2015 AFC Asian Cup, Knockout stage, Final
South Korea entered the match looking for their third Asian Cup title, whereas Australia attempted to win their first. After a late goal by Australia in the first half and another late goal by South Korea in the second half, the match was taken into extra time. Australia eventually won the match 2–1.


2015 AFC Asian Cup, Statistics, Goalscorers
Ali Mabkhout of the United Arab Emirates received the Golden Boot award for scoring five goals. In total, 85 goals were scored by 57 different players, with two of them credited as own goals.


2015 AFC Asian Cup, Statistics, Discipline
In the final tournament, a player was suspended for the subsequent match in the competition for either getting red card or accumulating two yellow cards in two different matches. The match review panel has the ability to increase the automatic one match ban for a red card (e.g. for violent conduct). Single yellow card cautions were erased at the conclusion of the quarter-finals, and were not carried over to the semi-finals (so that a player could only be suspended for the final by getting a red card in the semi-final). The following players were or are suspended during the final tournament – for one or more games – as a result of red cards or yellow card accumulations:


2015 AFC Asian Cup, Statistics, Awards
According to the official Twitter of the AFC Asian Cup organization committee, four players from both the winning Australian team and the runner-up Korean team were selected in the team of the tournament while all other players included were from a team which progressed to the semi-finals.


2015 AFC Asian Cup, Records
The 2015 Asian Cup achieved 26 consecutive matches without a draw, the most of any major football tournament, breaking the previous record of 18 set at the 1930 FIFA World Cup in Uruguay.


2015 AFC Asian Cup, Records
Ali Mabkhout broke the record for fastest goal at the AFC Asian Cup, scoring after just 14 seconds for the United Arab Emirates against Bahrain in their group stage match.


2015 AFC Asian Cup, Records
Palestine made its first ever appearance in the Asian Cup, and Jaka Ihbeisheh scored the nation's first ever goal in an Asian Cup in their second group match against Jordan. This goal also marked for the first time a Slovene scored in an Asian Cup game, as Jaka's being Slovenian descent.


2015 AFC Asian Cup, Records
With the title, Australia became the first men's national team to win titles in two different confederations, having won the OFC Nations Cup four times before moving to the AFC. Tim Cahill and Mark Bresciano became the first men's players to win two different confederation titles, having previously won the 2004 OFC Nations Cup. By winning the Asian Cup, Australia also became the first country to simultaneously hold the AFC Asian Cup and AFC Champions League titles, following the triumph of Western Sydney Wanderers in the 2014 AFC Champions League.


2015 AFC Asian Cup, Marketing, Trophy tour
The Trophy Tour commenced in China in September 2014, it then travelled to Qatar, United Arab Emirates, South Korea and Japan before arriving in Australia in December, where the trophy made it to all five 2015 AFC Asian Cup host cities.


2015 AFC Asian Cup, Marketing, Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup took place on 9 January, at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, before the opening match of the tournament between hosts Australia and Kuwait. The ceremony was produced by a consortium of sport event specialists Twenty3 Sports + Entertainment and creative technology firm Spinifex Group. The consortium has worked on the main international sporting events including the 2010 Winter Olympics and the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.


2015 AFC Asian Cup, Marketing, Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony for the Asian Cup directed by Peter Nielson with Musical Direction by Chong Lim, and featured performances by Australian DJ, singer and dancer Havana Brown, Australian indie pop band Sheppard, Indigenous Australian musician Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, and Australian hip-hop artists L-Fresh The Lion, Joelistics and Mistress of Ceremony. It also featured 80 children from local junior football clubs and a performing cast of more than 120 Australian dancers, acrobats, Indigenous performers and football freestylers.


2015 AFC Asian Cup, Marketing, Logo and mascot
The official logo for the tournament was unveiled at a special event in Melbourne, in October 2012. Designed by Sydney agency, WiteKite. The logo depicts a stylised player, kicking a football from the east coast of Australia across country towards Asia. The ball also represents the Australian summer sun arcing west from Australia to Asia. The four golden bands forming the map of Australia represent the four host cities. The design is embraced by the AFC holding device.


2015 AFC Asian Cup, Marketing, Logo and mascot
The mascot of the tournament, "Nutmeg the Wombat", was unveiled at the Wild Life Sydney Zoo, on 11 November 2014. The mascot, a wombat native to Australia, wore the colours of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, red and yellow. It was named after the football trick where a player dribbles the ball through an opponent's legs, known as a nutmeg.


2015 AFC Asian Cup, Marketing, Sponsorship
AFC announced ten official sponsors and six official supporters as shown below.


2015 AFC Asian Cup, Broadcasting
The tournament was broadcast live by around 80 TV channels covering the whole world. 800 million people were expected to watch matches, with the tournament reaching a potential TV audience of more than 2.5 billion people. Below is the list of confirmed broadcasting right holders for 2015 AFC Asian Cup.


2015 AFC Asian Cup, Concerns and controversies
Due to a hostage taking in Sydney in December 2014, security was increased for all team bases and stadiums, in addition to police escorts for all official activities.


2015 AFC Asian Cup, Concerns and controversies
During a doping test, Jordan's Ahmad Hayel was required to drink so much water to produce a urine sample, that he developed hypothermia and was rendered unconscious. Jordan coach Ray Wilkins was infuriated at Asian Cup officials over the procedure.


2015 AFC Asian Cup, Concerns and controversies
On 24 January 2015, following the country's elimination from the tournament, it was revealed that the Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) had lodged a formal complaint to FIFA against their quarter-final opponent. The complaint was regarding the eligibility of Iraqi midfielder Alaa Abdul-Zahra, with the FFIRI arguing that the player should not have been allowed to play due to him submitting a positive doping test while playing for an Iranian club side in 2014. According to documents seen by Agence France-Presse, the 27-year-old tested positive for the banned stimulant methylhexanamine, in results that were verified by a WADA-approved laboratory in Cologne.


2015 AFC Asian Cup, Concerns and controversies
In an email exchange dated September 2014, FIFA promised to take action, but there is no record of a suspension for Abdul-Zahra. The Iranian national team remained in Australia whilst awaiting a response from FIFA and a final decision by the AFC disciplinary committee. On 25 January, the AFC disciplinary committee decided that the FFIRI protest was unfounded, and, therefore, dismissed the case, with Iraq, cleared to take its place in their semi-final match against South Korea the following day.


