Baghdad – IA
Today, Saturday, the teams of Tajikistan and China tied 0-0 in their first matches in the first group of the group stage, while the Australian team achieved a well-deserved victory over India 2-0, in the first round of the second group competitions of the Asian Cup in Qatar.
At the Ahmed Bin Ali World Cup Stadium, in front of a crowd of 36,000, most of whom supported the Indian team, Jackson Irvine (50) and Jordan Buss (73) scored the two goals.
The match witnessed a precedent in the Asian Cup finals, because Japanese referee Yoshimi Yamashita had the honor of being the first woman to officiate a match in the continental finals.
The group also includes Syria and Uzbekistan, who will meet later at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium.
In the second match, the teams of Tajikistan and China tied negatively, in their first matches in the first group of the group stage of the 2023 Asian Nations Cup, held in Qatar.
Both teams were unable to translate the opportunities afforded to their players into goals throughout the two halves of the match, so each team received one point.
The Tajik national team – which recorded its first appearance in the Asian Nations Cup – was the better party during the first half, while the Chinese national team was active in the final minutes, during which it almost snatched the three points.
With that result, both teams shared second place in the group standings with one point, two points behind Qatar (the defending champion), which sits on top after its 3-0 victory over Lebanon (bottom of the standings) without points, in the opening match of the competition.
The Lebanese national team will meet its Chinese counterpart in the second round, which will take place next Wednesday, while Qatar will play with Tajikistan on the same day in the same round.