sebastian Quintana (79) )

Vietnam : 1 ( Phan Thanh Binh (32) )

Stadium : My Dinh National Stadium

Oman 0-2 Thailand: Pipat double tops group

2007-07-12T22:25:00.000+08:00

BANGKOK, July 12 (Reuters) - Substitute Pipat Tongkanya scored twice in eight minutes to lift hosts Thailand to a 2-0 win over Oman and top spot in Asian Cup Group A on Thursday. Pipat combined with pacy substitute Teerathep Winothai in the 70th and 78th minutes to give the Thais a well-earned victory.

The goals came after 69 minutes of relentless Thai attacking, with the Omanis, who drew 1-1 with tournament favourites Australia on Sunday, rarely looking dangerous. The Socceroos meet Iraq on Friday in the next Group A game.

source : soccernet

Musovic cleared after dismissal

2007-07-12T19:47:00.000+08:00

HANOI - Dzemaludin Musovic will be allowed to take his place on the Qatar bench for Thursday’s AFC Asian Cup Group B meeting with co-hosts Vietnam despite being sent from the touchline during the draw with Japan.

Musovic was sent to stands by Australian referee Matthew Breeze following the stoppage time dismissal of Qatar striker Hussain Yasser.

The 62-year-old was charged under Article 55 of the AFC Disciplinary Code, but was cleared following a meeting in Jakarta on Thursday.

As expected the AFC Disciplinary Committee confirmed that Yasser will be suspended for the meeting with Vietnam.

South Korea 1-1 Saudi Arabia: Power failure

2007-07-12T00:15:00.000+08:00

JAKARTA, July 11 (Reuters) - South Korea and Saudi Arabia battled out a 1-1 draw in their opening Asian Cup Group D match after the game was halted for 20 minutes due to a power failure on Wednesday.

Following a cagey first half, Korea took the lead though Choi Sung-kuk in the 66th minute, the diminutive winger somehow rising high enough to nod home Oh Beom-sok's cross. Saudi Arabia levelled with a controversial penalty 10 minutes later when Malek Mazz went down in the box. Yasser Al Qahtani stepped up to score from the spot.

The game was suspended with five minutes remaining after the lights went out at Gekora Bung Karno Stadium, leaving the players to wander aimlessly around the pitch for 20 minutes. Play restarted when the floodlights were restored though most of the stadium remained in darkness.

The result left Indonesia at the top of Group D following the co-hosts' 2-1 win over Bahrain on Tuesday.

Substitute Kazemian hands Iran winning start

2007-07-11T22:09:00.001+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR – Substitute Javad Kazemian scored 13 minutes from time as Group C favourites Iran came from a goal down to beat Uzbekistan 2-1 in their opening match of the AFC Asian Cup at Bukit Jalil National Stadium on Wednesday.

The Uzbeks went in front through a Rahman Rezaei own goal after 15 minutes but Iran battled back after the break, levelling the score through Seyed Jalal Hosseini’s 55th minute header before Kazemian sprinted clear to net the late winner.

The victory put the Iranians level on points with group leaders China, who hammered co-hosts Malaysia 5-1 on Tuesday.

Uzbekistan created the first chance of the match in the fifth minute as Timur Kapadze stole between two defenders to reach a Vitaliy Denisov cross, only to put his header straight at Iran goalkeeper Hassan Roudbarian.

Iran manufactured an opening of their own two minutes later when Ali Karimi’s defence-splitting pass released Vahid Hashemian on the right side of the area, the Hannover 96 striker firing in a shot that was well stopped by Uzbek goalkeeper Pavel Bugalo.

Bugalo was called into action again two minutes later he rushed off his line to gather the ball at the feet of Hashemian as the Iranian forward cut into the area from the right flank.

Both sides were still settling into their stride when Uzbekistan took the lead following a calamitous error by Rezaei.

Chasing a hopeful long ball lofted forward by Denisov, the Livorno defender appeared to have the beating of Ulugbek Bakaev as he headed the ball back towards goal from the edge of the box.

But Roudbarian had strayed off his line and the ball looped over a helpless goalkeeper to hand Uzbekistan the lead.

The central Asian side nearly extended their lead eight minutes later when a free-kick from the right by skipper Server Djeparov found Kapadze, whose unchallenged header went agonisingly wide of Roudbarian’s right post.

Two minutes before the break, a cross from the left by Hashemian found an unmarked Rassoul Khatibi, who headed wide from inside the area.

Kazemian came on at the break for Khatibi and the right winger’s introduction helped to spur the Iranians to life as they levelled the score 10 minutes into the second half.

Iran skipper Mehdi Mahdavikia swung in a corner from the left and Hosseini rose majestically above the Uzbek defence to meet the ball with a downward header that just crept in at the far post.

Iran turned up the heat and went close to taking the lead five minutes after the hour mark when an excellent run and cut back by Kazemian was hacked clear by Aleksey Nikolaev just before reaching a lurking Javad Nekounam.

Nekounam would get another chance three minutes later as Kazemian made another fine run down the right flank and crossed for the Osasuna midfielder, who headed straight at Bugalo.

For all of Iran’s pressure, it was the Uzbek’s who nearly went back in front with 18 minutes remaining as Djeparov lofted the ball over the Iranian defence to Kapadze, who saw his effort stopped by the feet of the onrushing Roudbarian.

Iran netted the winning goal five minutes later as Teymourian’s fine defence-splitting through ball released Kazemian, who drilled a low shot past the advancing Bugalo from just inside the area.

The game heated up in the closing minutes and Iran coach Amir Ghalanoei was sent-off from the bench with six minutes remaining by Kuwaiti referee Saad Kameel Al Fadhli after throwing a water bottle at the fourth official.

Bambang strike downs Bahrain

2007-07-11T00:25:00.001+08:00

JAKARTA – Former Selangor striker Bambang Pamungkas handed Indonesia an impressive 2-1 win over 2004 semi-finalists Bahrain as the surprises continued at the AFC Asian Cup 2007 on Tuesday evening.

Bambung struck in the 62nd minute after Abdulrahman Abdulkarim had pushed Firman Utina’s long-range shot against the post to give Ivan Kolev’s side the perfect start to their Group D campaign.

Budi Sudarsono opened the scoring after 14 minutes for the home side only to see Sayed Mahmoud Jalal pull the Bahrainis level in the 27th minute.

The win means three of the four co-hosts will go into the second round of group matches unbeaten after Thailand held Iraq to a 1-1 draw on the opening day before Vietnam downed the United Arab Emirates 2-0 on Sunday.

The Indonesian fans were in raptures after just 14 minutes when they took the lead following a perfectly played through ball by Firman.

The Persima Tangerang midfielder scooped the ball over the Bahrain defence and Budi evaded the offside trap to leave himself one-on-one with Abdulkarim, who he rounded after controlling the ball on his chest before sliding his shot home.

Budi’s goal caused pandemonium in the stands, sparking flare-waving celebrations on the packed upper tier of the famous old stadium as the home fans dared to dream that they could match the performances of fellow co-hosts.

But, after offering little in the way of a goal-scoring threat throughout the half, the Bahrainis pulled level three minutes before the half hour mark.

Mahmoud Abdulrahman dispossessed Mahyadi Panggabean on the left side of the Indonesian half before playing the ball through to Abdullah Omar and, although his shot was blocked at the near post, Sayed Mahmood Jalal was on hand to slot home the rebound.

Indonesia came close to reclaiming their advantage three minutes before the end of the half, however, when the quick thinking of Elie Aiboy almost punished Bahrain, the Arema Malang midfielder stealing the ball off Fawzi Ayesh before firing off a shot that Abdulkarim parried to safety.

Seventeen minutes after the restart, though, the Indonesians were back in front as Bambang finished off a fine move.

Elie, who tormented the Bahrain defence throughout the game, sped down the left before cutting the ball inside to Budi, who laid the ball off to Firman and he fired off a shot that was pushed onto the post by Abdulkarim.

But as the ball bounced back into the middle of the penalty area, Bambang seared in to finish emphatically.

As the clock ticked down the fans inside the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium cranked up the volume, although Rashed Al Dosari almost spoiled the party 12 minutes from time when his looping effort from inside the penalty area hit the crossbar.

China hammer co-hosts Malaysia

2007-07-11T00:20:00.000+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR – Han Peng and Wang Dong netted two goals apiece as China kicked off their AFC Asian Cup 2007 campaign in style with a 5-1 trouncing of Malaysia at Bukit Jalil National Stadium on Wednesday.

Shao Jiayi also scored for the 2004 runners-up who over-powered the co-hosts to send out a clear message of intent to Group C rivals Iran and Uzbekistan.

Substitute Indra Putra Mahayuddin grabbed a consolation goal for the Malaysians, who became the first of the four co-hosts to lose a match in the competition following victories for Vietnam and Indonesia against United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, respectively, and a draw for Thailand against Iraq.

China threatened as early as the second minute when Mao Jianqing crossed from the left to Wang whose first-time shot was well saved by Malaysia goalkeeper Azizon Kadir.

Han then missed a glorious chance in the seventh minute when he outjumped two Malaysia defenders to meet Wang’s cross from the right only to put his header wide.

Malaysia enjoyed a brief period of pressure with Akmal Rizal Rakhli narrowly caught offside on a through pass by Fauzie Nan but the Asian Cup 2004 runners-up would take the lead on 15 minutes after a finely worked goal.

A defence-splitting pass by Shao released Wang who took the ball to the right byline before cleverly lofting it to the far post where an unmarked Han headed easily into the back of the net.

The home side nearly found their way back into the game as Hairuddin Omar just failed to meet a Hardi Jaffar corner with his head.

But China turned up the heat as the half progressed and should have gone two goals up on the half-hour mark as Mao turned a Wang cut-back over the crossbar from three yards out.

It would be only a brief reprieve for Norizan Bakar’s side as China notched their second in the 36th minute. Chinese skipper Zheng Zhi was the provider this time with a cross from the left which was narrowly missed by a leaping Han but fell nicely for an unmarked Shao to stab the ball into the unguarded net from six yards out.

As the half came to a close, Akmal turned Zhang Yaokun on the right flank and centred the ball into the danger area where an alert Li Weifeng managed to scramble the ball away before it could fall into the path of Hairuddin.

Hairuddin had the first effort of the second half, heading a corner wide two minute after the break but the Chinese soon regained control when Shao’s left-footed shot from the edge of box was turned out by Azizon for a corner.

China duly extended their advantage on 51 minutes when Wang’s shot from edge of box took a big deflection off Fauzie Nan and rolled agonisingly past Azizon.

Four minutes later, it was 4-0 as Han easily notched his second of the game, tapping in at the far post after Mao’s cross from the left flew over the head of defender Norhafiz Zamani Misbah.

Substitute Indra Putra grabbed a consolation goal for the Malaysians in the 73rd minute, firing a low drive past Li Leilei from 25 metres after a fine lay-off by Hairuddin.

They could have got another shortly afterwards as Hardi fired in a free-kick from the right flank that eluded a crowd of players in the middle and very nearly surprised goalkeeper Li.

But Wang piled further misery on the co-hosts deep into injury time with a towering header that flew over the head of Azizon to complete an emphatic win for the Chinese.

