DOHA: Southeast Asian giants Thailand through to the 2023 Asian Cup round of 16 after playing to a goalless draw against three-time champions Saudi Arabia in their final Group F match of the 2023 Asian Cup at Education City Stadium at Al Rayyan City last night.
With Oman also drawing 1-1 against Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia secured the top spot in the group with seven points, Thailand finished second (five points), and Oman with two points fell short of advancing as one of the best-ranked third-placed teams.
Saudi Arabia head coach Roberto Mancini made nine changes to the Green Falcons’ starting eleven, introducing goalkeeper Raghed Najjar for his debut.
In the opening minutes, Saudi Arabia had a penalty opportunity but War Elephant’s goalkeeper Saranon Anuin denied Abdullah Radif’s effort in the 12th minute.
Despite several disallowed goals due to offside decisions on both sides, neither team managed to break the deadlock.
Saudi Arabia’s forward Talal Haji made history after coming in as a second-half substitute at the age of 16 years and 131 days, becoming the second youngest player to appear at the Asian Cup after Syria’s Munaf Ramadan (16 years and 45 days versus Saudi Arabia in 1988).
The match ended without a goal despite a flurry of chances at both ends, leaving Thailand led by Japanese Masatada Ishii remaining one of two teams not to concede a goal in the group stage alongside hosts Qatar.
Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan and Oman concluded their journey with a 1-1 draw at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium.
Oman, requiring a victory to secure their spot in the knockout stage, took an early lead with Muhsen Al Ghassani’s eighth-minute opener before Joel Kojo’s late goal for Kyrgyzstan in the 91st minute dashed Branko Ivankovic’s side’s hopes.
The late goal set the stage for a grandstand finish with both sides trying desperately to find the winning goal to no avail as their respective campaigns ended.
The results saw Indonesia emerge as the significant beneficiary, securing a spot in the round of 16 as one of the top four third-placed finishers.
Indonesia coached by South Korean Shin Tae-yong finished third in Group D with three points after recording its only victory over Vietnam 1-0. – BERNAMA