2015 AFC Asian Cup, Concerns and controversies
On 29 January 2015, after the defeat of Iraq and the United Arab Emirates during the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, West Asian Football Federation members reportedly sought to remove Australia from the AFC primarily due to "Australia benefiting hugely from Asian involvement without giving much in return", the resentment grew in the aftermath of Australia's conquest of the tournament.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Final
The 2015 AFC Asian Cup Final was a football match which took place on 31 January 2015 at Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia, to determine the winner of 2015 AFC Asian Cup. It was played between South Korea and host nation Australia. Australia won the match 2–1 in extra time. Australia, being the winner of the cup final, gained entry in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, which was hosted by Russia.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Final
Before the match, South Korea had reached the AFC Asian Cup final three times (1972, 1980 and 1988), finishing runners-up in all attempts since a knockout system was introduced. However, prior to such a system, South Korea had won the tournament twice (1956 and 1960). Australia had reached one final (2011) since moving to the Asian Football Confederation from the Oceania Football Confederation in 2006.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Final, Background
Prior to the tournament, the two finalists had previously met each other 26 times, with South Korea winning nine games and Australia ten. The two sides first met on 14 November 1967 in the final of the 1967 Quoc Khanh Cup, held in South Vietnam. Australia won the match 3–2 and secured the nation's first honour in international football. The last meeting between the two teams, a 0–0 draw, took place on 20 July 2013, at the 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup in South Korea. Australia, who began the 2015 Asian Cup as one of the favourites, was ranked 100 in the FIFA World Rankings and tenth among AFC teams, while South Korea was ranked 69 overall, and third among AFC teams.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Final, Background
South Korea entered the 2015 Asian Cup as two-time Asian champions, having won the first two instalments of the tournament. However, the 2015 final was South Korea's first appearance in the final in 26 years and only their third appearance in the final since a knockout system was introduced. South Korea was first crowned champions of Asia in the inaugural 1956 edition of the Asian Cup, held in Hong Kong. There, the competition was formatted as a round-robin tournament between four teams with no final, and South Korea won the tournament after just three matches.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Final, Background
South Korea successfully defended their title in 1960 on home soil. It was not until 1972 that South Korea would get the chance to contest the Asian title again, in the tournament's first ever final after the change to a knockout format. South Korea lost the match against Iran 2–1 in extra time. South Korea again failed to win the final match in 1980, when they lost 3–0 against host nation Kuwait. In 1988, South Korea contested the final against Saudi Arabia in Qatar. After remaining scoreless at the end of extra time, the match was decided in a penalty shoot-out, with the Saudis taking home the title through a 4–3 win.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Final, Background
The 2015 final was Australia's second consecutive time contesting an Asian Cup final out of only three appearances since moving to the Asian Football Confederation from the Oceania Football Confederation in 2006. In 2011, Australia lost to Japan 1–0 in extra time.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Final, Background
Stadium Australia was announced as the venue of the 2015 final on 27 March 2013, along with the announcement of the five stadiums used in the tournament. The venue was chosen in preference to Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, which was instead selected to host the opening match of the tournament between Australia and Kuwait. The stadium chosen for the final had the largest capacity of those used in the tournament, with a capacity crowd of 84,000. It was first opened in 1999, and was built to host the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The venue has played host to a number of Sydney's major sporting events, and it was used for seven matches in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, including four group matches, a quarter-final and semi-final match, as well as the final.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Final, Route to the final
Both South Korea and Australia were drawn into Group A of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, along with lower ranked sides Oman and Kuwait. After winning all three group matches, South Korea finished first in the group. Host nation Australia finished second in the group to progress to the knockout stage of the tournament.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Final, Route to the final, South Korea
South Korea's first match against Oman was played at Canberra Stadium. A single goal by Cho Young-cheol in the 46th minute during injury time was enough for the South Korean's to take all three points. South Korea played their second match against Kuwait in Canberra. A goal by Nam Tae-hee saw the game end 1–0. In their final group match South Korea played Australia at a sold out Brisbane Stadium. The match would decide the final standings of the group, with South Korea needing a win to finish top in the group.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Final, Route to the final, South Korea
A goal from striker Lee Jung-hyup in the 33rd minute gave South Korea their third 0–1 win in the tournament. South Korea progressed to the quarter-final stage to face Group B runner-up Uzbekistan. After a goalless 90 minutes, the match was taken into extra time, where Son Heung-min found the net twice to end the game 2–0. In the semi-finals, South Korea took on Iraq in Stadium Australia. Goals by Lee Jung-hyup and Kim Young-gwon ended the match 2–0, with South Korea progressing to the 2015 final.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Final, Route to the final, Australia
Australia's Asian Cup run started in the opening match of the tournament against Kuwait. Hussain Fadhel's eighth-minute header had briefly dampened spirits at a sold out Melbourne Rectangular Stadium only for Massimo Luongo to set up Tim Cahill on the 33rd minute to equalise with his 37th international goal. After Luongo headed home his first for Australia at the end of the first half, a penalty from captain Mile Jedinak on the 62nd minute and a late strike from James Troisi secured all three points for Australia. In their second match, Australia played Oman in Sydney.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Final, Route to the final, Australia
Goals from Matt McKay, Robbie Kruse, Tomi Juric, and a penalty scored by Mark Milligan gave Australia a 0–4 win. After failing to secure any points from their final group match against South Korea, Australia next faced Group B winners China PR in the quarter-finals in Brisbane Stadium. Cahill opened the scoring shortly after the half-time break before doubling the lead midway through the second-half, ensuring Australia reached the last four. In the semi-finals, Australia faced United Arab Emirates in Newcastle Stadium. A 2–0 result with goals from Trent Sainsbury and Jason Davidson sent Australia into their second consecutive Asian Cup final.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Final, Pre-match
Individual match tickets for the final were sold directly by the AFC via its website from 3 June 2014. The final was also included the Sydney "Venue Pack", which gave access to every match of the tournament played in Sydney. 76,000 seats were made available for the final clash, with roughly 7,000 seats kept by the AFC to accommodate media and other parties. Prices varied from $39 to $150. 66,000 tickets had been sold for the final prior to Australia's semi-final match in 2.7 minutes, with more than 10,000 additional tickets sold within 1.4 minutes of the win for Australia.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Final, Pre-match
Iranian Alireza Faghani was named as the referee of the final, together with fellow countrymen Reza Sokhandan and Mohammad Reza Abolfazli as the assistant referees. The trio had officiated in four 2015 Asian Cup matches, including group matches between Saudi Arabia and China PR, Kuwait and South Korea and Iraq and Japan, and the quarter-final match between Japan and United Arab Emirates. Faghani had previously taken charge of a number of international matches, with the most notable being the 2009 AFC President's Cup Final, 2010 AFC Challenge Cup Final and the 2014 AFC Champions League Final first leg match.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Final, Pre-match
The closing ceremony of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup took place at the Stadium Australia, before the final match of the tournament. As with the opening ceremony of the tournament, the closing ceremony featured a performance by Australian DJ, singer and dancer Havana Brown.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Final, Match, Summary
Stielike made one change to the line-up that saw off Iraq in the semi-finals, calling up Jang Hyun-soo to partner Ki Sung-yueng in the middle to allow Park Joo-ho to sit in front of Kim Jin-su on the left, while Ivan Franjic was passed fit for an unchanged Australian side. The game opened at a frantic pace and, by the end of the half, Australia had taken the lead against the run of play after South Korea had spurned several opportunities to put themselves on the scoreboard.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Final, Match, Summary
It was Son Heung-min who caused the greatest threat to the home side's goal, volleying just wide in the 37th minute after impressive work down the left from Park Joo-ho and Kim Jin-su while, less than a minute later, the South Korean was denied what looked a certain goal by Luongo's outstretched foot.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Final, Match, Summary
Tim Cahill had earlier forced Kim Jin-hyeon into action in the South Korean goal, the keeper diving to his left to push the Australian's effort around the post after holding off the challenge of Kwak Tae-hwi, who had sent his own header just wide mere seconds later at the other end.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Final, Match, Summary
But with barely a minute left in the half, Luongo struck to put Australia in front. Trent Sainsbury's ball into the feet of Luongo allowed him to turn and beat Ki Sung-yueng before hitting a low, unstoppable right-foot effort beyond Kim Jin-hyeon, and South Korea conceded its first goal in the tournament.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Final, Match, Summary
The South Koreans were forced to push for the equaliser as the second half wore on, and a disciplined Australian defence kept them at bay until, a minute into stoppage time, Son Heung-min latched on to Ki Sung-yueng's pass to fire beyond Mat Ryan and send the game into extra-time.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Final, Match, Summary
But Troisi put the Australians back in front in the 105th minute when he was first to react after Kim Jin-hyeon pushed Tomi Juric's centre towards James Troisi back into play, and the midfielder fired the ball high into the net to seal the win and see Australia crowned champions of Asia.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Final, Match, Details
Assistant referees:Reza Sokhandan (Iran)Mohammad Reza Abolfazli (Iran)Fourth official:Fahad Al-Mirdasi (Saudi Arabia)Fifth official:Abdulla Al Shalwai (Saudi Arabia)


