China 2-2 Iran: Nekounam seals fightback
Iran fought back from two goals down to secure a 2-2 draw with China in a pulsating Asian Cup Group C clash on Sunday.
The battle of the group favourites lived up to its billing, with China looking impressive in the first half before Iran's big-name players responded in style to outclass their opponents in the final 45 minutes.
Shao Jiayi and Mao Jianqing gave China a 2-0 lead inside the first 33 minutes before Ferydoon Zandi pulled one back for Iran on the stroke of halftime and Javad Nekounam equalised midway through the second period.
The result leaves China and Iran level on four points at the top of the group with the Chinese ahead on goal difference. Uzbekistan are third on three points with co-hosts Malaysia bottom of the standings following two losses.
Iran coach Amir Ghalenoei said his team's lack of focus in the early stages had allowed China to dominate the first half.
'In our pre-match meeting we identified free-kicks and certain players as dangers to us, and that is exactly how China scored,' he told reporters.
'But we played really well in the second half and I'm happy that we could escape with a 2-2 draw.'
China deservedly took the lead after seven minutes when Shao converted a free-kick from 30 yards.
The midfielder floated his shot over the wall and past Iran goalkeeper Hassan Roudbarian, who got a hand to the ball but was unable to keep it out.
The goal stirred a lacklustre Iran into action with captain Mehdi Mahdavikia deciding to abandon his right back position in an attempt to strengthen the attack.
Just when it looked like Iran had China's measure, the 2004 Asian Cup runners-up doubled their lead.
Zheng Zhi crossed from the right and found Mao free in the place where Mahdavikia would normally patrol.
The striker had plenty of time to bring the ball down and crash his 12-yard shot past a diving Roudbarian.
Iran refused to buckle and three minutes later had their first serious attempt on goal when Vahid Hashemian's sharp header from Mahdavikia's cross was saved by Li Leilei.
In the 43rd minute, Mahdavikia had a sizzling 12-yard shot parried by Li as the west Asian side continued to press.
However, Iran finally broke through as half-time approached when Mahdavikia touched a free kick to Zandi, who sent a curling 25-yard shot from the right beyond Li's grasp.
China stunned their fans by coming out with a defensive formation for the second half with goal-scorer Mao and winger Wang Dong substituted.
With their attacking options limited, China allowed Iran a lot of space in midfield as Reza Enayati and Rahman Rezaei both came close before Iran punished their opponents for their negativity with an equaliser in the 72nd minute.
From a corner move, Mahdavikia floated the ball into the box and Nekounam sparked wild celebrations on the Iran bench by rising high to head the ball past Li into the right-hand corner.
'Those players (Mao and Wang Dong) were tired,' China coach Zhu Guanghu told said, denying he had employed negative tactics after the break.
'I don't think any coach would play defensively in that situation. We lost our lead because Iran put extra pressure on us and we conceded two goals.'
The group concludes on Wednesday when Iran take on Malaysia and China face Uzbekistan. The top-two will advance to the quarter-finals.
Papin in the frame to take over China
China are looking to former France striker Jean-Pierre Papin to replace Zhu Guanghu as coach after their early exit from the Asian Cup.
Zhu looks to be on the way out after China's stunning 3-0 defeat to Uzbekistan saw them exit the competition on Wednesday.
'Yes, I am a candidate for China coach. I am interested in that position, but perhaps I'm not the only one on the list,' Titan Sports quoted Papin as saying.
'If the situation is fine, why not? And I have to point out it's not mine, but the Chinese Football Association's decision.'
Papin, 43, who left RC Strasbourg in June after guiding the club to promotion to the French Ligue 1, said he would talk with the CFA in Beijing later this month.
The 57-year-old Zhu apologised to fans after Wednesday's loss.
'As I am a professional coach and had a contract with the CFA, we both sides will treat it in a professional way.'
Malaysia axe coach Bakar after dismal Asian Cup
Malaysia coach Norizan Bakar has been axed after his side's heavy losses at the Asian Cup.
'The team manager told me that my contract, which was to end in September, would be terminated after the Iran match,' he was quoted as saying by Malaysia's Bernama news agency on Thursday.
Malaysia's 2-0 defeat by three-times Asian Cup champions Iran on Wednesday was the 46-year-old's last game in charge.
Norizan was informed of the decision after the co-hosts were humiliated 5-0 by Uzbekistan on Saturday, which followed a 5-1 hammering by China in their opening Group C match.
'Football is all about results. Before I became a coach I was a teacher and when my students failed I stopped teaching. It is the same with the career of a coach,' Norizan added.
The deputy president of Malaysia's soccer federation, Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, resigned after Saturday's loss, and Malaysian sports leaders have called for others to follow suit.
Bakar praised his players for their 'team spirit and togetherness' after his final match in charge.
Norizan was told before his team went out to face Iran that his contract, due to expire in September, was to be terminated immediately.
