Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Sharjah: Sunil Chhetri has emphasised that India must keep improving after the Blue Tigers were eliminated from the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 in heartbreaking fashion following a stoppage-time penalty by Jamal Rashed that saw Bahrain secure a 1-0 win and a place in the next round.
India needed just a draw from their Group A encounter to advance to the knockout rounds for the first time and as the game entered its final minutes, they appeared to have done enough, but Pronay Halder then upended Hamed Alshamsen in the penalty area and Rashed made no mistake from the spot to send India crashing out.
The defeat brought an end to a promising campaign which has seen the South Asians claim a hugely impressive 4-1 opening-day win over Thailand and then prove more than a match for the United Arab Emirates.
Ultimately, though, in the most compact group of the competition, they fell just short, finishing two points adrift of table-toppers UAE and just one behind Thailand and Bahrain, who both progressed to the next stage.
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Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Sharjah: An emotional Stephen Constantine announced his resignation as head coach of India following his team’s exit from the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 on Monday.
India finished at the bottom of Group A following their 1-0 defeat to Bahrain and the Englishman said it was time to call it a day.
“I’m stepping down after this game. I’ve been here for four years, my objective from day one was to qualify for the AFC Asian Cup. I’ve done that and I’m exceptionally proud of the players for everything they have given.
“I want to thank the AIFF (All India Football Federation) because the support they have given me in the last four years has been huge.”
India began their UAE 2019 campaign with a resounding 4-1 win over Thailand but suffered a 2-0 loss against United Arab Emirates on Matchday Two.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Sharjah: Jamal Rashed's penalty in added time secured Bahrain a 1-0 win over India on Monday, taking them into the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 knockout stage.
With United Arab Emirates and Thailand playing to a 1-1 draw, Bahrain finished third in Group A with their haul of four points confirming them as one of the best four third-placed teams who will advance to the Round of 16.
UAE won the group with five points while Thailand, defeated 4-1 by India on Matchday One, completed an amazing comeback to seal second spot. The Southeast Asians finished above Bahrain based on their head-to-head record, with Thailand having won 1-0 on Matchday Two.
UAE will now meet the best third-placed team from either Group C, D or E while Thailand will meet the runners-up of Group C. Bahrain's reward is a meeting with the winners of either Group B or C.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Al Ain: Hosts the United Arab Emirates and Thailand both booked their places in the knockout stage of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 on Monday evening as a 1-1 draw at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium was enough to ensure both nations progressed.
Ali Mabkhout put Alberto Zaccheroni’s side ahead after seven minutes but Thitiphan Puangjan struck four minutes from time to earn the Thais a point that sees them take second place in Group A, following India’s late loss to Bahrain, thanks to a better head-to-head record.
While the UAE have qualified for the knockout phase for the second tournament in a row, Thailand will be featuring in the next round for the first time since reaching the semi-finals in 1972.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Al Ain: Sirisak Yodyadthai declared himself “very happy” to have guided Thailand into the knockout stage of the AFC Asian Cup for the first time in 47 years as the War Elephants progressed to the next phase of the competition following their 1-1 draw with hosts the United Arab Emirates.
Thitiphan Puangjan scored four minutes before the half-time break to cancel out Ali Mabkhout’s seventh minute opener for Alberto Zaccheroni’s side to ensure the teams shared the points at Al Ain’s Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in their Group A clash on Monday.
That meant the UAE finished on top with Thailand second ahead of Bahrain thanks to their superior head-to-head record over the West Asians, who claimed a late win over India to also book their place in the Round of 16.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Abu Dhabi: Head coach Vital Borkelmans has declared that he is not concerned by who Jordan will be playing in the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Round of 16, insisting instead that he is fully focused on his side’s final Group B fixture against Palestine.
With one match still to play, Jordan have already been confirmed as group winners following a flying start to the tournament, one which has seen them record successive wins against Australia and then Syria.
Quarter-finalists in 2004 and 2011, Jordan are set to make a third appearance in an AFC Asian Cup knockout phase, although Borkelmans is adamant that he is looking no further than Tuesday’s encounter at Abu Dhabi’s Al Nahyan Stadium.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Al Ain: New coach Fajr Ebrahim is confident his long-standing relationship with several members of Syria’s AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 squad can help in their quest for victory over Australia on Tuesday as they seek to secure a place in the knockout rounds.
Ebrahim has taken over from Bernd Stange, who was fired following Syria’s 2-0 loss at the hands of Jordan in the second round of matches in Group B, and he is confident he can oversee an immediate upturn in the team’s fortunes when his team take on the Socceroos at Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium on Tuesday evening.
“We have our own plans and we don’t feel any fear,” said Ebrahim. “We just feel the spirit of the challenge.
“The positive thing is that I worked with the team during the qualification process, so I'm not a new head coach. I was training the team and I know most of the players, some of them for nearly 10 years, and I worked with them since they were junior players."