2015 AFC Asian Cup Final, Aftermath
The win meant that Australia has become the first-ever nation to win in two continental competitions, having won four OFC Nations Cup before moving to the AFC in 2006, and also gave Australia the first-ever Asian title. For this achievement, Australia went on to represent Asia in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup held in Russia, its fourth participation but the first, and final participation in the tournament as an AFC member after new FIFA President Gianni Infantino decided to abolish it in 2018.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Final, Aftermath
For the South Koreans, this disheartening loss to Australia extended the country's Asian Cup drought. Since winning it at home in 1960, South Korea has made appearances in three other Asian Cup Finals before this one, and all ended up South Korea losing. It was also the last game for veteran Cha Du-ri, who retired from international football following the end of the match.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Final, Aftermath
Nonetheless, Son Heung-min's bright performance throughout the competition made him attractive to major giants in Europe, which led him to transfer from Bayer 04 Leverkusen to Tottenham. With £22 million, he became the most expensive player in Asian football history.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Final, Notable guests and television viewers
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott was invited to attend but did not due to vote counting for the 2015 Queensland state election taking place at the same time. Abbott had already attended the opening match of the tournament between Australia and Kuwait in Melbourne. Other invited guests present for the final include FIFA President Sepp Blatter, AFC President Salman Al-Khalifa and Chairman of Football Federation Australia Frank Lowy. Blatter and Al-Khalifa delivered the trophy to the champions in the awards ceremony, amidst boos from the crowd.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Final, Notable guests and television viewers
The match was broadcast live in Australia by the ABC and Fox Sports. The ABC's coverage of the match averaged 1.8 million viewers nationally for the entire match, with a total reach of 5.3 million Australians overall. The ABC' peak audience was 3 million viewers watching at 22:27 AEDT, in the final minute of extra time. The game also averaged 416,000 for Fox Sports' coverage.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A
Group A of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup was one of four groups of nations competing at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. The group's first round of matches were played on 9 and 10 January, the second round on 13 January, and the final round on 17 January. All six group matches were played at venues in Australia. The group consisted of hosts Australia, South Korea, Oman and Kuwait. South Korea and Australia advanced as group winners and runners-up respectively, while Oman and Kuwait were eliminated.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Australia vs Kuwait
Hussain Fadhel's eighth-minute header had briefly dampened spirits at a sold out Melbourne Rectangular Stadium only for Massimo Luongo to set up Tim Cahill to equalise with his 37th international goal, 12 minutes before half-time. After Luongo headed home his first for the Socceroos at the end of the first half, a penalty from captain Mile Jedinak two minutes after the hour mark and a late strike from James Troisi secured all three points for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup finalists in the Group A opener.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Australia vs Kuwait
Looking to build on reaching the final of the last edition in Qatar, Australia made a bright start on a chilly evening, but the home side were stunned after just eight minutes as Fadhel stooped at the near post to direct a diving header from Abdulaziz Al Masha'an's right wing corner low past goalkeeper Mathew Ryan having broken clear of defender Trent Sainsbury. Australia were able to double their advantage two minutes after the hour mark as captain Jedinak confidently sent Hameed Youssef the wrong way from the penalty spot after Robbie Kruse had been upended by Sultan Al Enezi just inside the area.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Australia vs Kuwait
Kuwait came close to setting up a tense finish as only a fingertip save from Ryan turned Fahad Al Ansari's superb 71st minute effort onto the crossbar, before Australia substitute Nathan Burns followed suit soon after with an acrobatic glancing header at the other end. But it was Australia who looked the more likely to add to their lead and Troisi's close range finish in stoppage time sealed an ultimately impressive victory for the home side.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Australia vs Kuwait
The win meant that Australia had become the first host since Singapore back in 1984 to win the opening game of the tournament. For Kuwait, the country has failed to register a win since the 3–1 victory over the United Arab Emirates back in 2004.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Australia vs Kuwait
Assistant referees:Abdukhamidullo Rasulov (Uzbekistan)Bakhadyr Kochkarov (Kyrgyzstan)Fourth official:Mohd Amirul Izwan Yaacob (Malaysia)Fifth official:Mohd Yusri Muhamad (Malaysia)


