Determine 14/16 teams in the knockout round

Closing the final round of Group D, the 2023 Asian Cup has officially determined 14/16 teams that have qualified for the round of 16.

Asian Cup 2023: Xác định 14/16 đội tuyển vòng 1/8 vòng đấu loại trực tiếp

The 2023 Asian Cup is taking place in Qatar. (Source: Getty Images)

14 teams have qualified for the knockout round

The 14 teams include Qatar, Tajikistan (Group A), Australia, Uzbekistan, Syria (Group B), Iran, UAE, Palestine (Group C), Iraq, Japan (Group D), Jordan, South Korea (Group E), Saudi Arabia and Thailand (Group F).

Of these 14 teams, three teams, Jordan, South Korea and Thailand, have yet to play their final group stage matches, so their final positions have yet to be determined.

The three teams advanced after Indonesia lost 1-3 in a "life-or-death" match with Japan in the final round of Group D.

With this defeat, Indonesia still has only 3 points, less than Jordan, South Korea and Thailand (all have 4 points). Therefore, the final results of groups E and F cannot change the situation.

The four teams that won the group stage were Qatar (Group A), Australia (Group B), Iran (Group C) and Iraq (Group D). Notably, Qatar and Iraq won all their matches in the group stage.

The four second-placed teams include Tajikistan (Group A), Uzbekistan (Group B), UAE (Group C) and Japan (Group D).

Syria and Palestine are the two teams that have qualified as two of the four best third-placed teams.

Up to this point, the 2023 Asian Cup Round of 16 has only determined the details of two matches, namely Tajikistan vs UAE and Iran vs Syria.

What are the chances for the Indonesian team?

The remaining two spots in the knockout round will be determined after the final matches of Groups E and F of the 2023 Asian Cup conclude.

This is considered to be a tense match between Indonesia (3 points, goal difference -3), Bahrain (3 points, goal difference -1) and Oman (1 point, goal difference -1). Even in this competition, Kyrgyzstan, although at the bottom of Group F, still has a chance to continue.

Indonesia are currently ranked 4th in the group of 3rd best teams but having finished playing, now all they can do is wait and hope that luck will be on their side.

Specifically, coach Shin Tae Yong's team will only advance if Bahrain loses to Jordan in the final match with a score of 0-2 or a difference of 3 goals or more.

Another door for the Indonesian team to enter the next round is that the Oman team cannot beat Kyrgyzstan.

However, the Indonesian team's chances of advancing are extremely slim as both Bahrain and Oman still have the right to decide their own fate.

In Group E, with 3 points (goal difference -1), the Bahrain team only needs to draw or even lose closely against Jordan to qualify for the next round.

Meanwhile, in Group F, Oman has only 1 point (goal difference -1) and will have to win against Kyrgyzstan to qualify for the next round. If they win, Oman will have 4 points to surpass Indonesia.

In another notable case, Kyrgyzstan has no points and a goal difference of -4 but this team still has a chance to advance to the knockout round.

Kyrgyzstan will book their place in the 2023 Asian Cup round of 16 if they beat Oman by two goals. Kyrgyzstan will then have three points and a goal difference of -2, just enough to surpass Indonesia in the group of third-placed teams with the best record.

Therefore, the match between Oman and Kyrgyzstan promises to be very tense and dramatic. Of course, Indonesia expects a draw in this match.

When will the 2023 Asian Cup Round of 16 take place?

Closing the group stage, the 2023 Asian Cup will have a 3-day break before officially entering the knockout round.

According to the schedule, the first match of the round of 16 will be between Australia (first place in Group B) and the third place team in Group A, C or D. This match will take place at 6:30 p.m. on January 28.

Meanwhile, the final match of the round of 16 will be between Iran (first place in Group C) and Syria (third place in Group B), at 11pm on January 31.

( according to Vietnam+ )

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