Qatar Indonesia fell below Vietnam in Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup, after losing 1-3 to Iraq in the first round.
There were no surprises at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, as Iraq showed their superiority with a two-goal victory. However, Indonesia also impressed in the first half, especially about 10 minutes later when 20-year-old midfielder Marselino Ferdinan equalized. But Osama Rashid's controversial goal for Iraq late in the first half left the Southeast Asians with no chance of recovery. A loss of form in the second half also saw Shin Tae-yong's team concede another goal.
Mohanad Ali (No. 10) opened the scoring for Iraq against Indonesia at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan City, Qatar, the first match of Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup on January 15, 2024. Photo: Lam Thoa
Indonesia played on par with Iraq in the first 15 minutes, with the ball hitting the post and crossbar once each. The West Asians took advantage of a better opportunity to open the scoring, when an Indonesian player failed to clear the ball, creating a pass for Mohanad Ali to rush past Elkan Baggott to face the goalkeeper. Sprinting quickly, Mohanad remained calm and curled the ball with his weaker right foot into the near corner to open the scoring. It was this striker who scored the only goal to help Iraq beat Vietnam 1-0 in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers at My Dinh Stadium in November 2023.
Iraq continued to encroach, but Shin's team still played lurking, waiting for the opportunity to counterattack. The surprise came in the 37th minute, when midfielder Yakob Sayuri broke through on the right, threaded the needle through central defender Ali Adnan and then crossed low to the second post for Marselino Ferdinan to easily shoot into the empty net to tie the score 1-1 for Indonesia. The first goalscorers for both Vietnam and Indonesia in the tournament were both 20 years old, Nguyen Dinh Bac and Ferdinan.
Main events of the match.
However, Indonesia only managed to keep the score for 10 minutes. In the last minute of the first half, midfielder Ali Jassim received the ball on the left, near the penalty area, faked a shot and then turned the ball to his left foot to get past Asnawi Mangkualam. He shot low across the corner, making it impossible for goalkeeper Ernando Ari to catch it, pushing the ball right to Osama Rashid, who easily tapped it into the empty net to score Iraq's second goal.
Coach Shin angrily demanded to review the situation through the screen, then loudly spoke to the referee. He was dissatisfied because in the previous play, Mohanad seemed to be offside in the close-range header. However, the goal was still recognized for Iraq, perhaps because the referee considered the two situations different, so VAR did not intervene.
Iraq's superiority was clearly shown in the third goal, in the second half. From a cross from Bashar Rasan on the right, Aymen Hussein took advantage of his height of 1.89m, jumping up to compete with center back Rizky Ridho. While Ridho was struggling, Aymen remained steady, then shot hard into the top corner, leaving the Indonesian goalkeeper unable to react in time to save the goal. As with most of the one-on-one duels in the match, Iraq did better thanks to their third best physique in the tournament, behind only Iran and China.
Aymen Hussein (right) celebrates the goal that sealed the 3-1 victory for Iraq. Photo: Lam Thoa
Towards the end of the match, the Indonesian players lost their strength, making several slow tackles and causing danger to their opponents. Midfielder Marc Klok twice tackled the ball with his sole in a few minutes, only receiving a yellow card from Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev.
The first round of Group D ended with no surprises. Japan and Iraq both won by two goals, placing them above Vietnam and Indonesia. Philippe Troussier and his team are currently third in the group, ahead of Indonesia in terms of goals scored. In the second round, the two Southeast Asian representatives will meet on November 19, with the losing team almost certain to be eliminated.
Quang Dung - Hoang An
See main eventsSource link
Comment (0)