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, South Korea vs Oman
Third place finishers in 2011, South Korea were on top for much of the first period but at half-time had only Cho Young-cheol's stoppage time goal to show for their control of proceedings. A flurry of attacking substitutions in the final 30 minutes did see Oman threaten to level the game, notably through Amad Al-Hosni who had a header tipped onto the crossbar in added time, but South Korea held on to move into second place behind Australia.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, South Korea vs Oman
With a rainy conditions in the Australian capital, South Korea had their first chance on five minutes as midfielder Koo Ja-cheol cut in from the left-hand side and fired in a shot from the edge of the penalty area that Ali Al-Habsi got down low to his right to tip around the post. Two minutes later, Son Heung-min latched on to a long ball over the top from Kim Chang-soo and lifted the ball over Al-Habsi, only to see it bounce off the top of the crossbar and away from danger.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, South Korea vs Oman
Defender Jaber Al-Owaisi had a chance to put Oman ahead against the run of play but turned his header well over the bar from Eid Al-Farsi's corner on 12th minutes. Although, South Korea began to stamp their authority on the game, with six minutes of the half remaining Kim Ju-young brought down Abdulaziz Al-Muqbali and from 20 yards out Al Farsi bent the ball marginally wide of the far post. As the match neared the half-time interval, South Korea scored the opening goal they had long threatened. Al-Habsi had already athletically turned away his own defender Abdul Salam Al-Mukhaini's unintentional header and kept out a long-range free-kick from Son but he was beaten a minute into first half stoppage time.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, South Korea vs Oman
Lee Chung-yong pounced on a loose ball and laid the ball off to Koo and the midfielder's left footed shot from outside the area was beaten out by Al-Habsi only as far as a sliding Cho who forced the ball back across the wrong-footed goalkeeper and into the opposite corner from close range. South Korea continued as they had left off after the break and four minutes after the restart, Lee drove a low shot into the side netting and then Al-Habsi pulled off a fine reaction save to tip over Koo's header from point-blank range.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, South Korea vs Oman
Oman coach Paul Le Guen made attacking replacements in the final half hour by bringing on Al-Hosni and Mohsin Al-Khaldi in an attempt to restore parity and on 76th minutes Al-Muqbali had a golden chance to equalize when Ali Al-Busaidi picked him out all alone in the penalty area but the forward's first touch was poor and South Korea cleared their lines. The West Asians continued to put in an improved performance thereafter as South Korea sat back, and in stoppage time Al-Hosni's goal-bound header from a corner was dramatically touched onto the crossbar by Kim Jin-hyeon as Uli Stielike's side narrowly escaped to take all three points.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, South Korea vs Oman
Assistant referees:Jan-Hendrik Hintz (New Zealand)Mark Rule (New Zealand)Fourth official:Yudai Yamamoto (Japan)Fifth official:Najah Raham Alhamaidah (Iraq)


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Kuwait vs South Korea
A goal from Nam Tae-hee meant South Korea would later join Australia, 4-0 winners over Oman, as the first teams to book themselves a place in the tournament's quarter-finals after they defeated Kuwait 1–0 at Canberra Stadium. The midfielder's breakthrough came on 35 minutes from a bullet header but Kuwait would once again be ruing the woodwork after they hit the post early in the second half through Ali Maqseed after having similar misfortune in their opening loss to Australia in the opening match.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Kuwait vs South Korea
Kuwait were eliminated from the tournament and would be playing for pride against Oman in their final group stage tie at Newcastle Stadium after their defeat in Australia's capital. Ahead of the game, both coaches had rung the changes with Uli Stielike bringing in seven new starters due to a swathe of injuries and illness to key players including Lee Chung-yong and Son Heung-min.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Kuwait vs South Korea
Kuwait, too, also saw new faces at both ends of the field with defenders Amer Al Fadhel and Fahad Awadh coming in, as well as forwards Abdullah Al Buraiki and Yousef Nasser, all four making their first starts of the campaign. Having lost their Group A opener, the onus was on Kuwait to attack but their early attempts were snuffed out by the Korean backline as the first period began in cagey fashion with little goal-mouth action. But by the half hour mark, the match finally came into life as Kim Min-woo sent Lee Keun-ho through on goal, but Kuwait goalkeeper Hameed Youssef stood up well to get a hand to the Korean striker's attempted lob and he batted the ball over the crossbar.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Kuwait vs South Korea
The warning was not heeded by Kuwait and in their next attack the Koreans took the lead. Kim Min-woo found Cha Du-ri on the right flank and the full back set off on a lung-busting run before whipping in a cross that was met by a towering header from Nam that Youssef could not keep out. The breakthrough sent confidence flowing through the East Asians and they easily played out the remainder of the first period.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Kuwait vs South Korea
But the Korean's composure was almost shattered within the first three minutes of the second half as Al Maqseed hit a sublime shot from the right-hand corner of the penalty area that had Kim Seung-gyu beaten as it clattered off the far post. With the second half turning into an exciting end-to-end spectacle, Nam then went close with his own long-range special as he cut inside and drove a low shot narrowly wide of Youssef's left-hand post on the hour mark, before Al Maqseed then went close again after checking inside Jang Hyun-soo and curling inches over the Korean crossbar.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Kuwait vs South Korea
Coach Nabil Maâloul threw on star forward Bader Al-Mutawa with just under half an hour remaining as Kuwait pushed for a leveler but it was Korea who went closest to netting next as Kim Min-woo forced a solid save from Youssef as he unleashed an angled drive from inside of the penalty area following a one-two with Lee Keun-ho.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Kuwait vs South Korea
Abdulaziz Al Misha'an went close with a near post attempt before Park Joo-ho and Lee Jung-hyup both had efforts well-saved as the game ended in frenetic fashion with neither team able to make further incursions into the scoreline as Korean fans celebrated in the stands.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Kuwait vs South Korea
Assistant referees:Reza Sokhandan (Iran)Mohammad Reza Abolfazli (Iran)Fourth official:Yudai Yamamoto (Japan)Fifth official:Najah Alhamaidah (Iraq)


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Oman vs Australia
A second straight four-goal haul means Australia and South Korea would battle for top spot in Group A in Brisbane at the weekend after Ange Postecoglou's Socceroos handed Oman a comprehensive 4–0 defeat at Stadium Australia on to advance to the quarter-finals of the tournament. A draw would be enough for the tournament hosts on 17 January evening to win the group on goal difference and set up a quarter-final clash with the runners-up in Group B, after two goals in three minutes from Matt McKay and Robbie Kruse sent Australia on their way to an impressive victory.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Oman vs Australia
A penalty from Mark Milligan and a close range strike from second-half substitute Tomi Jurić added to Oman's woes in a game in which Paul Le Guen's side were totally outclassed. Coupled with South Korea's 1-0 win over Kuwait earlier, the two quarter-finals berths from Group A have now been filled, with only the positions at the top of the table left to be determined.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Oman vs Australia
McKay was drafted into the starting line-up as Postecoglou made three changes to the team that handed Kuwait a 4–1 thrashing in the opening game, with injured captain Mile Jedinak replaced by Mark Milligan, and McKay and Jason Davidson came in instead of James Troisi and Aziz Behich. The changes did little to disrupt the rhythm of the Socceroos, who steadily took control of the game after an early scare, when Raed Ibrahim Saleh's third minute thunderbolt from long range was brilliantly palmed to safety by Mat Ryan.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Oman vs Australia
However, the Socceroos, just as they did against Kuwait in the tournament opener in Melbourne, slowly took control of the game and by the time the clock had ticked past the halfway point in the opening period, Australia were in total command. Tim Cahill, captain for the night in Jedinak's absence twice went close with looping headers before McKay, one of the heroes of Australia's run to the final in Qatar four years ago, put his side in front.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Oman vs Australia
Kruse's 27th minute corner from the Omani right was headed goalward by Trent Sainsbury and McKay scooped the ball over the line from close range to lift the majority of 50,276 fans to their feet. Three minutes later the Australians doubled their advantage, with Kruse this time starting and finishing a fine move with a run from just inside his own half, laying the ball off to Massimo Luongo, whose return pass the Bayer Leverkusen striker slipped under Ali Al-Habsi. Milligan converted from the spot three minutes into first half injury time after Cahill was hauled down by Ali Al-Busaidi as the Socceroos closed out an impressive opening 45 minutes with another goal.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Oman vs Australia
Cahill and Luongo made way for Jurić and Mark Bresciano five minutes after the restart and, with 20 minutes to go, Western Sydney Wanderers’ striker Jurić put the seal on the win with a sliding finish after Leckie's superb cross from the left with the outside of his right boot gave the Oman defence little chance.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Oman vs Australia
Assistant referees:Toru Sagara (Japan)Toshiyuki Nagi (Japan)Fourth official:Muhammad Taqi Al-Jaafari (Singapore)Fifth official:Jeffrey Goh (Singapore)