Malaysia 1 China 5

2007-07-10T22:25:00.000+08:00

AFC Asian Cup: Group C

Malaysia : 1 (Indra Putra Mahayuddin (72) )

China : 5 (Peng Han (15) , Jiayi Shao (36) , Dong Wang (51) , Peng Han (55) , Dong Wang (90) )

Stadium : National Stadium Bukit Jalil

Indonesia Win 2-1 Over Bahrain

2007-07-10T20:14:00.000+08:00

AFC Asian Cup: Group D

Indonesia : 2 ( Budi Sudarsono (14) ), ( Bambang Pamungkas (64) )

Bahrain : 1 ( Sayed Mahmood Jalal (27))

Stadium : Gelora Bung Karno Stadium

Lee named Korea captain for Saudi clash

2007-07-10T18:11:00.001+08:00

JAKARTA – World Cup veteran goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae will captain Korea Republic during his side’s AFC Asian Cup Group D opener against Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

Korea coach Pim Verbeek has handed the armband to the Suwon Bluewings goalkeeper, who has returned to the national team squad after spending a period on the sidelines.

“We have a lot of very good goalkeepers in Korea but Woon-jae is by far the most experienced,” said Verbeek. “We took a very large selection with us and the coaching staff and players are very pleased to have Woon-jae.

“He will start tomorrow and he will captain the team.”

Lee, who was one of the heroes of Korea’s run to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup finals on home soil, struggled for form throughout the latter stages of 2006 and only played a minor role in qualifying for the Asian Cup finals.

But he has returned to reclaim his position between the posts and will lead the team in the absence of regular captain Kim Nam-il, who misses the tournament through injury.

Lee’s experience will be important for the Koreans after Verbeek was forced to bring a relatively young squad to Indonesia after the withdrawal through injury of England-based trio Park Ji-sung, Seol Ki-hyeon and Lee Young-pyo.

Verbeek is hoping his side can end a series of disappointing results, both against Saudi Arabia and in the Asian Cup.

The Koreans have not beaten the Arab side in a competitive fixture since 1989 – although they did down the Saudis in Riyadh in a friendly in 1994 - while they have not won the Asian Cup in 47 years, when they lifted their second title in 1960, four years after claiming the inaugural championship.

“Saudi is always a tough opponent and I have heard its 18 years and Korea have never won against Saudi, so it’s our target to finish that,” he said. “The first game in the tournament is very important but the most important thing is that you get out of the group and go to the next round and we will do everything we can to get to the final.

“Saudi is one of the candidates, they are strong physically, experienced and I’m sure they had much longer preparation than us. It will be a good game and a good test to see where we are.”

And while Verbeek believes the hot and humid conditions will take their toll on all the teams, he is confident the Koreans will battle through the pain barrier to achieve their goal of winning the tournament.

“From the start of our training camp I explained that the climate is one of our enemies, but I’m so long in Korea now that I know my players and one of the strengths of Korean football is that the players will never give up,” he said.

“Of course they will struggle but they will never give up. It won’t be easy because it’s a different climate than we are used to.”

Astaman calls on fans' support

2007-07-10T12:57:00.001+08:00

JAKARTA - Indonesia captain Ponaryo Astaman has urged Indonesian fans to show up in numbers at the Gelaro Bung Karno stadium on Tuesday when they take on Bahrain in their Group D opener in this year's AFC Asian Cup finals.

The inspirational midfielder will be playing his second AFC Asian Cup campaign after he played in the 2004 competition in China and scored the winner in Indonesia's 2-1 win against Qatar.

Speaking at the official press-conference before the match, Astaman said that fans support in necessary if they want to have a bright start to their 2007 AFC Asian Cup campaign.

"I invite all our fans to come to the stadium on Tuesday," said the 27-year-old, who plies his trade with Arema Malang. "I want also to ask them to wear the red and white colors and try their best to help and motivate the team in order to win."

Astaman explained the difference between Bahrain and Indonesia and said that their physical presence could be an advantage for Bahrain.

"The difference between Bahrain and Indonesia is the height as their players are slightly taller than us and it will give them slight advantage on us," explained Astaman.

"However, as there are negatives there are other positives of being short and I'm sure that we can find a way to try to make it difficult for Bahrain to beat us on Tuesday," he added.

Astaman is keen to follow fellow co-hosts Vietnam and Thailand after the duo secured good starts with a victory and draw against UAE and Iraq respectively.

"The big evidence of the physical difference is what we saw in the two matches for the other co-hosts," he added. "Thailand and Vietnam players are more like Indonesians but they had good start against Arab teams.

"We hope we can have a good start like Vietnam and I hope that it will inspire us to get a win."
When asked about the target that was set by the PSSI President in the tournament as Nurdin Halid said that Indonesia's goal is to reach the quarter-finals, Astaman said that they will try their best to achieve that.

"All of us are participating teams and we have to play hard whatever the target is," he said. "We will play hard to achieve that target."

Quintana foils Japan with late strike

2007-07-09T22:12:00.000+08:00

HANOI – Qatar earned a share of the spoils with defending champions Japan when Sebastian Quintana scored with just two minutes remaining to hand the Asian Games gold medallists a 1-1 draw at My Dinh Stadium on Monday evening

The Uruguay-born forward hit a free kick from the edge of the Japanese penalty area that was deflected past goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi by the defensive wall, cancelling out Naohiro Takahara’s opener in the 61st minute.

Japan coach Ivica Osim will feel as if his team squandered two points after dominating for much of the game against a Qatar team that opted to take on a defensive stance throughout the match.

A cagey opening was compounded by Qatar coach Dzemaludin Musovic’s decision to pack his back line, a tactic that frustrated the three-time winners, who dominated possession but were unable to break through.

Despite Japan’s position of strength, it was the Qataris who carved out the first chance of the game, forcing Kawaguchi into a save in the 17th minute when Mohammad Gholam struck a free kick and the Jubilo Iwata goalkeeper punched the ball clear.

Four minutes later, Shunsuke Nakamura went for goal only for his attempt to be blocked by a Qatari defender.

After the break, Musovic introduced Majdi Siddiq for Mesaad Al Hamad, and the Al Khor midfielder presented an initial threat, playing a one-two with Quintana only for the Japanese defence to snuff out any promise that the move may have held.

However, Japan eventually reclaimed control of the game and in the 57th minute they came close to opening the scoring when Satoru Yamagishi fired over the bar after Takahara’s knock-down found him unmarked eight yards from goal.

Four minutes later, though, Japan were in front. Yasuyuki Konno latched on to a through ball from Kengo Nakamura on the left side of the box before sending a low cross with the outside of his right foot to Takahara at the far post, and the Eintracht Frankfurt man made no mistake.

In the 81st minute, Quintana, who operated alone up front for most of the game, threatened the Japanese goal with a free kick which was just over the bar.

But seven minutes later he had more luck after he was impeded by Yuki Abe and he picked himself up off the turf to fire through the wall and past Kawaguchi.

The game ended on a sour note for the Qataris, however, when Hussein Yasser was sent off for a lunge at Hideo Hashimoto and coach Muzovic was also sent to the stands for protesting too loudly over the call.

Japan 1 - 1 Qatar

2007-07-09T20:17:00.000+08:00

Japan : 1 ( Naohiro Takahara (61) )

Qatar : 1 ( Sebastian Quintana (88) )

Stadium : My Dinh National Stadium

Match Time : 11:20 UK

Malaysia coach looking forward to China test

2007-07-09T19:58:00.000+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, July 9 (Reuters) - Malaysia coach Norizan Bakar expects his team to be given the sternest of tests when they open their Asian Cup campaign with a Group C encounter against China on Tuesday.

Malaysia gained automatic entry into the Asian Cup as one of the four co-hosts, but are considered underdogs of a strong group that also includes Iran and Uzbekistan.

'The question for us is now is whether we are going to be outplayed by the good teams or are we going to match them,' Norizan told reporters on Monday.

'The players want to play against the good teams in Asia and this is the great chance to prove themselves.' Norizan is also banking on a big turnout of Malaysian supporters at the Bukit Jalil Stadium to help encourage his players.

Malaysia were soundly beaten by Jamaica and the United Arab Emirates during their finals preparations for the Asian Cup, with their only warm-up victory a 6-1 triumph over lowly Cambodia. Norizan is expected to spearhead his attack with striker Hairuddin Omar, who is relishing the opportunity of playing in a major international tournament.

'I've played against Chelsea and Brazil in friendly matches but this tournament is the biggest one for me,' he said. Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia are the other hosts of the 16-nation tournament that culminates with the final in Jakarta on July 29.

source : soccernet.com

China's Zheng wants Premier return

2007-07-09T16:54:00.000+08:00

China international captain Zheng Zhi, who spent the end of last season on loan at Charlton, sees this month's AFC Asian Cup as a chance to enhance his reputation as he seeks a return to European football.

Despite Charlton's relegation, Zheng enjoyed his time in the Premier League experience and is hoping to return to Europe. The 26-year-old said: 'The experience of playing in the English Premier League was a very good one for me.

I enjoyed playing at Charlton, I benefited a lot from it and I hope that the experience I gained from playing there can help my national team at the Asian Cup. 'The higher quality of football, the physical contact, the way that we prepared for matches - there was so much that was different about playing in English football. 'I am hoping to move back to Europe again and right now, my agent is trying to secure a deal for me. 'But for sure, the Asian Cup is a big chance to make an impression and to win another move to Europe.' Zheng was a member of the Chinese national side that finished runners-up at the 2004 tournament on home soil, converting two penalties in their 3-0 quarter-final triumph against Iraq.

He feels that there is even more pressure on the team to perform at this year's tournament after reaching the final last time out. 'Of course, there was a lot of pressure for us to do well as the hosts in 2004 but being the home side also gave us many advantages then,' said Zheng, whose side face co-hosts Malaysia in their opening Group C match in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.

source : soccernet.com

Asian Cup 2007 Oman vs Australia 1-1

2007-07-09T16:49:00.000+08:00

Result: Autralia ( 1 ) vs Oman ( 1 )

Vietnam-UAE highlight ( Video )

2007-07-09T16:45:00.000+08:00

Super sub Cahill rescues subdued Socceroos

2007-07-09T10:35:00.001+08:00

BANGKOK – Oman were denied the first shock of the AFC Asian Cup 2007 when substitute Tim Cahill scored an injury-time equaliser as pre-tournament favourites Australia drew 1-1 with the Gulf Sultanate at the Rajamangala Stadium on Sunday.

The result mirrored Saturday’s result between Group A hosts Thailand and Iraq, leaving all four teams level on points and goal difference after the first round of matches.

Badar Mubarak looked to be the hero for Oman when he opened the scoring in the 32nd minute and just as it was looking as though Australia’s competition debut would end in defeat, the Everton midfielder continued his knack of scoring vital goals for his country when he levelled the tie right at the death.

It was rough justice on the lively Omanis but the four minutes of injury time were always a possibility as their frustrating time-wasting tactics came back to haunt them.

The opening 10 minutes of the match was a scrappy affair with neither side creating any clear cut chances until Ismail Ali, Oman’s top scorer in qualifying with four goals, headed Yousuf Sha’ban’s corner over the bar.

Oman again came close to breaking the deadlock five minutes later when Sha’ban dived into the six-yard box in a desperate attempt to get his head on the end of an Ahmed Hadid free-kick swung in from the left.

The Socceroos seemed to be labouring in the Bangkok humidity and shortly after Brett Emerton had become the first player to enter Seychellois referee Eddy Maillet’s book Australia mustered their clearest effort at goal.

Harry Kewell, who had earlier attempted to win a penalty by falling to the ground under minimal contact from defender Hassan Yousuf Madhafar, was perfectly placed in the apex of the six-yard-box to hammer home Luke Wilkshire’s 20th minute free-kick but the injury-prone Liverpool attacker took his eye off the ball and knocked it across goal instead of into the back of the net.