The 46-year-old bore the brunt of criticism after co-hosts Malaysia lost 5-1 to China and 5-0 to Uzbekistan in their first two group matches.
'I think the decision is unfair,' he told journalists.
'I have always tried my level best with the personnel at my disposal. With all the criticism and humiliation, the morale of the players was very low. I have to take my hat off to them, they showed real guts.
'It's very hard for them and they showed true team sprit and togetherness.'
Norizan's exit follows that of Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, who last week resigned as deputy president of the Football Association of Malaysia.
Norizan, a former teacher, said Malaysia should not hide from Asia's big teams despite the heavy defeats.
'We have nothing to lose against playing these teams,' he said. 'We must learn from these games.'
China exit Asian Cup
Uzbekistan knocked Group C favourites China out of the Asian Cup with a stunning 3-0 upset victory at the Shah Alam Stadium on Wednesday.
AndyWong/AP
Timur Kapadze scores past China's goalkeeper Li Leilei.
All three goals came via free kicks as Dynamo Kiev striker Maksim Shatskikh, midfielder Timur Kapadze and veteran Alexander Geynrikh struck late in the second half to break the hearts of the 2004 runners-up.
Iran finished top of the group on seven points after their 2-0 win over co-hosts Malaysia earlier on Wednesday, with Uzbekistan second on six points. China finished with four points and Malaysia lost all three matches.
China needed only a draw to qualify after a 5-1 victory over Malaysia and a 2-2 draw with Iran. Uzbekistan, who thrashed Malaysia 5-0 after losing 2-1 to Iran, needed to win to reach the last eight.
The match was marred by a serious neck injury to Chinese forward Han Peng who was taken to hospital after a collision with Uzbek goalkeeper Hayrulla Karimov in the final minutes.
Uzbekistan travel to Jakarta to face Saudi Arabia in the quarter-finals on Sunday. Iran stay in Malaysia to take on South Korea.
Uzbek coach Rauf Inileyev told reporters: 'We spent a lot of time on free kicks because we felt that China were weak in that part of their game. In fact, our whole game-plan worked very well.'
Chinese coach Zhu Guanghu, blaming defeat on absence of injured goalkeeper Li Leilei and defender Li Weifeng, is determined to carry on.
'I will not leave football,' he said. 'The coaching staff and players will learn from this defeat and move forward.'
After a dour first half, Uzbekistan stunned the Chinese fans by taking the lead in the 72nd minute.
Substitute Victor Karpenko floated a free kick into the box and Shatskikh rose to head goalwards. Chinese stand-in keeper Yang Jun failed to hold on and Shatskikh volleyed in the rebound for his third goal of the competition.
Uzbekistan made it 2-0 on 86 minutes. Karpenko aimed his 25-yard effort straight at Yang, who was helpless as the ball bounced off his legs and Kapadze ran in to score.
Geynrikh sealed victory with a goal deep into injury time. His free kick from 25 yards came off the wall but Geynrikh collected the rebound to shoot through a crowd of players and into the net.
Indonesia 0-1 South Korea: Jung-Woo strikes
South Korea scraped into the Asian Cup quarter-finals with a fraught 1-0 win over Indonesia in their final Group D game on Wednesday.
AchmadIbrahim/AP
South Korea's Yeom Ki-hun, left, battles with Indonesia's Ricardo Salampessy
The victory, coupled with Saudi Arabia's 4-0 hammering of Bahrain, sent the 2002 World Cup semi-finalists into last eight after going into the last round of matches bottom of the standings.
Kim Jung-woo scored the priceless goal for South Korea in the 34th minute, but they were made to sweat in a torrid second half as Indonesia threw everything into attack.
'We spoke to the players before the game and told them that every game from now on would be like a final,' Korea coach Pim Verbeek told reporters.
'I'm happy. We were in control and we're ready for the next round.'
South Korea were the stronger team throughout at a hostile Gelora Bung Karno Stadium but failed once again to kill the game off. The Koreans had surrendered one-goal leads to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain through defensive lapses in earlier group games.
'The chance we gave away at the end of the first half shows that we still haven't learned from previous games,' added Verbeek. 'This time we were lucky.'
Indonesia failed to create any real clear-cut chances but gave a good account of themselves against what coach Ivan Kolev said was one of the strongest teams in Asia.
'I am disappointed because we didn't quality, but also proud as my players as they fought to the death,' Kolev said.
'From the very first match they played at their best, even though we knew that our opponents were all very strong.'
With so much at stake it was always going to be a ferocious contest. The 90,000 fans inside the cavernous stadium in the Indonesian capital let their feeling show too, tearing down a banner reading 'Korea Indonesia Friendship'.
South Korea had the best of the early exchanges, but Indonesia's counterattacks were posing a problem and Elie Aiboy should have done better than curl the ball over the bar on the half hour.
The co-hosts were made to pay when Korea took the lead four minutes later.