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Australia vs South Korea
Host country, Australia lost 1–0 against South Korea at Brisbane Stadium thanks to a goal from striker Lee Jung-hyup. The loss was Australia's first defeat on home soil since losing to Kuwait in qualifying for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in March 2009, means the Koreans top Group A and would play either Saudi Arabia or Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals in Melbourne. This result also meant for the first time, South Korea managed to beat Australia in Australian turf, be it in a major football competition or friendly.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Australia vs South Korea
Australia meanwhile would take on China PR in the quarter-finals at the same ground. Lee Jeong-hyeop scored 13 minutes before the end of the first half in a thrilling encounter but the Koreans did not emerge unscathed, with midfielders Koo Ja-cheol and Park Joo-ho both departing from the game with injuries. Aziz Behich returned to the starting line-up for the Australians, as did Tomi Juric, while Son Heung-min remained on the bench for the Koreans despite having recovered from the fever that kept him out of the 1–0 win over Kuwait.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Australia vs South Korea
Just after the half hour mark, it was the Koreans who made the breakthrough in a fascinating first half. Despite having Park Joo-ho off the pitch receiving treatment following a clash with Nathan Burns that earned the Australian striker a yellow card, the Koreans took the lead following a fine move instigated by Ki Sung-yueng and finished off by Lee Jeong-hyeop.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Australia vs South Korea
Swansea midfielder Ki slipped the ball inside Australian left back Ivan Franjic to former Asian Footballer of the Year Lee Keun-ho and his low ball towards the far post was given the faintest of touches by Lee Jung-hyup to deflect it over the line. The goal was South Korea's first on-target effort in the half, with Kwak Tae-hwi's 15th-minute header having earlier gone just wide of Mat Ryan's goal. The hosts were the livelier of the two teams in the opening exchanges, and Burns was given the chance to punish a mistake by Kim Young-gwon after just 11 minutes, only to waste the opportunity.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Australia vs South Korea
Burns was Australia's most likely source of a goal in the opening 45 minutes, and the majority of the 48,513 crowd inside a packed Brisbane Stadium thought the Wellington Phoenix striker had leveled the game four minutes after the Koreans had taken the lead, but the ball hit the side netting. Knowing a draw would ensure top spot in the group standings, the Australians pushed hard in the second half for the equaliser. Juric missed a gilt-edged chance eight minutes after the restart when he steered Franjic's return pass over the bar from six yards out while 11 minutes later substitute Mathew Leckie found the arms of Kim Jin-hyeon with his effort on the turn.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Australia vs South Korea
Burns' last involvement in the game almost yielded the leveler for the Australian team in the 70th minute as he surged through the middle of the Korean defence before seeing Kim Jin-hyeon save at full stretch before Kim Chang-soo hacked to safety. Robbie Kruse and Tim Cahill came off the bench for the final 20 minutes, replacing Burns and Matt McKay respectively, but the duo were unable to break South Korea's defensive resistance, with Kruse coming closest two minutes from the end when Kim Jin-hyeon deflected his close-range effort over the bar.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Australia vs South Korea
Assistant referees:Yaser Tulefat (Bahrain)Ebrahim Saleh (Bahrain)Fourth official:Muhammad Taqi Al-Jaafari (Singapore)Fifth official:Jeffrey Goh (Singapore)


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Oman vs Kuwait
Oman beat Kuwait 1–0 at Newcastle Stadium to finish in third place of the Group A. With both teams having lost their first two games to effectively be eliminated from the competition, the meeting between the Persian Gulf rivals had little riding on it. Oman ensured they did not finish bottom of the group by pulling off a victory thanks to a solitary goal from Abdulaziz Al-Muqbali despite Kuwait having much the better of the game. Kuwait side would feel hard done by as they outplayed their opponents for much of the match. However, a goal in the 69th minute by Al Muqbali was all that mattered for Oman at the end of the day.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Oman vs Kuwait
After a quiet start to the first half Kuwait began to find their rhythm, and managed the first shot on goal in the 11th minute when Musaed Neda fired in a free kick from just outside the box on the right which sailed over the bar. Just before the half hour mark Khaled Al Qahtani received the ball in space in the box on the right following a fine pass from Abdullah Al Buraiki. He had time to pull the trigger, but sent in a poor effort that flew high and right of the goal.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Oman vs Kuwait
Four minutes later on the other side of the box Kuwait had another great chance when Fahed Al Hajri was unmarked and after being on the end of a fine ball he volleyed wide of the mark. In the 42nd minute Fahad Al Ansari sent in a brilliant shot from the right and well outside the box. It was slightly too high but forced the keeper to make a dive at full stretch to make sure his goal was protected.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Oman vs Kuwait
The second half saw Kuwait continue to exert pressure on Oman as they went in search of a breakthrough goal. Five minutes into the second half, Oman's Jaber Al-Owaisi came so close to scoring a spectacular own goal when in trying to clear the ball he headed it just over his own cross bar. In the 53rd minute, Al Hajri shot low and left of the right hand post from just outside the box.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Oman vs Kuwait
Shortly after Al Buraiki broke down the right and as he closed in on goal quickly to fire off a shot that was well saved by Oman's goalkeeper and captain Ali Al-Habsi. Completely against the run of play Oman broke the deadlock in the 69th minute when they scored a textbook goal.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Oman vs Kuwait
Mohammed Al-Siyabi fired in a pinpoint cross from the right to Al Muqbali, who was unmarked and produced a fine header from close range that easily beat the keeper. Two minutes later, Al Muqbali could have made it 2–0 when he was found in the middle of the box again, but he shot well wide. Oman maintained the pressure and Qasim Said could have added another when he was found in space shortly after on the left but he blasted his shot straight at the keeper.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Oman vs Kuwait
At the other end Kuwait quickly retaliated and had two fine opportunities to draw level. In the 79th minute Al Buraiki had a clear header but failed to find the target and then one minute later from a similar position Yousef Nasser also glanced the ball wide as Kuwait finished bottom of Group A.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A, Matches, Oman vs Kuwait
Assistant referees:Badr Al-Shumrani (Saudi Arabia)Abdulla Al Shalwai (Saudi Arabia)Fourth official:Yudai Yamamoto (Japan)Fifth official:Azman Ismail (Malaysia)