The Gulf side, playing in only their second Asian Cup finals, took the lead in the 32nd minute when Imad Ali picked up possession on the left side deep into Austrailian territory.

The Qatar Sports Club forward, who scored three times in Oman’s debut Asian Cup campaign, tried to set up Ismail Al Ajmi but while he failed to connect with pass the ball landed fortuitously into the path of Badar Mubarak whose low shot had too much purchase for Mark Schwarzer to keep out.

Australia had the chance to hit back immediately but recently-signed Newcastle United striker Mark Viduka swept a free-kick high and wide before Oman goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi was out sharply to deny Mark Bresciano, after the Palermo midfielder had superbly controlled the ball to set up the 41st minute chance.

Three minutes after the restart Oman almost doubled their lead when Ahmed Mubarak cleverly created space for a low shot from just outside the area, but Schwarzer got down well to push the ball to safety.

The Middlesbrough keeper again came to his side’s rescue in the 70th minute with a timely one-handed save from Imad Ali’s header following a move that started with Oman keeper Ali Al Habsi punching clear a Wilkshire corner.

With 13 minutes left to play Schwarzer was again the saviour for Australia with a smart block from Fawzi Basheer, although the midfield dynamo, who came on for goal scorer Badar Mubarak on the hour mark, should have put the game beyond any doubt.

Oman were punished for the profligacy and their numerous unnecessary injury stoppages when Cahill fired home the rebound after Al Habsi could only parry Bresciano’s shot back to the feet of the former Samoa youth international, who was only cleared to play for Australia in 2004.

Co-hosts Vietnam shock Gulf Cup holders

2007-07-09T10:34:00.001+08:00

HANOI - Vietnam opened their AFC Asian Cup campaign with a thrilling 2-0 victory over the United Arab Emirates as second half goals from Huynh Quang Thanh and Le Cong Vinh ensured a surprise triumph over the Gulf Cup champions on Sunday.

The UAE had the better of the scoring opportunities in the first half with lively strike duo Faisal Khalil and Ismail Matar posing a constant threat to the co-hosts.

But after the UAE failed to take their chances, Alfred Riedl’s side took the lead just after the hour mark through Quang Thanh before 21-year-old Cong Vinh wrapped up the win to blow Group B, which also contains defending champions Japan and Qatar, wide open.

The UAE threatened in the closing stages, but failed to really trouble home goalkeeper Hong Son Duong as Vietnam claimed a historic victory.

The game began at a frantic pace in an electric atmosphere created by a near sell-out crowd at the My Dinh National Stadium, but neither side created a real opening with Khalil’s early shot, which was blocked on the edge of the area, the only real threat inside the opening 15 minutes.

Vietnam came within inches of opening the scoring with 16 minutes on the watch as Quang Thanh’s teasing free-kick from the right was flicked the wrong side of the upright by Dong Thap striker Phan Thanh Binh, while at the other end Matar curled a free-kick from the edge of the area just wide of the post.

Song Lam Nghe An custodian Son Duong kept the scores level after 30 minutes with a full length diving save after Khalil had broke into the area and looked to find the bottom corner with a low shot.

The home side came out of the blocks firing at the start of the second half and it took a diving save from UAE goalkeeper Majed Naser to deny Nguyen Vu Phong’s stinging low shot from the edge of the area before the custodian quickly regained his feat to comfortably save Binh Phan’s follow-up shot.

A flying Matar was felled on the edge of the area before the hour mark and after penalty appeals were waved away, the Al Wahda striker chipped the resulting free-kick over the bar.

Vietnam delighted the passionate home crowd four minutes after the hour mark as Quang Thanh pounced on Nguyen Minh Phuong’s chipped pass into the area and gave a helpless Naser no chance from close range.

The home side almost doubled the lead a minute later as Naser did well to parry Thanh Binh’s powerful close range strike and Vu Phuong scooped the rebound over the bar.

The crucial second goal came with 17 minutes remaining as Cong Vinh beat the UAE offside trap to lob Vu Phong’s lofted pass over an advancing Naser from the edge of the area.

Grella: First game will be tough

2007-07-06T16:28:00.001+08:00

BANGKOK - Midfielder Vince Grella believes Australia will not quite be at their peak when they make their debut in the AFC Asian Cup against Oman on Sunday.

The Socceroos are being touted as one of the favourites for the tournament with the majority of their squad playing their club football in the top leagues across Europe.

As a consequence, though, they are not used to the uncomfortable playing conditions of South East Asia, with humidity levels high and the threat of torrential rain storms hanging in the air.

The majority of the Australia squad has been training in Singapore for the last couple of weeks to acclimatise to the heat, while those who had been playing in Europe joined them a couple of days later.

With the European leagues' seasons just finishing, many players are still recovering from a long domestic campaign and that, coupled with the climate, could have an affect on the Socceroos.

"It is not easy cutting into the holiday of the players who need a rest after a long European season," Grella said.

"But I think they have made a lot of sacrifices; training in some awkward conditions, clocking up some kilometres and doing double sessions.

"I think we will be getting into that first game just a little under 100%.

"I think physically the opposition has maybe a little bit of an advantage over us, being used to this climate.

"We are trying to modify our way of playing and saving as much energy as we can to get through the game."

Sunday's Group A clash will mark the first time Australia have ever played Oman.

The Gulf side have qualified for the finals only once before, in 2004, and have never made it past the first round.

But, Oman go into the game on the back of a credible 1-1 draw with AFC Asian Cup heavyweights Saudi Arabia.

And Grella insisted Australia will not underestimate their opponents this weekend.

"Obviously we want to maxmise the points we can get in the group stage," he added.

"It is important to start well, I think the respect that the Australian national team has for Oman is high.

"We will be studying them closer in the next couple of days and for us it is important to start well."

Malaysia Team

2007-07-04T21:02:00.000+08:00

TO say Malaysian football is in a state of flux is an understatement.

Interest remains high in the domestic M-League, at least in the successful teams, but the international side is the cause of much hand-wringing if not national embarrassment.

The side slipped to its lowest international ranking in history last year -153 – and that came after the August 2006 FIFA rankings placed Malaysia at 148, behind Antigua & Barbuda and Sri Lanka, a fact that sparked a nationwide furore and, believe it or not, parliamentary discussion.

How the “mighty” has fallen since Malaysia was among the continent’s top sides in the 1970s, winning two South-East Asian Games gold medals, reaching the final rounds of the 1976 and 1980 Asian Cup, and qualifying for the 1972 and 1980 Olympic Games.

Malaysia has limited on-field expectations for 2007, hoping merely to avoid embarrassment as it makes a first-round exit in what coach Norizan Bakar has labelled, wait for it, a "group of death".

The size of the task facing Malaysia, the lowest-ranked side in the finals, is illustrated by the fact that it was defeated in friendlies against A-League sides Sydney FC and Central Coast mariners earlier this year.

Indra Putra Mahayuddin, who caused headlines for all the wrong reasons in early 2006, when he tested positive for marijuana, is among Malaysia’s best players.

A noted goal scorer for club and country, he will have to perform if Malaysia is cause its fans even a measure of cheer.

FIFA ranking (June 2007): 149
Asia ranking (June 2007): 26
Qualifying record: Automatic qualifier as co-host
Asian Cup record: Group stage 1976, 1980
Coach: Norizan Bakar
Star man: Indra Putra Mahyuddin

Malaysia Cup Squad
Azizon Kadir (Negeri Sembilan Naza), Suffian Abdul Rahman (Telekom Malaka FC); Kaironnisam Sahabuddin Hussain (UPB FC MyTeam), Hamzani Omar (Johor Pasir Gudang), Fauzie Nan (Perlis), Nazrulerwan Makmor (PKNS), K. Nanthakumar (Perak), V. Thirumurugan (Pahang), Rosdi Talib (Pahang), Aidil Zafuan Radzak (Negeri Sembilan Naza); Hardi Jaafar (Telekom Malaka FC), Norhafiz Zamani Misbah (Pahang), Ivan Yusoff (Kuala Lumpur), Fadzli Saari (Selangor), Shahrulnizam Mustapha (Perak), Eddy Helmi Manan (Johor FC), Nor Farhan Muhammad (Terangganu), Fauzi Shaari (Kedis), Shukor Adan (Selangor); Akmal Rizal Ahmad Rakhli (Selangor), Safee Sali (Selangor), Indra Putra Mahyuddin (Pahang), Hairuddin Omar (Pahang).

Source : By Andy Withers
FOXSPORTS.com.au

Saudis share Oman stalemate

2007-07-04T19:51:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE - Gulf rivals Saudi Arabia and Oman played out an entertaining 1-1 draw in Singapore on Sunday as the two sides stepped up their preparations for the AFC Asian Cup.

Substitute Mohammed Al Shalhoub opened the scoring for the Saudis after 55 minutes but Oman drew level on the hour mark as Fawzi Bashir rose to head home an Ahmed Hadid free-kick.

The match went to a penalty shootout and the Omanis triumphed by a 3-1 margin.

Saudi Arabia could have broken the deadlock as early as the sixth minute as Abdoh Autef played a defence-splitting pass towards Nassir Al Shamrani only for Oman goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi to come off his line to clear the danger.

Oman worked an excellent opening after 20 minutes as Mohamed Saleh Al Ghassani sent in a cross from the right to an unmarked Ismail Al Ajmi whose free header from eight yards out went straight into the arms of Saudi goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah.

Al Habsi was called into action again on 33 minutes when the ball was worked to Saleh Bashir on the right edge of the Omani are and the Saudi striker unleashed a hard low shot but the Omani keeper got down well to parry away the attempt.

He would be grateful to the assistant referee’s flag just a minute later as Ibrahim Hazzazi rose to head home an Abdulrahman Al Qahtani free-kick only to see the effort chalked off for offside.

Al Shalhoub replaced Al Qahtani at half-time and the Saudi substitute made an impact just 10 minutes after his introduction, racing into the Omani box to meet Al Shamrani’s inch-perfect pass and calmly clipping the ball past Al Habsi to give his side a 1-0 lead.

The Saudi lead would only last for five minutes as Oman drew level on the hour after Ahmed Hadid floated in a free-kick from the left flank that was met in the box by Bashir with a powerful header that gave Abdullah no chance.

Oman could have gone ahead just two minutes later when Hassan Yousuf Madhafar’s cross from the left was glanced across goal by Imad Ali but Abdullah made an excellent reflex save to turn the ball around the post.

A slip by Redha Tukar nearly proved costly for the Saudis with 13 minutes remaining as the central defender coughed the ball up to Imad Ali, who raced from midfield and beat Abdullah only for Hazzazi to clear the ball off the line.

With five minutes remaining, Abdullah was called into action yet again to tip over a free-kick by Hussain Al Hadhri.

Abdullah would also deny Ismail Al Ajmi in the penalty shootout, but Al Habsi saved efforts by Kamil Al Mousa and Khaled Aziz before Malek Maaz blasted his attempt wide to give Oman victory.

The match was the penultimate warm-up match for both sides before they begin their Asian Cup campaigns.

Oman face S-League side Woodlands Wellington on Monday before leaving for Bangkok for their opening Group A match against Australia on July 8, while the Saudis take on DPR Korea in Singapore on Wednesday before travelling to Indonesia to face Korea Republic in their Group D opener on July 11.

Akmal leaves injury woes behind

2007-07-04T12:42:00.000+08:00

For the past two years, there have been fears in Malaysian football that striker Akmal Rizal Rakhli would have to bring his career to a premature end.

One of the best players to emerge from the South East Asian nation in recent times, Akmal has contemplated hanging up his boots for good after enduring a succession of injury problems that have kept him on the sidelines for long spells.

