A Collection of 1-0’s – From The Stands Asian Cup – Day 2 Review

The second night of the 2015 Asian Cup saw plenty of end-to-end attacking play and great support from the stands, if not a spectacular amount of goalmouth action. The night, which saw the final game of Group A and both Group B fixtures play out, included both Korean sides, the well supported Chinese, 3-time champions Saudi Arabia, perennial underdogs Oman as well as tournament dark horses Uzbekistan.

The matches, played in Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane respectively, all were viewed by over 12,000 fans each, with a grand total of 37,187 attending the venues on the day. All 3 fixtures had something else in common : the scoreline. Despite two desperate last minute equaliser attempts, the scores remained 1-0 across the line.

 

Final Result – South Korea 1 (Cho Young-Cheol 45’) defeated Oman 0 

Australia’s other two group opponents went face to face in Canberra in a damp affair in which the Koreans took the 3 points. Cho Young-Cheol took advantage of the Omani’s poor effort to clear the ball and knocked the ball in from 5 metres out.

Both sides created chances but poor finishing let them both down. The Omani’s had a last-gasp corner which resulted in a goal-line save, saving the three points for the Koreans who now look likely to qualify from the group.

Crowd – 12,552

A good turnout considering Canberra does not have an A-League team and there was poor weather leading into the match, with downpour turning some off before kick-off.

FTS Man of the Match – Ali Al Habsi 

The Omani goalkeeper, currently on loan at Brighton from Wigan in the English championship, produced a sterling performance on the night, saving multiple efforts from the South Koreans and gave his side a chance at getting something from the match. Was unlucky to concede after making the initial save.

 

Final Result – Uzbekistan 1 (Igor Sergeev 62’) defeated North Korea 0

The second match of the night saw a plucky North Korea eventually run out of legs against a dominant Uzbekistan team, who should have wrapped up the game early into the second half.

Igor Sergeev’s goal was a beautifully taken header after a fabulous cross was put in by skipper Djeparov. The in form striker still had a lot of do and directed the header beautifully into the bottom corner.

North Korea almost stole a point at the death, as a corner resulted in a goal-line save mirroring the one North Korea’s neighbours pulled off in the match in Canberra. The Uzbekistan side will none-the-less take the 3 points and move to equal top of group B

Crowd – 12,078

Considering the torrential downpour, described as “apocalyptic” and “monsoonal”, over 12,000 in Sydney was a good result, especially considering the competition with the Cricket test match at the SCG. Plenty of Uzbekistan support and a number of adopted North Korean supporters in attendance.

FTS Man of the Match – Sardor Rashidov 

Despite only taking to the field in the 72nd minute, the Uzbekistan substitute created a many good scoring opportunities and was more than a handful for the North Korean defence. His intensity and ability on the ball tired the North Koreans and relieved the pressure from his own defenders, allowing the Uzbeks to hang on to the 1-0 scoreline.

 

Final Result – Saudi Arabia 0 defeated by China 1 (Yu Hai 81’) 

The final fixture for the night was perhaps the most exciting of the three and the most even of the games in the competition so far. Both sides had similar amounts of fouls, shots, crosses and yellow cards in a match that really should have had more than 1 goal deciding it.

Saudi flags being handed out with the ‘Made In China’ sticker on it. Credit @howedan for the image #KSAvChN #AC2015 pic.twitter.com/LbSu1XFTp3

— From The Stands (@FTSAUS) January 10, 2015

The 60th minute saw Hazazi earn a penalty for his nation off the back of a well executed counter attack. The penalty was woefully taken and Wang Dalei in goals graciously made the save. The Saudi’s were left rueing missed opportunities when a deflected Yu Hai free kick found the back of the net and decided the tie.

Crowd – 12,557

The only match that did not feature disruption due to precipitation featured the highest crowd figure for the night, with many Brisbane-based Chinese fans getting along to the game and made themselves heard. The Saudis, while in not as strong of numbers as the Chinese, made just as much noise in a match with great atmosphere.

FTS Man of the Match – Wang Dalei

The Chinese goalkeeper managed to save a penalty as well as make multiple key saves to keep the Saudi team at bay throughout the match. The number 23 was a surprise choice for some, but he performed superbly on the night and can be thanked largely for the clean sheet on the night, a birthday present for the custodian.

Asian Cup 2015 Attendance Running Total : 62,418

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