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B
Group B of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup was one of four groups of nations competing at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. The group's first round of matches were played on 10 January, the second round on 14 January, and the final round on 18 January. All six group matches were played at venues in Australia. The group consisted of Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, China and North Korea. China PR and Uzbekistan advanced as group winners and runners-up respectively, while Saudi Arabia and North Korea were eliminated.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, Uzbekistan vs North Korea
Igor Sergeev netted with a fine header just after the hour mark to secure all three points for Mirjalol Qosimov's side as they look to build on the country's last four finish in Qatar in 2011. Uzbekistan controlled large swathes of the game, but were unable to make their dominance tell until Sergeev nodded in Server Djeparov's cross from the left.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, Uzbekistan vs North Korea
Odil Ahmedov had an early sight of goal when he tried his luck with a speculative long-range effort with just four minutes on the clock that went woefully wide before Timur Kapadze's deflected header came off the post. With the start of the second half came the torrential rain, which swept across the stadium to make conditions almost impossible. Uzbekistan almost claimed a second when Sanzhar Tursunov's free kick past his own goalkeeper with 10 minutes remaining while, with just three minutes left of the clock, Tursanov close-range effort was straight at Ri Myong-guk. The Uzbeks were almost made to pay for missing those opportunities with the last action of the game when Pak Kwang-ryong directed his powerful header towards goal, but Ignatiy Nesterov's reflex save was good enough to ensure Uzbekistan's held on for the win.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, Saudi Arabia vs China PR
A late and somewhat fortunate free-kick by Yu Hai proved to be the lone goal of the match as Saudi Arabia paid the price for Naif Hazazi's missed second-half penalty against Alain Perrin's side. Both China, who are looking to return to the quarter-finals for the first time since hosting the competition in 2004, and Saudi Arabia failed to qualify for the knockout phase at last edition. Three-time champions Saudi Arabia enjoyed the better moments early on with their technique-oriented game, seeing more time on the ball and pushing China deep into their own half. However, they failed to translate possession into opportunities and could not produce a single shot on target before the intermission.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, Saudi Arabia vs China PR
The second half opened gingerly before Saudi Arabia kicked it into a higher gear on the hour mark, Hazazi breaking free down the inside left channel to win a penalty off defender Ren Hang who tackled one step too late. Ren, nevertheless, was bailed out by his keeper Wang Dalei who read Hazazi well from the spot, diving to his left to deny the Saudis the lead as the Chinese half of the crowd at Brisbane Stadium erupted in joy.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, Saudi Arabia vs China PR
China nearly stung Saudi Arabia right away at the opposite end, Ren forcing a two-handed stop from Waleed Abdullah with a close-range header towards the bottom right corner of the net. The deadlock was finally broken after 80 minutes when Yu's free kick, from outside the box, took a wicked deflection off a defender to wrong-foot Abdullah who, despite a desperate attempt to keep the Yu's effort out, saw the ball skip into his net.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, North Korea vs Saudi Arabia
Mohammad Al-Sahlawi scored twice in quick succession just after half-time as three-time winners Saudi Arabia kept their quarter-final hopes alive after recording a 4–1 comeback win over North Korea on Wednesday.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, North Korea vs Saudi Arabia
North Korea's first AFC Asian Cup goal since November 1992 scored after 11 minutes from Ryang Yong-gi had given Jo Tong-sop's side hope of bouncing back from their opening defeat by Uzbekistan in Group B. But after Naif Hazazi equalised for Saudi Arabia before half-time, Al Sahlawi's quickfire double in the space of three second-half minutes and a late strike from Nawaf Al Abed ensured Cosmin Olăroiu's side their first three points of the campaign having lost to China at the weekend and ended the quarter-final hopes of former semi-finalists North Korea.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, North Korea vs Saudi Arabia
With both sides seeking their first points of the campaign at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, North Korea made an aggressive start as Sim Hyon-jin was denied twice in quick succession by Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah, with the first from a dipping strike from the edge of the penalty area in the seventh minute and the second a glancing header from the resulting corner.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, North Korea vs Saudi Arabia
Abdullah, though, was beaten just four minutes later as Ryang followed up after the Saudi Arabia custodian could only parry Pak Kwang-ryong's dipping angled volley from Jong Il-gwan's knockdown back out towards the penalty spot. Saudi Arabia looked for an instant response as Hazazi headed agonisingly wide from inside the penalty area six minutes later as Ri Myong-guk's goal came under increasing pressure as the half progressed.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, North Korea vs Saudi Arabia
And Saudi Arabia equalised eight minutes before half-time as the Green Falcons quickly worked the ball across the edge of the penalty area for Al Abed to tee-up Hazazi, and the Al Shabab striker fired low through the legs of the North Korea goalkeeper at his near post. Ri Myong-guk, though, did come to North Korea’s rescue three minutes before half-time as the custodian produced a superb one-handed save low to his left to turn Al Abed's equally eye-catching turn and volley around the post.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, North Korea vs Saudi Arabia
But as Saudi Arabia continued to dominate into the second half, Ri Myong-guk was again beaten seven minutes after half-time as Al Sahlawi was on hand to stab home from close range after Abdullah Al-Zori's low drilled cross had taken a fortunate deflection off Jang Kuk-chol and North Korea handed Saudi Arabia a third goal just two minutes later as Jang Song-hyok's overhit backpass caused confusion between Ri Yong-jik and goalkeeper Ri Myong-guk on the edge of the penalty area, and with the defender only able to drill his attempted clearance against Al Sahlawi, the striker simply rolled the ball into the empty net. Al Sahlawi had a chance to seal his hat-trick with 19 minutes remaining, but after racing clear of the North Korea backline and with only Ri Myong-guk to beat, the striker poked his effort wide shortly before being substituted.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, North Korea vs Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, though, did add a fourth with 13 minutes remaining as Al Abed followed up having seen his penalty saved by Ri Myong-guk after Ri Yong-jik had been sent-off in unfortunate circumstances as Salem Al-Dawsari's chipped effort from inside the area had rebounded back off the crossbar and hit the midfielder's raised arm.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, China PR vs Uzbekistan
China returned to the AFC Asian Cup quarter-finals after an 11-year absence with a come-from-behind 2–1 win against Uzbekistan at Brisbane Stadium, their first ever victory over Uzbekistan at any official tournament since the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification, having won only once, drawn once and lost three previous encounters over the Uzbeks.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, China PR vs Uzbekistan
2011 edition semi-finalists Uzbekistan drew first blood midway through the opening half thanks to Odil Ahmedov, but China turned the tables on Mirjalol Qosimov's side after the break with goals from Wu Xi and substitute Sun Ke to grab the three points and the first ticket to the second round from Group B. Uzbekistan lie third behind Saudi Arabia on goal difference, with North Korea at the foot of the table.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, China PR vs Uzbekistan