A knee cartilage problem in late 2004 kept him out of the game for eight months, forcing him to miss the Asean Football Championship and a large chunk of the Malaysian league season.

And just when he appeared to have recovered from that injury, he broke down again in only his second match back for Kedah and underwent surgery on his ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) that ruled him out for another seven months.

"There was desperation and I was at the bottom of the heap – both physically and emotionally. And I really thought of giving the game up for good," said the 25-year-old at the Malaysian team’s national training camp for the AFC Asian Cup.

"But with the support of my wife and my parents, my sense of belief returned to me. There are still people out there who want to see me play and that is a great motivator."

With a helping hand from his wife of three years, Shahira Sofea Riss, Akmal went on what he called a 'serious three-month rehabilitation’ in Kuala Lumpur. But while he made progress off the pitch, news came through that his home state, Kedah, had decided to terminate his playing contract.

But such is the esteem in which Akmal is held in Malaysian football that it wasn’t long before he received an offer from local giants Selangor, who signed him to a one-year contract at the start of the 2006-2007 Super League season.

"It takes a lot for a team to sign a player when he is injured and I must say that Selangor took a huge gamble with me,” said the diminutive striker.

“For that, I must thank Selangor coach Dollah Salleh for believing in me. It was a risk which he didn’t need to take but he did it and I am eternally grateful.

"As a former player, Dollah knew what needed to be done and understood how I would be able to get my fitness level back.

“And now that I'm back on top, I don't ever want to be down again because I know how difficult it was to get back what I lost."

Born in the northern town of Jitra in 1982, Akmal was a prolific striker at all levels throughout his teenage years, earning a move abroad to French side FC Strasbourg where he spent two years.

Since returning to Malaysia, he has caught the eye not only with his goalscoring feats but also through his energetic and hard-working performances for club and country.

However, he remains hungry for success and is eager to prove himself at the highest level.

"Mine has not exactly been a career full of achievements," said the father of two, whose only honours with Kedah were a Second Division title in 2002 and the Premier League crown in 2006.

"But we all have to begin somewhere and after winning the silver (at the 2001 SEA Games) and then the bronze (at the 2003 SEA Games), the Asian Cup presents the best chance for us to show just how much progress Malaysian football has made.”

While Malaysia have been drawn in Group C with three of the tournament’s heavyweights in Iran, Uzbekistan and China, Akmal remains confident of his side’s prospects of advancing past the group stage.

"All of us have high hopes for the Asian Cup as this is the first time that we are playing in the competition after a long absence.

"The chances are there that we can do well and we want to prove that we are not here just to make up the numbers. We must show that Malaysia still has the players who can compete at the international level.

"My target as a striker is to score goals while my aim as part of the team is for us to reach the next round of the Asian Cup.

"It is important that to prepare psychologically, in terms of my contribution and what can I give to the team. The psychological preparation is exceptionally important because we must perform in front of a Malaysian crowd which is really the hardest lot to please in the world.

"But I hope that with a good positive atmosphere in the team, we can do well and that the fans will come and support us."

Park tips Korea to shine

2007-07-04T00:51:00.000+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR – Korea Republic international Park Ji-sung believes that the Taeguk Warriors can still sparkle at the AFC Asian Cup 2007 despite the absence of four key players due to injury.

However the winger, who has been ruled out of the AFC Asian Cup after undergoing knee surgery in April, has tipped newcomers Australia as the team to beat when the tournament kicks off this weekend.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the AFC, the Manchester United player expressed his disappointment at missing out on this summer’s football extravaganza.

“I was looking forward to playing in this prestigious football event but, unfortunately, I am unable to take part in it due to my injury. Nevertheless, I hope that all Asian football fans enjoy a festival of Asian football this month,” he said.

Korea are one of the favourites to lift the title in Jakarta on July 29 but their hopes of securing the first AFC Asian Cup victory since 1960 have been hit hard by a spate of injuries that will sideline Park, forward Seol Ki-hyeon, full back Lee Young-pyo and defensive midfielder Kim Nam-il.

“It will be tough for the Korean team because they will be missing a number of experienced players. However, Korea should still have a strong enough side to compete in the Asian Cup because of the country’s young talented players,” said Park.

“I am sure that the tournament will give the team a chance to move forward with these young players.”

Park though believes that Australia are the favourites to win the 16-team tournament and has welcomed the addition of the Socceroos to the Asian football family.

“I think it could be Australia because they qualified for the round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup last year and the experience of their players in Europe makes them one of the best teams at the Asian Cup.

“I believe that their participation will help Asian football to improve and rapidly move to a higher level in world football.

“It provides a great foundation to make Asian football stronger and gives fans more of a chance to watch a better quality of football in Asia.”

Thailand defeat Qatar

2007-07-04T00:50:00.000+08:00

BANGKOK - Thailand signed off their AFC Asian Cup warm-up games in style with a confident 2-0 victory over Qatar on Monday night.

The game was a re-arranged fixture after they initially met on Saturday before play was suspended at half-time due to rain with the scores level at 1-1.

Thailand - co-hosts of the regional tournament that gets underway on Saturday - made early headway in this fixture though when Tawan Sripan fired home a superb long-range effort in the eigth minute.

The second goal didn't arrive until 21 minutes before the end when Sutee Suksomkit despatched a penalty to ensure the victory.

Thailand kick-off their AFC Asian Cup campaign against Iraq in Group A on Saturday while Qatar will meet Japan in Group B on July 9.

Han steers China to Uzbek win

2007-04-05T00:10:00.000+08:00

MACAU - China bounced back from Saturday's defeat at the hands of Australia to defeat Uzbekistan 3-1 and put their AFC Asian Cup preparations back on track.

Two goals from Han Peng and an own goal by Botir Karaev relieved some of the pressure on under-fire coach Zhu Guanghu, whose side will face the Uzbeks again in Group C of the Asian Cup finals in Malaysia in July.

Han gave China the lead in the sixth minute when he met Dong Fangzhou's cross from the left to steer home from close range.

Four minutes from the interval, Han doubled China's lead with a header following a cross by Mao Jianqing.

Twenty minutes after the restart Mao's shot led to China's third goal, the ball coming back off the post before hitting Karaev and crossing the line.

With 14 minutes to go, Vladimir Shishelov reduced the deficit when he beat Li Leilei in the Chinese goal but it was to prove too little too late for the Uzbeks.

Van Gaal plays down Socceroos link

2007-03-19T00:30:00.000+08:00

SYDNEY – Australia target Louis van Gaal has played down suggestions that he will take over as the Socceroos coach because his chances of winning the World Cup would be limited.

Van Gaal, who won the UEFA Champions League with Ajax Amsterdam and back-to-back Spanish league titles with Barcelona, has been included on a short-list of top foreign coaches lined up to take the post in the aftermath of the AFC Asian Cup finals.

New Football Federation Australian chief executive Ben Buckley has recently returned home after a fact-finding mission in Europe which involved meetings with several candidates for the job.

Van Gaal is believed to be among those who met with Buckley, but the Dutchman – who missed out on taking his own nation to the finals in Japan and South Korea in 2002 - played down speculation linking him with the position.

“I’m always interested in a very good job and I think coaching the Australia team is a very exciting job because I have failed with the Netherlands in 2002 and I want to participate in the world championships, because I have won everything else,” he told SBS television in Australia.

“I have also other options and I have to decide. I want to win, always, and I think it’s not possible to win with the Australian team at the world championships. It’s exciting to do that but I want to win the championship and there are other countries at a higher level than the Australian team is now.”

Graham Arnold is currently acting as the Socceroos interim coach and he will take the team to the finals of the AFC Asian Cup, where they have been drawn to face co-hosts Thailand, Oman and Iraq in Group A of the continental championship.

Arnold took over from Guus Hiddink, who qualified the Australians for the World Cup in Germany last year, the first time the team had reached the finals in 32 years.

Hiddink steered the team to the second round, where they narrowly lost to eventual champions Italy thanks to a late Francesco Totti penalty and van Gaal realises that his compatriot has set the bar high for whoever takes on the job.

“The level now in Australia is not as high like Argentina or Spain so if I sign for Australia then I know it will be difficult to be the next world champion,” he said.

“But the ambition is to do better than Guus Hiddink did, but that’s difficult because I believe Hiddink did a marvellous job.

“There are many good players in Australia but I think, always, a good base is very important so I think it’s very good that there is now a professional championship in Australia but we have to wait for a longer time for the development of the players.”

Mattar focused on domestic issues

2007-02-13T00:16:00.000+08:00

DUBAI - United Arab Emirates striker Ismail Mattar believes it is too early to be looking for a move to Europe, despite increased interest in his services after his performances in last month's Gulf Cup.

Mattar scored the winning goal against Oman in the final of the biennial regional tournament as the Emirates won the competition for the first time in their history, but Mattar is not thinking beyond his commitments to current employers Al Wahda.

"I am a professional player with Al Wahda club in Abu Dhabi," said Mattar in Saturday's edition of the Gulf News.

"I have to respect my contract and play for Al Wahda without making myself busy with professionalism which I think it's early to speak about it."

Mattar, who was named the Most Valuable Player for his performances in the tournament, mirroring the success he had at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship, when he picked up the same award.

However, despite the adulation, Mattar paid tribute to Sheikh Saeed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and said his future as a professional was in teh hands of the Al Wahda club president.

"Sheikh Saeed, the man who discovered and took care of me from when I was under 12, until I became the best player in the Gulf Cup, is the only one who can decide about my plans to play professional outside the UAE," he said.

Mattar will lead the UAE's assault on this year's AFC Asian Cup, where they have been drawn to face defending champions Japan, co-hosts Vietnam and Asian Games gold medallists Qatar in what is shaping up to be one of the toughest groups in the competition.

Tulio named Japan's Footballer of the Year

2007-02-09T22:12:00.000+08:00

TOKYO – Urawa Reds defender Marcus Tulio Tanaka has been named Japan’s Footballer of the Year in a poll conducted by the country’s journalists.

The award caps a stellar year for the 25-year-old, who played a key role in Urawa’s first-ever J.League title success last season.

He was also named the 2006 J.League Player of the Year in December and earned his first cap for Japan as part of new coach Ivica Osim’s revamping of the national team.

Tulio won the award after collecting 77 of the 205 votes cast nationwide. - AFC Asian Cup main website

Chanvit set to leave Thailand

2007-02-05T20:22:00.000+08:00

BANGKOK - Thailand's disappointment at finishing runners-up to Singapore in the final of the Asean Football Championship has been compounded by the likelihood that head coach Chanvit Polchovin will leave the 2007 AFC Asian Cup co-hosts.

The former Asian Coach of the Year – who steered Thai Farmers Bank to back-to-back Asian Club Championship titles in the mid-Nineties – has been approached by Vietnamese league side Dong Thap and Sunday’s defeat at the hands of the Singaporeans may be his last in charge of the national side.

"I have yet to see the final contract and there may be some small things that I might not agree with,” Chanvit said after a 1-1 draw in Bangkok handed Singapore a 3-2 aggregate win. “But if the contract looks good, I will go.”

Chanvit took over as national team coach in early 2005 from Germany’s Sigfried Held and, should he leave for Vietnam the Thais would be looking for a replacement with less than six months to go before the finals of the AFC Asian Cup

"It is his own decision but if he does leave then we will just have to replace him," said Thailand team manager Thavatchai Sajakul. “There are a lot of factors, for a start we don’t know how much he will be paid.”