Lee Chun-soo floated past three half-hearted challenges and laid the ball off to midfielder Kim. His crisp shot from the edge of the area took the slightest of deflections on the way past goalkeeper Muhammad Ridwan.
South Korea maintained possession well in the second half, creating and squandering a host of chances.
Indonesia threw everything into attack, leaving gaps at the back for Korea to exploit, but neither team were able to find the net.
South Korea face Group C winners Iran in the quarter-finals in Malaysia on Sunday.
Saudi Arabia 4-0 Bahrain: Cruise to quarters
Saudi Arabia brushed aside Bahrain 4-0 in Palembang on Wednesday to reach the Asian Cup quarter-finals as Group D winners.
The Saudis dominated the match, taking the lead on 18 minutes through striker Ahmed Al Mousa and doubling the advantage just before halftime with a goal by Abdulrahman Al Qahtani.
Al Mousa took advantage of a defensive mix-up to finish calmly from close range and Al Qahtani clipped the ball home at the far post following a teasing cross from the right.
Striker Taisir Al Jassam added the third goal with a superb 25-metre strike on 68 minutes and he completed the rout with a coolly-taken second 11 minutes from time.
Saudi Arabia will play Group C runners-up Uzbekistan in the last eight in Jakarta on Sunday.
Bahrain finished bottom of the standings with three points earned from their upset victory over South Korea.
Australia banking on European experience
Playing week in, week out in the pressure cooker environment of the European leagues could tip the balance in Australia's favour when they face Japan in the Asian Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, the Socceroos say.
Australia got off to an awful start when they drew with Oman then lost to Iraq, but raised their game to thump Thailand 4-0 and set up a mouth-watering clash with Japan.
The Australians know they will have to play even better to get past an in-form Japanese team but expect the 'cup final' mentality they are used to in Europe to work in their favour.
'This is do or die and that suits our character as a team,' said midfielder Mark Bresciano, who plays for Italian Serie A club Palermo.
'As we've seen in the past, that's when we perform at our best. We can step up on these big occasions.
'We don't die off too easily and if there's just that little possibility of winning then we're going to take it.'
Although Australia are making their first appearance at the Asian Cup, they have already developed a strong rivalry with Japan after coming from a goal down to beat them 3-1 at last year's World Cup.
Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, who plays in for Middlesbrough, said the Socceroos were only just starting to get back to the same form they showed in Germany.
'This is a big tournament, it's a major tournament and for us it's second only to the World Cup and we're treating it as serious as the World Cup,' he said.
Despite the poor start, Australia were improving game by game, he added.
'I'd rather be getting better than getting worse and if we can get the result against Japan it's just going to kick us even further.'
While the bulk of Australia's players are based in Europe, only two members of Japan's squad play outside their homeland - Celtic playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura and Eintracht Frankfurt striker Naohiro Takahara.
Nakamura won Scotland's player of the year award last season and Australia know the key to beating Japan is to shut him down.
'Obviously Nakamura is one of those players that can take very good free kicks and is also dangerous around the box and is a good playmaker,' Schwarzer said.
'But we're just going to play our game as much as possible and be confident that we an get the result we need.'
Japan striker Naohiro Takahara warned Australia he will be fully fit and ready to continue his Asian Cup scoring streak in Saturday's quarter-final.
The Eintracht Frankfurt forward, dubbed 'sushi bomber' in Germany, scored three goals in the group phase despite suffering from a fever as Japan cruised into the quarter-finals.
But four days rest between Monday's 4-1 victory over co-hosts Vietnam and Japan's showdown with the Socceroos has come at a perfect time for the holders, and especially Takahara.
'I've been able to play but I wasn't in the best of conditions,' the 28-year-old told reporters after Wednesday's training session.
'But we have four days to recover. I'm pretty sure I'll be fully recovered.'
Takahara's team mates amply covered for him against Vietnam with strike partner Seiichiro Maki breaking his duck at the Asian Cup with two goals.
'I felt dreadful during the game against Vietnam,' said Takahara, still sniffling after his brief bout of influenza. 'I'm looking to make a fresh start from now.'
Takahara has been Japan's main attacking threat since 2000 and has scored 22 goals in 50 internationals. For goal-shy Maki to suddenly strike form is a major bonus for Japan.
Japan coach Ivica Osim has shown great patience with Maki despite widespread criticism of the player after a recent drought of six games without a goal.
Even Japan Football Association president Saburo Kawabuchi scoffed: 'He's not very good is he!'
Osim coached Maki at J-League club JEF United Chiba before taking the Japan job and the gangly forward repaid the Bosnian's faith in him against Vietnam.
'I'm asked to do the dirty work but I'm also expected to score goals so it was nice to have done that,' the 26-year-old told Reuters.
'It's nice to know the coach trusts in me for the most important games. People show close-ups when you miss but I'm also doing little things for the team you don't necessarily see.'