The Chinese came close to breaking the deadlock in the fifth minute, when Wu Lei surged through the middle to latch on to a cross from the left, only to miss by inches. China duly got a taste of their own medicine after 22 minutes when Ahmedov shook off Wu outside the box before letting rip a shot. Wu recovered, sliding in to attempt to block Ahmedov's shot - but only succeeded in changing the trajectory of the ball, which escaped goalkeeper Wang Dalei and bounced into the net.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, China PR vs Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan took the lead into the break but failed to hold on, as China restored parity on 55 minutes. Forward Gao Lin set things up with a dazzling assist from the right by-line, flicking the ball into the path of Wu who atoned for his first-half deflection by firing home into the bottom left corner to make it 1–1. Alain Perrin's side then moved in front through Gao's 66th-minute substitute Sun. Just two minutes after coming on Sun beat Ignatiy Nesterov fair and square from the edge of the box, curling his shot beyond the outstretched arms of the Uzbekistan custodian to hand China the advantage.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, China PR vs Uzbekistan
China were in the ascendancy, and twice came close to extending their advantage, defender Zhang Linpeng missing a completely free shot from the centre of the penalty area and Sun failing to put away a second in a one-on-one with Nesterov. Uzbekistan could not claw their way back into the match before the Chinese supporters erupted after three minutes of stoppage time and the final whistle.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, Uzbekistan vs Saudi Arabia
Sardor Rashidov scored twice as Uzbekistan set up a quarter-final match with South Korea after securing a crucial 3–1 win over Saudi Arabia. Uzbekistan had to win to deny Saudi Arabia a place in the last eight and the Central Asians enjoyed the ideal start at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium as recalled 23-year-old Bunyodkor midfielder Rashidov netted inside the opening two minutes. Mohammad Al-Sahlawi did pull Saudi Arabia level from the penalty spot on the hour mark, but after substitute Vokhid Shodiev restored Uzbekistan's advantage 11 minutes later, Rashidov's second of the night with just over 10 minutes remaining saw Mirjalol Qosimov's side secure a fourth consecutive quarter-finals appearance.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, Uzbekistan vs Saudi Arabia
Needing to win to progress from Group B alongside table-toppers China, Uzbekistan coach Qosimov made five changes following Wednesday's defeat by China, with captain Server Djeparov, Sanjar Tursunov, Igor Sergeev, Timur Kapadze and Akmal Shorakhmedov dropped to the bench. And it was one of their replacements who handed Uzbekistan the ideal start inside 90 seconds as Rashidov charged into the penalty area following poor defending by Saudi Arabia, coupled with a fortunate deflection, before coolly guiding his strike through the legs of goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah at his near post.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, Uzbekistan vs Saudi Arabia
Uzbekistan remained on top as the half progressed against a shell-shocked Saudi Arabia who continued to struggle to settle into the contest with Cosmin Olăroiu's side, who showed one change from their win over North Korea last time out, only needing a draw to progress at the expense of their opponents. Saudi Arabia did enjoy a brighter end to the first half, although Uzbekistan goalkeeper Ignatiy Nesterov remained largely untested.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, Uzbekistan vs Saudi Arabia
The tight nature of the contest continued at the start of the second half, although despite Uzbekistan enjoying the greater share of possession, Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Abdullah was also enjoying a quiet evening following the early goal but the game suddenly swung Saudi Arabia's way on the hour mark as Al-Sahlawi confidently beat Nesterov from the penalty spot after Vitaliy Denisov had been adjudged to have bundled over Naif Hazazi inside the area as the pair challenged to meet Abdullah Al-Zori's left wing cross.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, Uzbekistan vs Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, though, were back on level terms for just 11 minutes as Shodiev, who replaced Jamshid Iskanderov shortly after the equaliser, out-jumped Yasser Al-Shahrani to meet Shavkat Mullajanov's right wing cross, and the striker guided his header back across the face and goal and into the bottom corner with Abdullah rooted to the spot. And with Saudi Arabia pushing forward, Rashidov was found in space on the near side by Jasur Khasanov's superb cross field pass and the midfielder beat exposed goalkeeper Abdullah from inside the penalty area to double Uzbekistan's lead and hand 2007 finalists Saudi Arabia a second consecutive group stage exit.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, China PR vs North Korea
Midfielder Sun Ke's brace saw quarter-final bound China complete their first-ever 100 per cent record in the group stages of the AFC Asian Cup, after the Group B winners edged North Korea 2–1 at Canberra Stadium. With hosts Australia awaiting in quarter-final at Brisbane Stadium, China were set on the way within the first minute by Sun, before he added his second shortly before the interval.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, China PR vs North Korea
A Gao Lin own-goal did see North Korea pull one back and So Hyon-uk hit the frame of the goal late on as the Chollima pressed hard for an equaliser, but China were eventually able to see out the third straight win of their campaign. Both sides had entered the final round of fixtures with their destiny's already confirmed with China guaranteed to top the table following wins over Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan, while North Korea's campaign had been prematurely ended following defeats by the same opposition. China coach Alain Perrin stuck to his promise of going for a third successive win by selecting eight of the side who started in the 2–1 win over Uzbekistan, amongst them match-winning substitute Sun making his first start.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, China PR vs North Korea
For North Korea, midfielder O Hyok-chol and defender Ro Hak-su lined-up for the first time with Ri Yong-jik suspended after his sending off against Saudi Arabia in the 4–1 defeat on 14 January. Canberra Stadium had seen the UAE's Ali Mabkhout score the AFC Asian Cup's fastest ever goal after 14 seconds in the previous fixture against Bahrain and Australia's capital was witness to an explosive start for a second consecutive match.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, China PR vs North Korea
Mei Fang's long ball up from the back was not dealt with by the North Korea backline and Sun nipped in to tuck the ball between the legs of North Korea goalkeeper Ri Myong-guk within the game's opening minute. Emboldened by the early lead China dominated for large periods of the first half, although North Korea did have a few efforts from distance with O Hyok-chol and Jon Kwang-ik having a go from range. And on 39 minutes, Jong Il-gwan had a glorious chance to equalise after his give-and-go with O Hyok-chol saw him put through on goal but the stretching striker could only lift his shot well over Wang Dalei's crossbar.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, China PR vs North Korea
The miss was costly as just three minutes later China went two up with Sun again on the scoresheet. Jiang Zhipeng found himself in space on the flank and his curling cross from the left-side was met with a diving header from Sun at the back post that Ri couldn't keep out. The advantage could have been three just before half-time, too, as Yu Hai's chipped effort lofted over Ri but not Jon on the line who cleared.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, China PR vs North Korea
In the second half, though, North Korea came out determined to haul themselves back into the game and they reduced the deficit 11 minutes after the restart. Pak Kwang-ryong's cross reached Jong in the right-hand side of the area and although the striker’s shot was blocked on the line by Zhang Linpeng, the defender's attempted clearance ricocheted off the back of the unsuspecting Gao and into the net. And Jong could have made the scores even just two minutes later as he met full-back Ro's cross with a leaping header from the penalty spot but his attempt soared narrowly over.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group B, Matches, China PR vs North Korea