Meanwhile Singapore coach Radojko Avramovic hailed the stunning strike from substitute Khairul Amri which earned the Lions the draw and the trophy as well as taking the Serb's unbeaten run in the tournament to 15 matches.

"Amri scored a beautiful goal," Avramovic said of the swerving strike. “The goal was one of the best I have seen and one deserving to win the final of a championship."

The Young Lions forward, who came on for Nigeria-born winger Itimi Dickson 10 minutes into the second half, levelled the absorbing match on the night, cancelling out a 37th minute goal from Pipat Thonkanya which saw the Thais make the aggregate score 2-2 after losing 2-1 in the first leg in Singapore.

"The finalists were the two best teams in South East Asia and I think it was a very good game," continued Avramovic. "In the first half the Thais were really trying to make a difference and pushed players forward trying to win the game.

"We coped well until they scored and then we struggled, although we came out in the second half looking for the goal and missed a few opportunities."

Despite leading Singapore to their second successive Asean Football Championship title - the island republic's third in total following victory in 1998 - Avramovic felt the task could have been completed less stressfully had Indonesian referee Jimmy Napitupulu not ruled out an eighth minute effort from Shahril Ishak.

"We had an early goal disallowed and it was 100 per cent not offside," said the former Notts County keeper, who was full of praise after his team insured the trophy returned to the Lion city.

"I have to congratulate all the boys as they played fantastic," he said.

"We needed to score a goal tonight and we did it. I said to the players before the competition that it is a lot harder to keep the title than to win it but we did it."

Singapore down Thais in Asean final

2007-02-05T12:17:00.000+08:00

BANGKOK - Singapore successfully defended their Asean Football Championship crown as substitute Khairul Amri struck a late goal to give the Lions a 3-2 aggregate win following their 1-1 draw with Thailand in the second leg of the final on Sunday.

Singapore went into the match at the Supachalasai Stadium leading 2-1 on aggregate but their advantage was cancelled out in the 37th minute when Pipat Thonkanya levelled the tie.

However, Thailand's hopes of a fourth Asean Football Championship title were snuffed out with nine minutes left in a hugely entertaining final when Khairul Amri's shot from just inside the box flew past goalkeeper Kittisak Rawangpa, who was wearing the captain's armband in the absence of Kiatisuk Senamuang.

Singapore looked to have extended their advantage when Sharil Ishak prodded the ball into the Thailand net from close range with just eight minutes on the clock.

However, Indonesian referee Jimmy Napitupulu ruled out the effort as the striker and tournament MVP and top scorer Noh Alam Shah were deemed to be in an offside position.

Fahrudin Mustafic, scorer of the controversial penalty that gave the Lions the first leg victory and the recipient of the loudest boos when the home fans jeered the announcement of the Singapore players, became the first to go into the Indonesian referee's book for a crunching tackle on Pichitphong Choechiu in the 14th minute, just 60 seconds after the same player - one of three changes to the Thai starting 11 - had Thailand's first real effort on goal.

Datsakorn Thonglao stepped up to take a 17th minute free-kick from a similar range to the one he scored against Vietnam in the semi-final and while the midfielder struck it with similar aplomb, Singapore keeper Lionel Lewis was equal to the task and flew across the goal line to keep the ball out.

Lewis, MVP at the last edition of the tournament, denied the Thais again six minutes later with an equally impressive save following a powerful shot from Pipat Thonkanya.

However, the Singapore keeper could do nothing when the BEC Tero Sasana striker opened the scoring with eight minutes of the first half remaining.

Datsakorn, who is set to move from BEC Tero Sasana to Vietnamese side Hoang Anh Gia Lai, played a delicate chip over the Singapore back line and in to the path of his former team-mate, who poked the ball past Lewis to level the tie on aggregate.

The Thais sniffed blood and laid siege on the Singapore goal in the second half, with the defending champions needing a last-ditch block from Noh Rahman to prevent Suchao Nutnum from putting the home side two up.

But Singapore remained firm, with their defending both stubborn and scattergun, and caught the Thais with their goal on the counter-attack, their only real chance of the half outside of a tamely hit scissors kick from Alam Shah 18 minutes after the interval.

Chanvit remains tight-lipped

2007-02-04T22:49:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE - Thailand coach Chanvit Polochivin refused to comment on his team's controversial walkout on Wednesday after they went down 2-1 to Singapore in the first leg of the Asean Football Championship final.

The Thais walked off the pitch in the 82nd minute, protesting the decision of Malaysian referee C.Ravichandran to award a penalty to the defending champions after Noh Alam Shah went down in the box under challenge from Niweat Siriwong.

They remained off the field for 15 minutes until team manager Thavatchai Sajakul intervened and convinced the team to continue playing.

Mustafic Fahruddin promptly dispatched the spot kick to hand the Thais their first defeat against Singapore in a competitive international for 30 years.

Chanvit showed up for the post-match press conference but remained for only 10 seconds, saying: "Our comment today is that we have no comment. You can see everything that happened on the field, so we have no comment today."

Team manager Thavatchai later said that he would be lodging a protest with the Asean Football Federation, declaring that the incident had not been instigated by his own team.

Local organising committee chairman Mohammed Muzzammil said that the AFF will be investigating the matter before commenting further.

"We will wait for the match commissioner to submit his report," he said. "The AFF will then discuss the matter before determining if any further action should be taken."

While the Thais were up in arms over Ravichandran's decision, Singapore coach Radojko Avramovic felt that his side deserved the victory on merit.

"A win is a win and I felt that we fully deserved our victory tonight," said the Serbian.

"We got a great first goal from Noh Alam Shah and the penalty I felt was a punishment for the Thais because they were using their hands all the time during the game.

"I didn't see the incident clearly but they were using their hands all the time to pull back our players. There was even an incident earlier in the second half when Alam Shah was pulled back which should have been a penalty.

"But I felt that our players did really well tonight. Congratulations to them and the people who came out to support us."

Avramovic was far from pleased with the Thai reaction to the penalty decision.

"I think it was a joke," he said. "I just told my players to keep their focus and keep themselves ready because I felt sure they would come back."

A fiery atmosphere can be expected from the Thai fans in Bangkok on Sunday evening when Singapore will look to defend their lead in the second leg but Avramovic does not believe that the situation will get to his charges.

"I think for me, this is sport and there are 11 players on each side who will play the game. Whatever happens on the terrace is something for somebody else to control," he said.

"Our players have already played a few games in those sorts of surrounding so I don't expect that it will be a big thing for them."

Asean advantage for Singapore

2007-02-01T00:35:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE – Singapore ended their long winless streak against Thailand, grabbing a controversial 2-1 win in the first leg of the Asean Football Championship final at the National Stadium on Wednesday.

The Lions had not beaten the Thais in a competitive match since 1977 but a second half penalty by Mustafic Fahruddin settled the match in favour of the home side.

The penalty was awarded after Noh Alam Shah went down in the Thai box under challenge from Niweat Siriwong and sparked a furious reaction from the Thais who walked off the pitch for 15 minutes before finally being convinced to return.

Alam Shah had earlier opened the scoring for Singapore with his 10th goal of the tournament in the 17th minute but the Thais got back on level terms five minutes after the break when a superb through ball released Pipat Thonkanya, who rounded goalkeeper Lionel Lewis to equalise.

The return leg will be played at the Supachalasai Stadium in Bangkok on Sunday.

As expected, Thai skipper Kiatisuk Senamuang was ruled out by a knee injury and replaced by Pipat, while Singapore made three changes with captain Aide Iskandar returning from suspension to replace Baihakki Khaizan in central defence, while Mohamed Noh Rahman and Fazrul Nawaz came in for Isa Halim and the injured Hafiz Osman.

A capacity crowd of 55,000 was present for what was likely to be the final competitive match at the National Stadium and the majority were on their feet after 17 minutes when the home side took the lead.

The ball was played to Indra Sahdan, whose effort was blocked by Niweat Siriwong and deflected outside the box to Mustafic Fahruddin.

Fahruddin’s shot was poor but fell nicely at the feet of Alam Shah, who controlled the ball with his back to goal before turning and firing a right-footed shot into the lower left hand corner of the Thai goal.

Apart from that one bright moment, the opening half was a frantic and physical affair which saw four players booked by Malaysian referee C.Ravichandran – Nirut Surasiang for Thailand and Fazrul Nawaz, Fahruddin and Muhammad Ridhuan for Singapore.

Two minutes into the second half, Singapore had an opportunity to extend their lead when the ball was lofted into the box to Fazrul, who was denied a shot by a brave challenge by Thai goalkeeper Kittisak Rawangpa.

On 50 minutes, the Thais were back on level terms with virtually their first opening of the game after a superb through ball by Nirut caught the Singapore defence square, releasing Pipat.

The Thai forward coolly rounded goalkeeper Lionel Lewis before slotting the ball into the unguarded net for the equaliser.

Singapore had a good shout for a penalty in the 56th minute when Khairul Amri was pulled back by Jetsada Jitsawad in the Thai box but referee Ravichandran was not interested.

Buoyed by their equaliser, the Thais proved far more effective in attack and Nirut went close with a long-range drive from 30 metres that was nervously pushed out for a corner by Lewis.

The Thais stepped up the pressure and had chances to take the lead with Pipat scooping the ball over the crossbar following a corner in the 75th minute and Datsakorn firing in another long range effort two minutes later which was kept out by a flying save by Lewis.

The match was plunged into controversy in the 82nd minute when referee C.Ravichandran pointed to the spot after Alam Shah tumbled in the box under challenge from Niweat.

The Thais protested by walking off the pitch in protest and refused to return for 15 minutes.

Thai team manager Thavatchai Sajakul spent several minutes discussing the matter with match commissioner Mohamad Ameen before finally convincing his team to return.

When the action finally resumed, Fahruddin kept his cool to fire the ball into the top right corner of the Thai net.

With seconds remaining, Singapore’s Shi Jia Yi crossed into the box but Amri failed to get his header on target.

Avramovic relieved after shoot-out win

2007-01-29T00:51:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE - Singapore coach Raddy Avramovic cut a relieved figure after the defending champions reached the Asean Football Championship final, winning a tense penalty shoot-out against Malaysia in the second leg of the semi-finals.

Playing in front of a full house of 55,000, Singapore edged out their neighbours 5-4 in the shoot-out after a 1-1 draw on the night saw the tie finishing 2-2 on aggregate.

"In games like this, we must be prepared for everything," said Avramovic, whose Singapore side are unbeaten in 13 consecutive Asean Football Championship matches, stretching back to 2004.

"In the end, we needed extra time and ultimately, the decision came down to penalties, which was the hardest thing for both teams to take.

"I think it was a good even game between two well-matched teams but I think that today we got great support and it was nice to win this game, both for them (the supporters) and for us."

Avramovic was pleased with the contribution of custodian Lionel Lewis, who gifted Malaysia a second-half goal after allowing an Eddy Helmi shot to bobble over his body, but stopped Khyril Muhymeen with the final spot-kick of the shoot-out to give his side victory.

"That's part of life of being a goalkeeper that everyone sees their mistakes," said Avramovic, a former keeper himself.

"There are many mistakes that take place on the field during the game, sometimes finishing in goals and sometimes not.

"But he didn't lose his concentration and his will to win the game. He kept going and in the end, he won the game for us."

It was the third penalty shoot-out success that Avramovic's charges had enjoyed against Malaysia in less than a year, following victories against their arch-rivals in a pair of Causeway Challenge matches last year.

Norizan Bakar was reluctant to comment after his side's heartbreaking defeat, but the Malaysia coach praised his charges for their courageous performance.

