The AFC Asian Cup group stage is already done and dusted, and SBOTOP football fans are getting a clearer picture of which countries are contenders or pretenders.
Qatar have shown us why they’re the defending champions of this tournament since they breezed past the competition in Group A, and the AFC Asian Cup 2024 odds like their chances of repeating.
But on the other hand, perennial powerhouses and World Cup 2022 participants Japan and South Korea have had their share of ebbs and flows so far, although it would be unwise to fully count them out as possible winners.
In the Round of 16, Qatar, Japan, and South Korea are set to take on Palestine, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, respectively, and we’re going to preview these matches one by one.
Qatar vs Palestine
Qatar are one of the two teams that finished with a spotless 3-0 slate after the group stage. They opened their title defence with a convincing 3-0 win against Lebanon, followed by back-to-back 1-0 victories against Tajikistan and China.
Akram Afif has been solid for Qatar, as the 27-year-old winger is in the thick of the tournament’s Golden Boot race with three goals.
Meanwhile, team captain Hassan Al-Haydos’ amazing game-winning volley against China made it to the AFC Asian Cup 2024 highlights reel as one of the best goals of the competition.
What’s impressive about the Maroons’ run is the fact that they’ve conceded zero goals so far in this tournament, which is a marked improvement from their horrendous run at the 2022 World Cup, when they finished at the bottom of Group A after conceding seven goals in three games.
Their opponents, Palestine, made it to the knockout stage for the first time ever after winning 3-0 against Hong Kong in the final group stage matchday. The win means a lot to them since this is a bright spot during a difficult time amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Palestine are the major underdogs, so they are playing with house money in this Round of 16 tie.
Bahrain vs Japan
Japan also made it to the Round of 16, albeit as a second seed behind Iraq, who, like Qatar, finished with an unblemished 3-0 record in the group stage.
The Samurai Blue recorded wins against Vietnam (4-2) and Indonesia (3-1), but they lost to Iraq 2-1 due to Aymen Hussein’s brace.
After conquering European heavyweights Germany and Spain at the 2022 World Cup, Japan entered this tourney with a huge target on their backs. Team manager Hajime Moriyasu is aware of this, and one particular aspect that they need to improve is their defence, which has conceded five goals already.
AS Monaco’s Takumi Minamino is the team’s leading scorer with two goals, both of which he scored against Vietnam. Besides Minamino, opposing defences have to also account for the likes of Wataru Endo, Keito Nakamura, Ritsu Doan, Takefusa Kubo, and Ayase Ueda.
Despite being 69 notches below Japan in the FIFA men’s rankings, the 86th-ranked Bahrain have high hopes heading into the Round of 16 after they finished on top of Group E.
After losing to South Korea 3-1 in the opener, the Pearl Divers went on to record back-to-back 1-0 victories over Malaysia and Jordan.
Ali Madan’s late winner against Malaysia certainly gave them the much-needed jolt in this tournament. He and Abdulla Yusuf Helal are going to play a pivotal role in Bahrain’s continental title hopes.
Saudi Arabia vs South Korea
South Korea also finished second in their group, which is unimpressive by their lofty standards, although they have yet to lose a single game in this tournament. That might be a blessing in disguise for them, though, since it meant that they would not face Japan right away in the knockout rounds.
Since their win against Bahrain, the Taeguk Warriors have been held to high-scoring draws by Jordan (2-2) and Malaysia (3-3). European stars Lee Kang-In and Heung-Min Son are the star men so far for South Korea, having combined for five goals.
As for Saudi Arabia, they finished on top of Group F after defeating Oman (2-1) and Kyrgyzstan (2-0) before being held to a goalless draw against Thailand last night.
The Falcons also have a bevy of weapons like South Korea, and leading the way is the combo of Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari, as both of them are proven big-game performers.
Abdulrahman Ghareeb is another forward that will cause South Korea problems. The 26-year-old is Al-Nassr’s second-best playmaker with five assists so far this season, behind Cristiano Ronaldo, who has nine assists.
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