In a thrilling conclusion to Group A at the Asian Cup, debutants Tajikistan secured their place in the knockout rounds with a late comeback victory over Lebanon. Meanwhile, China's hopes of progressing hang by a thread after suffering a defeat to Qatar.
With Qatar already through as group winners, the remaining three teams were fighting for a spot in the last 16. Tajikistan, under the guidance of their Croatian coach Petar Segrt, have been one of the standout teams of the tournament. Segrt expressed his delight at their progress, stating, "Every day we stay here longer is fantastic. We have our first dream: we make the qualification. We have our second dream: we want to go to the second round. Now we dream again."
Qatar finished the group stage with a perfect record of nine points, followed by Tajikistan on four points. China managed just two points, while Lebanon finished with one point and will be heading home.
Tajikistan were unlucky not to take the lead just before half-time, as their goal was ruled out for a marginal offside decision. Lebanon then went ahead through Bassel Jradi's stunning strike early in the second half. However, Lebanon's hopes suffered a blow when they were reduced to ten men after a VAR review upgraded Kassem El Zein's yellow card to a red.
With a numerical advantage, Tajikistan continued to push for an equalizer and thought they had scored twice, only to see both goals ruled out by VAR for offside. However, they finally found the breakthrough in the 80th minute when Parvizdzhon Umarbaev curled in a delightful free-kick. Tajikistan then secured the victory and their place in the knockout rounds with Nuriddin Khamrokulov's delicate backwards header in the second minute of injury time.
Meanwhile, China's hopes of progressing were dealt a blow as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Qatar. The Chinese team failed to score in any of their three group matches and could not overcome a much-changed Qatar side who had already secured top spot in Group A. Qatar's Hassan Al-Haydos scored a sensational volley in the 66th minute to secure the victory for the hosts and holders.
China now face an anxious wait to see if their two points are enough to qualify as one of the four best third-placed teams. However, their lack of goals throughout the group stage leaves them with little room for optimism. Serbian coach Aleksandar Jankovic expressed his disappointment, stating, "If you don't score, you cannot expect a big result. We are disappointed, of course, because our destiny doesn't depend on us anymore."
As the Asian Cup group stage draws to a close, the tournament has provided plenty of drama and excitement. Debutants Tajikistan have captured the imagination with their impressive performances, while Qatar has shown their strength as the defending champions. The knockout rounds promise to deliver even more thrills as the remaining teams battle for the prestigious title.
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