"I think that the boys played their heart out tonight but this is football and it had to end up this way," the Malaysia coach said.

"You can plan things for the game but other things can happen during the course of it that can affect the outcome.

"I don't want to comment on every little incident in the game because I felt that my boys did their best and put up a brave effort, but congratulations to Singapore and I wish them the best in the final."

Singapore edge rivals Malaysia on penalties

2007-01-29T00:47:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE - Defending champions Singapore advanced to the final of the Asean Football Championship after defeating arch-rivals Malaysia in a tense penalty shootout at the National Stadium on Saturday.

With the aggregate score tied at 2-2 after extra time, the match went to the shootout with Singapore goalkeeper Lionel Lewis emerging as the hero, stopping Khyril Muhymeen's weak attempt to give the home side a 5-4 victory.

Malaysia had taken the lead in the game in the 57th minute after Eddy Helmi's shot was fumbled by Lewis, but Muhammad Ridhuan levelled the score with 15 minutes remaining to force the match into extra time and penalties.

Singapore will meet the winners of the second semi-final between Thailand and Vietnam with the first leg of the final in the Lion City on Wednesday night.
Roared on by a capacity crowd of 55,000, the home side dominated the opening half but created few clear-cut openings against Malaysia's well-organised back line.

Shi Jia Yi went close to giving the Lions the lead in the ninth minute when he caught the Malaysian defence and goalkeeper Mohamad Syamsuri by surprise with a free kick from the right of the Malaysian box that went just over the crossbar.

Noh Alam Shah nearly bagged his 10th goal in five games on the half-hour after being sent clear by Ridhuan's quick pass but the close attention of Mohammed Khaironisam managed to put off the Singapore striker and his weak shot failed to seriously test Syamsuri.

Malaysia offered little in the opening half but could have taken the lead against the run of play on 37 minutes when an excellent through ball by K.Nanthakumar sent Hairuddin Omar clear from the halfway line.

The Malaysian striker appeared to have a clear run on goal but right back Daniel Bennett made up enough ground to block the shot with Shukor Adan, following up, ballooning the ball over the unguarded Singapore net.

Singapore turned up the pressure at the start of the second half and Khaironisam had to be alert to cut off a cross by Bennett just before it could reach Alam Shah on 47 minutes.

Singapore were in the ascendancy but were caught out by a sucker punch on 57 minutes when the ball fell to an unmarked Eddy Helmi on the edge of the box.

The Malaysian midfielder fired in a low shot that should have been easily handled by Lewis but the Singapore goalkeeper dived too early, allowing the ball to bounce over his sprawling body and bobble across the line to give Malaysia a 1-0 lead.

Singapore were facing their first defeat in the competition since a 4-0 hammering by the Malaysians at the same venue in December 2002 but they were back on level terms with 15 minutes remaining.

Bennett's cross from the left flank was knocked down at the far post by Alam Shah into the path of a charging Ridhuan, who forced the ball in on the goal line past a flailing Syamsuri.

With time running out, the hosts nearly grabbed a winner as Alam Shah's cross from the right was headed over by substitute Khairul Amri.

There were few chances of note in the first period of extra time but shortly after the restart, Malaysia nearly broke the deadlock when Shukor Adan got goalside of Baihakki Khaizan but Lewis made amends for his earlier error by smothering Adan's shot at his near post.

Singapore nearly found the target in the 110th minute when a goal-bound shot by Bennett was headed clear by Hairuddin Omar and five minutes later, Precious Emuerjeraye launched a fierce drive from 40 metres that was tipped over by Syamsuri.

With no further scoring, the match went to a shootout with Singapore making no mistakes as Indra Sahdan, Alam Shah, Mustafic Fahruddin, Fazrul Nawaz and Shi Jiayi all converted their attempts.

Malaysia's Hardi Jaafar, Rezal Zambery, Sanramsak Kram, and V.Thirumurugan also scored before Khyril Muhymeen saw his weak attempt saved by Lewis to send the defending champions through to the final.

Lee all set for Boro switch

2007-01-26T19:54:00.000+08:00

MIDDLESBROUGH – Korea Republic striker Lee Dong-gook has been awarded a British work permit, clearing the way for him to complete his move to English Premier League side Middlesbrough.

The 27-year-old has signed an 18-month contract after Pohang Steelers handed him a free transfer.

Lee, who has scored 22 goals in 64 appearances for his country, has now flown back to Korea to complete the formality of obtaining a visa and is expected to be unveiled by Boro next week.

He missed last summer's World Cup finals with a cruciate ligament injury, but has impressed during a trial on Teesside.

Lee sparked something of a controversy in his own country when he joined Pohang Steelers straight from school rather than following the normal pattern of graduating from university before turning professional.

National-team boss Dick Advocaat was expected to use him prominently in Germany before injury struck.

Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate will be delighted to have added further firepower to his squad, with Mark Viduka and Aiyegbeni Yakubu currently in rich veins of form.

Lee could be available for the first time for Arsenal's visit to the Riverside Stadium on February 3.

Alam Shah denies Malaysia

2007-01-26T19:50:00.000+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR - Noh Alam Shah struck yet again as defending champions Singapore held hosts Malaysia to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Asean Football Championship semi-final on Tuesday evening.

The tournament's top scorer took his tally to nine goals in four games with an expertly placed header from Isa Halim's inswinging cross in the 73rd minute which cancelled out Hardi Jaafar's opener for Malaysia 16 minutes earlier.

Singapore will host Malaysia in the second leg at the National Stadium on January 27 but with the away goals rule not applying in the competition, Raddy Avramovic's team will need to win at home to advance to the final, where they would face either Thailand or Vietnam.

Alam Shah's goal came just as the Malaysians were looking like earning a win thanks to Jaafar's strike 12 minutes into the second half.

The shaven-headed winger struck from wide on the left, his left-footed effort swerving in mid-air to bamboozle Lionel Lewis in the Singapore goal and send the 25,000 home fans into raptures at the Shah Alam Stadium.

But Singapore showed the grit and determination that won them the title against Indonesia two years ago, refusing to let their heads drop before pulling level when Alam Shah peeled away from Fauzie Nan and sent his header far beyond Mohamad Syamsuri's grasp.

Malaysia, though, could have snatched the win nine minutes from time when Eddy Helmi - who had caused the Singaporean defence numerous problems with his pace down either flank - burst into the penalty area, only to see his shot blocked by Lewis with his legs.

The match threatened to descend into controversy with two minutes to go when Singapore captain Aide Iskandar received a yellow card for time wasting, the misdemeanour enough to see the defender sent off for his second bookable offence.

The conclusion to the game was in stark contrast to the opening 45 minutes, which - despite several early attempts by the Malaysians - was a cagey affair as both teams sought to feel the other out.

Eddy Helmi did threaten directly from the kick-off, only to see his cross from the right put safely behind for a corner by Isa Halim.

And five minutes later Lewis was called into action when he raced out to the edge of the penalty area to block Nizarudin Yusof before the striker could do any significant damage.

However, it was Singapore who should have gone into the halftime break with the advantage after Indra Sahdan weaved through the Malaysian defence on the edge of the home side's penalty area before slipping a well-weighted ball into the path of Khairul Amri, but his weak shot was pushed away from goal by Syamsuri.

The second half fireworks ensure an intriguing second leg clash when the two teams meet again in four days' time.

Saudi Arabia held by 10-man Qatar

2007-01-24T04:37:00.000+08:00

ABU DHABI - Three times Gulf Cup champions Saudi Arabia denied current holders Qatar their first win in this year's tournament in a 1-1 draw at Al Nahyan stadium on Sunday.

Qatar, who finished the game with only 10 men, took a 1-0 lead through Ali Naser's 10th minute goal, but Malek Maaz levelled the scores for the Saudis in the 73rd to claim a share of the points.

The draw sees Saudi Arabia move up to joint-first in Group B, alongside Iraq who were also held to a 1-1 draw in a meeting with Bahrain earlier on Sunday.

"The match was a tough one," said Saudi Arabia coach Marcos Paqueta. "The performance of our team was slow at the start and the players were nearly lost after we conceded a goal in the first 10 minutes.

"However, we found our balance and scored the equaliser. I'm not satisfied with performance of the players but I'm satisfied with the result," said the Brazilian coach who was appointed before last year's World Cup in place of Argentinian Gabriel Calderon.

"We have created a lot of chances and everybody noticed that but we couldn't score. We haven't qualified yet as we'll have to face Iraq in order to qualify to the semis."

Qatar boss Dzemaludin Musovic said: "Looking at the score I'm satisfied.

"However, I cannot be pleased with the change of performance of the players."

The Bosnian continued: "We started very well and scored early in the game. However, our team is still young and the age average is 22 years old in the team. The team lack the necessary international experience. The tournament is a good experience for the team and it's a preparation for the Asian Cup."

Saudi Arabia were the better side in the first half and they should have opened the scores after nine minutes but Mohamed Al Shahlhoub's close-range effort was brilliantly saved by Qatar goalkeeper Mohamed Saqr.

The miss proved costly as moments later Qatar drew first blood from a set-piece.

Naser found the net with a free-kick which flew past Saudi goalkeeper Mohamad Khoja.

Despite their dominance in the remaining minutes of the first half, Saudi Arabia could not create any dangerous chances and instead it was Qatar who nearly doubled their lead 10 minutes before the break when Wesam Rizk was narrowly off-target with another free-kick.

In the 56th minute, Yasser Al Qahtani nearly levelled the scores for the Saudis after Abdo Oteif made his way into the area before sending in a low cross but Al Qahtani's follow-up was saved by Saqr.

Just five minutes later, the Saudis missed another chance to pull level and this time it was by Maaz who received a neat pass from Al Qahtani but managed to miss the target with only the goalkeeper to beat.

The equaliser eventually arrived in the 73rd minute after a quick counter-attack from Maaz who rounded three Qatar defenders before slotting the ball into the bottom left-hand corner.

There was more bad news for Qatar two minutes later when they were reduced to 10 men.

Ibrahim Al Ghanem was guilty of a cynical challenge on Yasser Al Qahtani and Malaysian referee Mohammed Subkiddin had no hesitation in producing the red card.

Ten minutes from time, Saudi Arabia went close to a winner when Oteif cut in from the right but he sent his shot narrowly over.

However, they failed to take advantage of their numerical advantage as Qatar held on for a draw.

Kolev set for Indonesia return

2007-01-24T04:26:00.000+08:00

JAKARTA – The All Indonesia Football Federation (PSSI) have announced that Bulgarian Ivan Kolev is to return as Indonesian national team coach, replacing Englishman Peter Withe.

PSSI chairman Nurdin Halid revealed on Monday that while Withe had yet to be officially dismissed, Kolev will take charge of the national side for the upcoming Asian Cup, which Indonesia will co-host with Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam this July.

“As far as I’m concerned, the Peter Withe matter is over,” said Halid to reporters in Jakarta.

“I admit that I have not yet given him an official dismissal letter, which I’m planning on giving him tomorrow (Tuesday), but PSSI are officially appointing Ivan Kolev as the new national team coach.

“The reason for Kolev’s appointment is that he understands the character of the Indonesian players, thus making the three months of preparation prior to the Asian Cup a bit easier.”

Kolev, 49, was in charge of Indonesia from 2002 to 2004, leading the national team to the 2002 Asean Football Championship final which they lost in a penalty shootout to Thailand, then coached by Withe.

He also took Indonesia to the 2004 Asian Cup finals but made way for the Englishman after their opening round elimination in China.

