Saturday 20 / April / 2024
AL AIN: Thailand and United Arab Emirates are both through to the AFC Asian Cup Round of 16 after playing out a 1-1 draw at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, while India went down to Bahrain 1-0 on Monday.
Ali Mabkhout handed the hosts a 7th-minute lead with a close-range header on the follow-up, although Thitipan Puangchan’s equaliser four minutes before the break proved enough to secure the draw.
The result saw UAE claim top spot in Group A on five points while Thailand finish second ahead of Bahrain due to their superior head-to-head record after a 1-0 win last week.
Meanwhile, Jamal Rashid scored a late, late penalty to break India’s hearts as Bahrain defeated the Blue Tigers 1-0 to knock them out of the AFC Asian Cup 2019 in dramatic fashion at the Al Sharjah Stadium in Sharjah on Monday.
Dogged defending
India, who went into the game needing only a point to guarantee a place in the Round of 16, looked set to go through after a dogged defensive performance, but the late Bahrain goal coupled with Thailand coming back from behind to grab a 1-1 draw against hosts United Arab Emirates (UAE) meant that Stephen Constantine’s men would pack their bags early!
UAE, with one win against India and two stalemates with Bahrain and Thailand, progress as the table-toppers from Group A while Thailand, who stared at an exit at the start of the day, quality as the second-placed team with four points. Bahrain who were level on points but third on their head-to-head record against Thailand are also sure to progress as one of four best third-placed teams.
