AL AIN, United Arab Emirates (REUTERS) - Defending champions Australia crashed out of the Asian Cup on Friday (Jan 25) when a contentious Ali Mabkhout goal earned hosts the United Arab Emirates a 1-0 victory and a semi-final meeting with Qatar next week.
Mabkhout struck midway through the second half after Milos Degenek under-hit a pass back to Mat Ryan, and the Al Jazira man swooped to round the goalkeeper and slot the ball into an empty net for his ninth goal in two Asian Cups.
The Australians complained Degenek had been fouled prior to giving away possession by Mohammed Abdulrahman, but Japanese referee Ryuji Sato waved away the protests and the goal stood.
Victory means Alberto Zaccheroni's side will move on to a potentially politically sensitive semi-final against their Arabian Gulf neighbours, who earlier stunned South Korea 1-0.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt launched a diplomatic and trade boycott of Qatar in June 2017. The countries accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism, which it denies.
The UAE's progress was vindication of Zaccheroni's decision to make five changes from the side that edged Kyrgyzstan in the previous round, with veteran striker Ismaeil Mattar making his first start of the tournament.
The home side who looked comfortable despite the changes and within a minute of kickoff almost took the lead. Ismail Al Hammadi flew through the Australian defence, but Ryan was equal to his goal-bound effort.
Al Hammadi threatened again 19 minutes later, with Ryan called into action again after the winger had stepped inside Australia's backline.
The Socceroos threatened, too, in an open and entertaining first half.
Trent Sainsbury looped an early header over the bar and Apostolos Giannou forced a save from Khalid Essa five minutes before the break.
Mabkhout, though, should have scored in the dying seconds of the half, only for his close range header to fizz over the crossbar.
He made amends after halftime when he capitalised on Degenek's poor pass to give his side the lead.
Australia coach Graham Arnold threw on strikers Awer Mabil and Andrew Nabbout in a last-ditch attempt to take the game into extra time. However, the UAE held firm to avenge their loss to the Socceroos in the semi-finals four years ago in Australia.
Learn Spanish with Fluencia, the easiest way to learn Spanish from the creators of SpanishDict Explore SpanishDict We've combined the most accurate English to Spanish translations, dictionary, verb conjugations, and Spanish to English translators into one very powerful search box.
Contact Us | Axe
Other than having to integrate a new-look side, Shigetomi also has to contend with new SPL rules which require Albirex to sign at least four Singaporean players, with at least two playing the entire first half. The club missed out on several targets in the close season, but still managed to sign six local players.
Singapore football must build a star overseas to create a
Neymar heads to Qatar for medical assessment Neymar will travel to Qatar to undergo a "complete assessment" six weeks into his recovery from a fractured right foot, Paris Saint-Germain said on
PSG star Neymar heads to Qatar for medical assessment - Sportstar
Pochettino wants Tottenham to be 'brave and aggressive' against Juve Published: 14:53 EST, 1 Skip navigation Spurs are back at this stage of the Champions League for the first time since
Pochettino wants Spurs and Levy to be 'brave' going forward
Coimbatore: Chennai City's I-League-winning coach Akbar Nawas Saturday called for a unified league with 20 teams, saying it would "benefit" the national team.Uncertainty looms over I-League's future with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) mulling bringing the league's top teams into the ISL fold.
Coaches Evening with Akbar Nawas - Athletes and Coaches
Getty Images. Fifa president Gianni Infantino has said a potential joint Korean bid for the 2023 Women's World Cup "would be great". On Monday, Hong Myung-bo, general secretary at the Korea
Infantino backs Korean bid for women's World Cup, Football
Headline Pochettino denies Spurs had one eye on Ajax clash after Hammers defeat Spurs put in a leggy and lethargic performance as West Ham became the first opposition team to score and win at the
Manchester United receive triple injury boost ahead of
Football: Guardiola predicts roller-coaster title run-in after Liverpool blip MANCHESTER, England (REUTERS) - Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes critics have been too quick to write off his side's chances of defending the Premier League crown, and he expects more twists and turns in the title race.
Guardiola predicts roller-coaster title run-in after
A look at the biggest talking points ahead of the first weekend of Premier League football this season, including Louis van Gaal's first match in charge of Manchester United and Jose Mourinho new
5 talking points ahead of the final weekend of the Premier
France midfielder Paul Pogba believes England's Raheem Sterling is sometimes treated differently by the British media because he is black and does not get the recognition he deserves for his
Man City's Sterling treated differently by British media
Few of the 24 women's World Cup teams arriving in France for next month's tournament will bear the weight of expectation quite like reigning champions the United States. Holders U.S. shrug off
Soccer: Holders U.S. Shrug off Weight of World Cup
Man City's De Bruyne upbeat as he bids to put injuries behind him. De Bruyne put in a huge effort last season for his club, featuring in 52 league and cup games for City and was named their
Man City's De Bruyne upbeat as he bids to put injuries behind him
'Expired' Molde deal to ease way for Solskjaer Related Story Football: Solskjaer has restored United's culture and identity, says former treble teammate Schmeichel
Solskjaer confirms his contract in Norway has expired
Cristiano Ronaldo isn't just one of the greatest on the pitch; he's the G.O.A.T. off it, too. Take a trip inside the mad world of CR7's brands.
'Until next year' - Ronaldo hints he's staying put as Madrid
First, he changed his own game. Then, he created a process around his experience so the 18,000+ entrepreneurs he has worked with could change theirs. Changing lives is no small feat, but for Dan Sullivan, founder of The Strategic Coach ® Program, this game-changer movement is just beginning.
Scoring The Equalizer - How Football Can Become A Game
0 comments:
Post a Comment