The Bulgarian, who speaks fluent Bahasa Indonesia, subsequently led Myanmar to fourth place at the 2004 Asean Football Championship before returning to Indonesia last October as coach of top flight club Persipura Jayapura.

Withe’s position has been in doubt since the Indonesians were eliminated from the Asean Football Championship last Wednesday following the team’s 2-2 draw with defending champions Singapore.

Saudi Arabia down Bahrain

2007-01-19T03:29:00.000+08:00

ABU DHABI - A last gasp winner saw three-time Gulf Cup champions Saudi Arabia claim a hard-fought 2-1 win against nine-man Bahrain in their opening match of the tournament.

In an early preview of their Asian Cup Group D clash later this year, Bahrain drew first blood when skipper Talal Yousef scored from the penalty spot in the 13th minute, but the Saudis successfully came from behind as Yasser Al Qahtani levelled the scores with a penalty in the 25th minute before grabbing a dramatic winner three minutes from time.

Saudi Arabia had enjoyed the upper hand in the opening minutes of the game and almost broke the deadlock after only five minutes when Naif Al Qadi saw his powerful shot come back off the woodwork.

It was against the run of play that Bahrain took the lead.

After a swift counter-attack, Salman Issa was brought down inside the area by Naif Al Qadi and the Swiss referee Massimo Busacca pointed to the spot before Yousef stepped up to give his side the lead.

But the Bahraini goal only spurred on Saudi Arabia and they almost scored a superb equaliser when Al Qadi saw his bicycle kick also hit the woodwork.

The scores were levelled in the 25th minute through another penalty.

Bahrain defender Mohammed Hassan felled Malek Maaz inside the area and Busacca awarded a second penalty which Yasser Al Qahtani converted.

The game took another twist in Saudi Arabia's favour in the 34th minute when Bahrain's Sayed Mohamad Adnan saw red after hacking down Malek Maaz as he raced towards goal.

With the extra man, Saudi Arabia were in control and two minutes before the break they went close to a second goal when Hassan Maaz crossed for his namesake Malek, but the latter sent his header inches wide.

The Saudi pressure continued in the second half and they should have taken the lead on the hour mark when Hassan Maaz again broke down the left wing before sending in a low cross that found Yasser Al Qahtani.

However, the Al Hilal striker saw his effort blocked by a Bahrain defender.

Bahrain's task became much more difficult in the 65th minute when Busacca produced a second yellow card, this time for Mohammed Hussain who crudely challenged Saudi midfielder Mohammed Al Shalhoub.

With Bahrain increasingly stretched, Saudi Arabia poured forward in search of a winner and nearly found it in the 86th minute when Al Shalhoub forced a good save from Bahrain goalkeeper Abdulrahman Abdulkarim with a shot from the edge of the area.

Moments later, Saudi Arabia finally found the winner when Al Shaloub whipped in a corner which Al Qahtani headed home to secure the victory.

Saudi Arabia's Brazilian coach Marcus Paqueta was relieved to have snatched all three points from a game that his side should have made much easier than they did.

"The game was big," he said.

"Bahrain played a good game and both teams had a good performance on the pitch today. We had a better possession but sometimes the Bahrainis found the balance.

"I would like to congratulate both teams for the fighting spirit. Due to the powerful defence of Bahrain it was very hard for us to score, even though we had so many chances.

"We need to concentrate more on the final touch in the future."

Bahrain coach Hans-Peter Briegel was disappointed to have lost so late in the game after a battling display.

"I don't want to talk a lot about the match but I want to give a compliment to my team who were playing with nine men and were brave on the pitch," said the German coach.

"The defeat was in the last minute and it was bitter."

Saktiawan saves Indonesia

2007-01-17T02:08:00.000+08:00

SINGAPORE - Saktiawan Sinaga headed in a stoppage time equaliser as Indonesia salvaged a 1-1 draw with fellow Asian Cup 2007 co-hosts Vietnam in the Asean Football Championship on Monday.

Trailing to an own goal by Supardi in the 35th minute, the Indonesians were finally rewarded for their second half pressure in the first minute of injury time when Saktiawan glanced an Atep free kick into the Vietnamese net.

The late equaliser denied the Vietnamese revenge for a painful 3-0 defeat inflicted on them by the Indonesians in Hanoi in the last edition of the tournament in 2004.

While Vietnam were unchanged from the side that drew 0-0 with Singapore on Saturday, Indonesia coach Peter Withe made three changes from the side that defeated Laos 3-1, omitting two-goal scorer Atep, striker Bambang Pamungkas and defender Erol Iba for forward Saktiawan and midfielders Agus Indra Kurniawan and Syamsul Bachri.

With the knowledge that a victory would virtually guarantee the winners a place in the semi-finals, both sides made plenty of early running on a pitch that had been covered for the previous two days to protect it from heavy rain.

Indonesia skipper Ponaryo Astaman had the first chance of the game in the third minute when his shot from the edge of the area went just wide while Vietnam skipper Nguyen Minh Phuong glanced a header towards goal that was easily saved by Hendro Kartiko.

Indonesia had slightly the better of the opening half's exchanges with Syamsul Bachri and Mahyadi Panggabean testing Vietnam goalkeeper Bui Quang Huy, who showed a preference for punching the wet ball away rather trying to handle it.

At the other end, Phan Thinh Binh powered a header towards goal only to see the ball come back off the post before Kartiko hacked the ball clear from danger.

On 35 minutes, the deadlock was finally broken by the unfortunate Supardi, who turned the ball into his own net after Le Tan Tai's cross from the right flank had been missed in the middle by Cong Vinh and Thahnh Binh.

Indonesia rallied and attempted to get back on level terms before the break but were twice denied by Quang Huy who pushed away a free kick by Astaman and punched away an effort by Kurniawan.

The Indonesians stepped up the pressure at the start of the second half as Sinaga and Astaman went close.

The Vietnamese defended in numbers but proved dangerous on the counter-attack with Le Hong Minh testing Kartiko with a shot from just outside the Indonesia box.

Having missed a number of opportunities against Laos, Ilham Jayakesuma had another ineffective game and although he put the ball into the Vietnam net just before the hour, his effort was ruled out for offside.

As the half progressed, Indonesia were reduced to taking shots from distance and wasted a glorious opportunity on 82 minutes when Jayakesuma touched a Supardi cross onto the upright.

Le Cong Vinh could have sealed victory in the closing minute when he had a shot hit a defender and then rounded Kartiko only to see the ball come back off the post.

Those misses would prove costly as Saktiawan found the net for the second time in as many games in the dying minutes to earn his side a share of the points.

Thailand edge Malaysia

2007-01-17T02:07:00.000+08:00

BANGKOK - Thailand booked their ticket to the semi-finals of the Asean Football Championship with a 1-0 defeat of Malaysia, who also advanced after the Philippines held Myanmar to a goalless draw.

Sarayoot Chaikamdee's third goal of the campaign was all that separated the two Asian Cup 2007 co-hosts who both went into the final group fixture knowing that victory would guarantee a place in the knockout phase, while the losers would have to hope for a favourable result from the match taking place simultaneously at the Army Stadium.

Malaysia coach Norizan Bakar made just one change to his regular starting XI with Kedah's Thirumurugan Veeran making way for Johor FC midfielder Eddy Helmi, while Norizan's counterpart Chanvit Phalajivin made four changes to the side that started the 4-0 win over the Philippines.

Influential skipper Kiatisuk Senamuang returned to the fold along with Niweat Siriwong, fellow defender Natthaphong Samana and midfielder Pichitphong Choechiu with Choketawee Promrut, Datsakorn Thonglao, Pipat Thonkanya all dropping to the bench while illness ruled out Nataporn Phanrit.

Thailand dominated the opening exchanges but didn't create a clear-cut chance until the 19th minute when a poor goal-kick from Malaysia keeper Mohamad Syamsuri landed at the feet of Suchao Nutnum, whose cross into the box was headed back across goal by Chaikamdee to set up a shooting chance for Kiatisuk.

However, the veteran striker displayed an uncharacteristic lack of composure as he fired the ball high over the Malaysian crossbar.

Thailand should have gone into the break one up when, with a minute of the half left to play, a superb pass from Kiatisuk sent Sarayoot through on goal with only the keeper to beat.

But the 25-year-old hesitated in pulling the trigger allowing Syamsuri to close in on the Vietnam-based striker and block his shot.

Malaysia, whose first-half chances were restricted to a weak Hairuddin Omar header and close-range effort from Khyril Muhymeen, gave the Thais a scare one minute after the restart when a dangerous Hardi Jaafar free-kick was left untouched before being gathered by Kosin Hathairattanakool.

Barely a minute later Thailand took the lead as Sarayoot made amends for his first-half miss, stooping to head home Suree Sukha's cross from the right flank before Kiatisuk almost doubled the lead with a 59th-minute free-kick that rattled off the crossbar.

Things got worse for Malaysia two minutes from time when Irwan Fadzli Idrus picked up his second booking of the game after upending Suchao Nutnum but the Thais couldn't make the numerical advantage count in the remainder of regulation time or in the generous five minutes of stoppage time.

Zandi looks to Limassol for Asian Cup place

2007-01-07T16:24:00.000+08:00

LIMASSOL – Ferydoon Zandi has moved to Cypriot club Apollon Limassol for the remainder of the season after a disappointing spell at TuS Koblenz saw the Germany-born midfielder dropped from Iran’s Asian Cup squad.

Called up to Team Melli by former coach Branko Ivankovic, the 27-year-old made two appearances during Iran’s 2006 World Cup campaign but was overlooked by current coach Amir Ghalenoei as the three-time continental champions won 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualifying Group B ahead of Korea Republic, Syria and Chinese Taipei.

However, the man who led Esteghlal to the 2005/06 title and a place in this year’s AFC Champions League, has not closed the door on Zandi and the former Kaiserslautern and Freiburg player could still force his way into the squad if he can impress at the reigning Cypriot champions.

Zandi is not short of Asian company at Apollon with no fewer than five Iraqis in the side that is currently under the helm of former Iraq and Oman national team coach Bernd Stange.

Among the Iraqis at the three-time Cyprus champions are Mahdi Karim, Mohammed Nasser, and Hawar Mohammed who scored in the Middle East side’s qualifying matches against China, Palestine and Singapore.

Iraq, who reached the quarter-finals of the last three Asian Cups, take on co-hosts Thailand, newcomers Australia and Oman in Group A of July’s continental finals while Iran, with or without Zandi, face Malaysia, Uzbekistan and China in Group C, which takes place in Kuala Lumpur.

Cong Vinh strikes again

2007-01-02T15:34:00.000+08:00

BANGKOK – Le Cong Vinh scored the winner for the second successive King’s Cup match as Vietnam defeated Singapore 3-2 in a thrilling clash on Thursday to join AFC Asian Cup co-hosts Thailand in the final of the four-team tournament on December 30.

The Song Lam Nghe An striker, who scored a later winner against Kazakhstan on Tuesday, was again the hero for Vietnam as his header eight minutes from time gave them a place in the 37th King’s Cup final, where they will meet hosts Thailand who defeated Alfred Riedl’s side 2-1 in the tournament opener.

“I am happy that we are able to play a fourth game in this tournament as it is very good preparation for us,” said the Austrian, referring to both next month’s Asean Football Championship and the forthcoming AFC Asian Cup.

“We have been improving as this tournament (the King’s Cup) has been going on. You saw in the first game we didn’t play so well and the second a little better but still not so good but tonight we were better.

“We should have scored more goals. We had some good chances when we were 2-1 up and if we had gone 3-1 up then I don’t think Singapore are strong enough in my eyes to have come back from that.”

