AL-AIN, United Arab Emirates (AFP) - Tom Rogic's injury-time thunderbolt settled an Asian Cup thriller on Tuesday (Jan 15) as defending champions Australia beat Syria 3-2 to reach the last 16 and knock out their war-torn rivals.
The result meant the holders finished second in Group B behind Jordan, whose simultaneous 0-0 draw with Palestine gave the Palestinians hope of qualifying as one of the best third-placed teams.
Syria, vocally backed by thousands of their fans in Al Ain, twice fought back from a goal behind before Rogic slammed home the winner in the third minute of injury time.
Injury-hit Australia, with only six outfield players on the bench, needed just a draw to go through as they kicked off at the same time as Jordan against Palestine.
Syria looked an early threat before Australia started to get a grip on the game and Hibernian striker Jamie Maclaren flashed a header just wide.
There was drama on the half-hour when a Syrian free-kick bounced through a packed penalty area and into the net, but the goal was ruled out for a foul on Mark Milligan.
But Australia were getting close and Awer Mabil, after seeing one raking shot blocked, unleashed a fabulous effort which curled into the top corner four minutes before half-time.
However, the lead lasted just two minutes as Mouaiad Alajaan's cross picked out Omar Khrbin, who on his 25th birthday saw his header saved by Mat Ryan but then gobbled up the rebound.
On 54 minutes, Chris Ikonomidis's shot was hooked away by Omro Al Midani - but the ball was judged to have crossed the line by the additional assistant referee, who was surrounded by Syrian players.
SYRIA PENALTY
The incident silenced the massed ranks of Syrian fans but there was uproar around the stadium shortly afterwards when their team vehemently claimed a penalty for a Milligan handball.
Australia looked firmly in control and they could have had a third goal when substitute Apostolos Giannou saw a low shot cannon off the base of the upright.
But Mexican referee Cesar Ramos threw Syria a lifeline when he gave them a penalty after Omar Al Soma went down in the box - and the striker stroked them level once more with 10 minutes to go.
It looked like Syria would escape with a vital point before Celtic's Rogic, playing the tournament with a broken hand, belted Australia's third from distance.
Meanwhile in Dubai, Jordan were held to a goalless draw by Palestine in a fiery clash to preserve their unbeaten record and progress as Group B winners.
Twice quarter-finalists, in 2004 and 2011, Jordan stunned holders Australia in their opening game before beating Syria 2-0.
But they found plucky Palestine a tougher nut to crack in Abu Dhabi.
Abdallatif Al Bahdari header gave Jordan a scare on the hour-mark of a match that was not one for football purists.
Jordan went close when Ahmad Ersan's long-range blast was blocked by Palestine goalkeeper Rami Hamada before the game petered out with both sides content to take a draw.
Paris Saint-Germain have 'agreed a deal to sign Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes from Russian side Zenit St Petersburg for £41million'. The 24-year-old is set to sign a four-and-a-half year
Tough love with an 'iron fist': Meet the McCourty twins
sportslifetale.com/nfl/tough-love-with-an-iron-fist-meet-the-mccourty-twins-mighty-mom/
He died before Phyllis could get to the hospital, before she had a chance to say goodbye. Football: PSG buy Argentina midfielder Paredes for estimated €47m
Paris Saint-Germain 'to rival Chelsea for Leandro Paredes
maintenance.sportsmole.co.uk/football/chelsea/transfer-talk/news/psg-to-rival-chelsea-for-paredes_347220.html
Paris Saint-Germain reportedly decide to rival Chelsea in the race to sign Zenit St Petersburg midfielder Leandro Paredes.
Serie A » News » China invests big in European clubs
Arsenal boss Emery fined £8,000 for kicking water bottle towards Brighton fan but escapes touchline ban Spaniard admitted an improper conduct charge from the FA as the Gunners dropped points at
Emery fined for kicking bottle at Brighton fan - goal.com
Hugo Lloris saved Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 90th-minute penalty as a below-par Tottenham Hotspur salvaged what could be a crucial 1-1 draw in a scrappy north London derby against Arsenal on Saturday. Tottenham had trailed to Aaron Ramsey's 16th-minute goal and were offering little as a third
Kane, Lloris rescue point for Spurs against Arsenal
Manchester City endured some anxious moments but escaped from fourth-tier Newport County with their FA Cup hopes intact as Phil Foden scored twice in an ultimately comfortable 4-1 fifth-round victory on Saturday.
Man City end Newport's Cup dream to reach quarter-finals
Football Federation Australia hailed the move as "an outcome that delivers on the gender equity principle of 'same base pay for same base work'." "This means that players in the Westfield W-League and Hyundai A-League will receive the same minimum remuneration hourly rate," said FFA Head of Leagues Greg O'Rourke.
Australian female players to earn same base pay as men
Man City suffer shock Premier League defeat by Crystal Palace Premier League / 22 December 2018, 7:20pm / Ian Whittell Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha and Mamadou Sakho celebrate after the match.
Football: Manchester City beat Crystal Palace in Premier
Lucas Moura, from PSG cast-off to Tottenham idol AFP May 8, 2019, 11:03 PM UTC "Super-hero": Lucas stole the show as Tottenham pulled off a miraculous comeback to beat Ajax
Lucas Moura: From PSG cast-off to Tottenham idol - Daily Nation
Jun 01, 2018 · Mauricio Pochettino 'happy' at Spurs but keeps Real Madrid door open "I'm working very comfortably at Tottenham and it's my obligation to focus on that. Tottenham insist there is
Pochettino happy at Spurs but would 'have to listen' to any
Romelu Lukaku scored twice to make light work of Manchester United's injury crisis with a comfortable Premier League victory over Crystal Palace. Lukaku double inspires Man United to 3-1 win
Football news - Romelu Lukaku double seals Manchester United
How to Read Cell Phone Signal Strength The Right Way. Time to leave the bar. -80 to -89 dBm, then it's generally considered good signal (3 to 4 bars).
What's the best smartphone for getting a signal? Clue: It's
Solskjaer scored the winning goal for Manchester United in the 1999 Champions League final. This move may yet be the greatest masterstroke of all by Woodward and his fellow powerbrokers at Old
Ole Gunnar Solskjær - Wikipedia
0 comments:
Post a Comment