Singapore went into the match needing a win to keep alive their hopes of reaching Saturday’s final but the reigning Asean champions found themselves a goal down after just six minutes.

Phan Thanh Binh got on the end of Nguyen Vu Phong’s corner from the left and although Hassan Sunny, who came in to replace injured first choice keeper Lionel Lewis, got a hand to the ball, there was too much power on the Da Nang forward’s header.

Singapore responded quickly and were level within seven minutes through a Daniel Bennett free-kick.

Indra Sahdan Daud, starting only his second game since returning from a lengthy absence due to a cruciate injury, charged towards the Vietnam area and was upended by the outstretched leg of Nguyen Manh Dung, giving Thai referee Chaiwat Kunsutha no option but to award a direct free-kick 21-yards from Nguyen The Anh’s goal

Bennett placed the ball and drilled it low past the flimsy Vietnamese wall and The Anh’s right hand to draw Singapore level.

But just eight minutes after the interval Vietnam regained their lead when Le Tan Tai’s shot from the right side of the area deflected off Ismail Yunos, and looped over Hassan Sunny, who had looked as though he would have had the shot covered had it not spun off the Young Lions defender.

Singapore were unlucky not to level in the 58th minute when Itimi Dickson hit the inside of the post from close range while Indra’s attempt to net the rebound was thwarted by Vu Nhu Thanh.

However, parity was restored three minutes later as an unmarked Fazrul Nawaz, who replaced Noh Alam Shah at half-time, headed home an inch perfect cross from Shi Jia Yi.

Both teams chased the winner which eventually came eight minutes from time and went the way of Vietnam, when the ball was fed across the Singapore penalty area into the path of Le Cong Vinh, who swept in his second goal of the competition.

After Singapore’s second successive loss following their 2-1 reverse to hosts Thailand on Tuesday, Lions’ head coach Radojko Avramovic remarked:

“The match could have gone either way as we missed three good chances but Vietnam deserved their win.

“Although we didn’t make the final this tournament has been good for us. It has been good preparation for the Asean Football Federation Championship and it has been beneficial for our players.”

Arnold relishing Asian Cup challenge

2006-12-28T15:50:00.000+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR – Australia coach Graham Arnold is looking forward to the high level of competition that the Socceroos will face when they make their debut in the Asian Cup finals next July.

Speaking after the final draw for the Asian Cup 2007 in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, where his team was placed in Group A with Oman, Iraq and co-host Thailand, Arnold expressed great enthusiasm for the quadrennial event.

“This is an important competition. It's held once every four years and in terms of the numbers of people who watch it, it's probably the second or third most popular football event in the world,” the Australia coach said.

“The winners can go to the Confederations Cup and there's a lot of prestige involved so it's important we perform well.”

Arnold is especially pleased that Australia will get the opportunity to face higher calibre opposition than they were used to playing in the past at the Oceania Football Confederation Championship.

“It's going to be different to what we're used to, but what we're used to is winning 15 or 20-0!

“The level is much better in the Asian Cup and even in qualifying, when we lost to Kuwait, we still got more out of it than we would have gained from just winning because we went somewhere where we had never experienced that type of heat or those type of conditions before and with minimal preparation.”

With that experience in mind, Arnold is particularly concerned about preparing his side well for the sweltering conditions that they can expect in South East Asia in the middle of the year.

“We have to prepare well for this tournament so we'll do 10 days to two weeks of preparation in the humidity because if you're not ready then you can come unstuck early,” he concluded.

Australia will open their Asian Cup campaign against Oman in Bangkok on July 8.

They face Iraq on July 13 before concluding their Group A programme against the Thais on July 16.

We are outsiders, says Riedl

2006-12-27T02:33:00.000+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR – Vietnam coach Alfred Riedl is under no illusions after his team was drawn to face defending champions Japan and Gulf rivals Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in Group B of the AFC Asian Cup 2007.

Despite their status as co-hosts, the Vietnamese will be seen as the underdogs in a group that features the three-time champions, the recently crowned Asian Games gold medallists and a nation that reached the final of the 1996 Asian Cup.

“Of course, we are the outsiders,” said the Austrian, currently in his third stint as Vietnam coach.

“The others would normally be seen as being stronger than us. But we won’t be nervous because we are the outsiders.”

Japan – who successfully defended the title in China three years ago after winning it for the second time in Lebanon in 2000 - will be favourites to progress to the last four with Qatar and the UAE fighting it out for the other berth in the quarter-finals.

But while the odds are stacked up against Vietnam, Riedl is hoping his team can give a good account of themselves.

“We performed well at the Asian Games even if the results weren’t so good,” he said. “We don’t want to lose but for us the results aren’t important.

“I’m not saying we want to lose but it’s important that we try hard and do our best. We always go into the game to win, no matter who is our opponent. But of course we are playing at home, so we have a chance to win. We will go in and try.

“I know the Japan coach, Ivica Osim, well and they are champions so of course it will be very hard.

“And the other teams are neighbours, so they will bring something interesting to Vietnam also. United Arab Emirates and Qatar are big rivals and it will be great to play them.”

Japan Football Association technical director Takeshi Ono was satisfied with the draw as the Japanese seek a record-breaking fourth-Asian Cup title.

“It’s difficult to know how we will do,” said the former Sanfrecce Hiroshima coach. “It’s an interesting group but there will be tough games and we will try to do our best.

“We know Qatar and UAE have very good talent and young talent but it will be tough. Vietnam I don’t know so well but the hosts are always tough so we’ll have to work hard.”

Asia's Sweet Sixteen

2006-12-27T01:25:00.000+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR – Profiles of the 16 teams that will be involved in the AFC Asian Cup 2007 final draw, which will take place at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center on Tuesday, December 19 at 8:00pm.

AUSTRALIA
Despite the absence of many of their Europe-based stars for the majority of the qualifiers, the Socceroos comfortably secured a spot in the Asian Cup for the first time by topping Group D.

They began with a come-from-behind 3-1 win in Bahrain in their opening match before 2-0 home wins against Kuwait and Bahrain confirmed Graham Arnold’s side of their place in the finals.

BAHRAIN
Semi-finalists at the Asian Cup in 2004, Bahrain were staring at an early elimination after picking up on only one point from their first three qualifying games in Group D.

Facing a crucial must-win home game against Kuwait in their final qualifier, Hans-Peter Breigel’s side prevailed 2-1 with first half goals by Talal Yusuf and Salman Issa ensuring that the Kuwaitis missed out on the Asian Cup for the first time since 1972.

CHINA
Runners-up in 2004, China made hard work of qualifying this time around. Although beaten only once in six Group E games, Zhu Guanghu’s side needed a last-ditch Shao Jiayi penalty to defeat Singapore 1-0 and were also held to a goalless draw in the Lion City.

A 2-0 win against Palestine in their penultimate game sealed China’s place in the finals but they will need plenty of improvement if they hope to go one better than their last Asian Cup performance.

INDONESIA
Having claimed their first victory at the Asian Cup finals with a 2-1 win against Qatar in 2004, Peter Withe’s side will be hoping for an even stronger performance in front of their own passionate fans in Jakarta when they make their fourth consecutive appearance in the finals in 2007.

The Indonesians have been runners-up in the last three editions of the ASEAN Football Federation Championship, and should prove a difficult side to beat on home soil.

IRAN
Having narrowly lost out on penalties to China in the 2004 semi-finals, Iran will be keen to add to their tally of three Asian Cup triumphs when they make a record 11th consecutive appearance in the finals in 2007.

Despite being held to a 1-1 draw at home by Syria, Amir Ghalenoei’s side were the only team not to lose in the qualifying competition and qualified as winners of Group B with a 2-0 victory against Korea Republic in Tehran in their final game.

IRAQ
The Iraqis began their qualification campaign in the worst possible way with a 2-0 defeat in Singapore but the 2004 quarter-finalists bounced back with a crucial 2-1 win against China in their next game.

They remained unbeaten for the rest of their campaign, sealing qualification for a fourth Asian Cup with a 4-2 victory against Singapore on their ‘home’ ground in Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates.

JAPAN
Despite patchy performances in their qualifying campaign, defending Asian Cup champions Japan secured their place in South East Asia by topping Group A with five wins in six games.

Although they made hard work of their two victories against Yemen, a last-minute Kazuki Ganaha strike in Sana’a assured Ivica Osim’s side of qualification after only four games and they rounded off their campaign with a 3-1 win against Saudi Arabia.

KOREA REPUBLIC
Winners of the first two editions of the Asian Cup, Korea Republic will be looking to end their title drought of 47 years when they compete in next year’s tournament in South East Asia.

Pim Verbeek’s side secured qualification for the finals for the 11th time after only five Group B games but they were far from impressive and were surprisingly held to 1-1 draws at home by both Iran and Syria.

MALAYSIA
An Asian footballing power in the 1970s, Malaysia will make their first appearance in the Asian Cup finals in 27 years when they co-host the tournament in 2007.

Home ground advantage could be of benefit to Norizan Bakar’s side, who held eventual quarter-finalists Iraq and semi-finalists Bahrain to draws in Kuala Lumpur during the qualifying rounds for the 2004 Asian Cup.

OMAN
Oman recovered from losing their opening Group C qualifier against United Arab Emirates, winning their next four games to seal their second consecutive appearance in the Asian Cup finals with a game to spare.

Having guided the Omanis to their first Asian Cup appearance in 2004, Czech coach Milan Macala returned to take charge of the team following the dismissal of Croat Srecko Juricic.

QATAR
Qatar had a poor campaign in China in 2004, finishing last in their group with just one point from three games, but the Gulf Cup holders made amends with an impressive display in the qualifiers for the 2007 tournament.

The Qataris won their first five games to top Group F, advancing to the Asian Cup finals for the seventh time in eight attempts, and were only denied a perfect record in qualifying by a 2-0 loss against Uzbekistan in their final match.

SAUDI ARABIA
Looking to make up for the disappointment of going out during the group stage in 2004, three-time Asian Cup winners Saudi Arabia qualified impressively for the 2007 tournament winning their first five games in Group A.

Marcos Paquesta’s side netted 21 goals and conceded only one in those five games, and only a 3-1 defeat in Japan in their final game denied them a perfect qualification record.

THAILAND
Although they finished third when they hosted the Asian Cup in 1972 and have qualified for the finals on every occasion since 1992, the Thais are still seeking their first regulation time victory in the final rounds.

The three-time ASEAN Football Federation champions have been in transition for the past couple of years but a quarter-final appearance at the 2006 Asian Games by their under-23 side bodes well for the future.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Following a disappointing performance in China in 2004, where they managed one point in three games, the 1996 Asian Cup runners-up returned to form with a strong qualifying campaign that saw them finish in first place in a tough Group C.

Bruno Metsu’s side did much of the hard work in their first four games, winning the first three and securing their place in South East Asia with a goalless draw against Jordan.

UZBEKISTAN
Quarter-finalists in 2004, Uzbekistan had to wait until their final game in Group F before securing their passage to a fourth consecutive appearance in the Asian Cup finals.

Defeated 2-1 in Qatar in their second game, the Uzbeks were also held to a pair of draws by Hong Kong, and only confirmed their place in South East Asia when they defeated Qatar 2-0 in Tashkent in their closing match.

VIETNAM
South Vietnam played in the finals of the first two editions of the Asian Cup in 1956 and 1960 but the 2007 Asian Cup will mark Vietnam’s first participation in the tournament as a unified nation.

The closest that the 2007 co-hosts have previously come to the finals was in 2004 when they recorded a memorable 1-0 win against Korea Republic in Oman but missed out by three points.