North Korea continued their second half renaissance and on the 81st minute a scooped pass from Sim Hyon-jin was met on the volley from second-half substitute So and his pile driver from 25-yards out crashed off the crossbar with Wang beaten. Jo Tong-sop's side continued to press China in the final minutes but they were unable to make a breakthrough and exited the tournament pointless for the first time in their AFC Asian Cup history.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C
Group C of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup was one of four groups of nations competing at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. The group's first round of matches were played on 11 January, the second round on 15 January, and the final round on 19 January. All six group matches were played at venues in Australia. The group consisted of Iran, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain. Iran and United Arab Emirates advanced as group winners and runners-up respectively, while Bahrain and Qatar were eliminated.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, United Arab Emirates vs Qatar
A brace each from forwards Ahmed Khalil and Ali Mabkhout gave the United Arab Emirates a comprehensive 4–1 win over Arabian Gulf Cup champions Qatar in their opener at Canberra Stadium. Two-time quarter-finalists and Qatar took the lead courtesy of Khalfan Ibrahim's 22nd minute chipped effort, but the scores were leveled at 36 minutes by former Asian Young Footballer of the Year Khalil from close range.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, United Arab Emirates vs Qatar
Set-pieces in the second half were to prove Qatar's undoing as first Khalil at 51 minutes and then Mabkhout at 56 minutes profited from dead-ball situations, before Mabkhout got his second in the dying minutes of the game to help the UAE into the all-important knockout stage qualification spots in the opening round of Group C games.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, United Arab Emirates vs Qatar
An even opening spell in Australia's capital saw two teams intent on attack, and inside the first 10 minutes there was goalmouth action at either end of the field as Khalil and Mabkhout both saw efforts ruffle the side-netting, while Qatari defender Abdulaziz Hatem had a dangerous cross turned away at the back post by Mohamed Abdulrahman.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, United Arab Emirates vs Qatar
With such an open game in the making, it was no surprise that the first goal came not long after as Majed Naser could only push out Mohammed Muntari’s close range effort as far as Ibrahim who controlled the ball on his chest before delicately sending a flying volley over the stranded goalkeeper on the line. Khalil came close to drawing the UAE back within three minutes, though, as his downward header demanded a sprawling save from Qasem Burhan in the Qatar goal, flicking the ball around his own post.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, United Arab Emirates vs Qatar
At the other end, Abdelkarim Hassan almost extended the lead with a driving shot from distance into the side-netting, but with nine minutes of the half remaining the Emirates had drawn level. Burhan came and failed to collect, and Abdelaziz Sanqour whipped the ball across goal where Khalil’s header was blocked back to him by Ibrahim Majed on the line and rebounded in off the Emirati forward's chest.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, United Arab Emirates vs Qatar
Qatar coach Djamel Belmadi brought on 2014 WAFF Championship top scorer Boualem Khoukhi after the break to add some cutting edge to his attack, but just six minutes after the restart it was the UAE who went ahead for the first time in the match. The goal came from the boot of Khalil, who had threatened for much of the first period, taking full advantage from a dangerous set-piece on the corner of the penalty area to loop his free kick into the far corner of the goal. And just five minutes later the UAE profited again from a dead-ball situation. This time Khamis Esmaeel’s on-target free kick was fumbled by Burhan and Mabkhout was first on the scene to follow up and drill the ball home.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, United Arab Emirates vs Qatar
Forwards Ismail Mohamad and Meshal Adulla entered the fray after the hour mark to try and reduce the deficit for Qatar, and the former went closest, forcing Naser into a flying block at his near post. The Emirati custodian almost inadvertently gave Qatar a way back in with five minutes remaining as he turned Hassan’s near post shot onto his own upright but Mabkhout then put the game beyond doubt at the 90th minute as he combined with Omar Abdulrahman to rifle home from six yards.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, Iran vs Bahrain
Ehsan Hajsafi and Masoud Shojaei scored either side of half-time for Iran, who were roared on by the vast majority of the 17,712 strong crowd in Melbourne. Hajsafi opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time when his volley looped under the bar after Bahrain had partially cleared a corner, while Shojaei doubled Iran's lead in the 71st minute from another set piece. Iran showed plenty of power down the flanks, guile in midfield and defensive solidity and, barring a number of dubious offside calls, could have won by more than two goals. Iran supporters had been raucously cheering their team for at least half an hour before the game began but it was Bahrain who made the brighter start.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, Iran vs Bahrain
Jaycee John Okwunwanne struck an audacious volley just wide, while Sayed Saeed should have done better with his free header in the 16th minute, following Sami Al-Husaini's clever chip over Iran's defence. But, after Bahrain's early flurry, Iran began to create some opportunities of their own, with Ashkan Dejagah failing to convert a one-on-one chance in the 20th minute. Two minutes later Reza Ghoochannejhad dinked the ball to a marginally offside Hajsafi, who picked out the top corner and was consequently booked, while Morteza Pouraliganji volleyed over the bar from a free-kick.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, Iran vs Bahrain
Iran also had the ball in the net at the half-hour mark but were again denied by the offside flag and, after dominating the rest of the first period, Carlos Queiroz's side deservedly hit the front just before the break when Hajsafi volleyed home. The Persians could have doubled their lead immediately after the restart with Reza Ghoochannejhad bursting onto Hajsafi's pass before firing wide. The miss was moot, however, as the Charlton Athletic striker would have been denied a goal due to an incorrectly raised offside flag.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, Iran vs Bahrain
But apart from Ghoochannejhad's chance, the opening 15 minutes of the second half were rather tame, before John did well to bring down a long ball and then cracked a shot on target that Iran goalkeeper Alireza Haghighi could only parry. Another poor offside call thwarted Iran in the 63rd minute as Ghoochannejhad tapped in from Shojaei's cut-back. But, there was no problem eight minutes later when Shojaei volleyed Andranik Teymourian's corner inside the far post to cap off a fine performance by Iran.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, Bahrain vs United Arab Emirates
The fastest goal ever scored in AFC Asian Cup history from the boot of Ali Mabkhout and a second-half own goal by Mohamed Husain were enough to give the United Arab Emirates a 2–1 victory over Bahrain. Striker Mabkhout's historic opener came within just 14 seconds of kick-off in the Group C match played at a sun-drenched Canberra Stadium. However, Nigeria-born striker Jaycee John Okwunwanne brought Bahrain back into a tie with a header before the half hour mark.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, Bahrain vs United Arab Emirates
The match continued in end-to-end fashion and it took an unfortunate own goal from Bahrain captain Hussain at the 74th minute to separate the sides as the island nation were eliminated from the tournament, following their defeat on Sunday to Iran. After a convincing 4–1 victory over Arabian Gulf Cup champions Qatar at Canberra Stadium on 11 January, UAE coach Mahdi Ali made just one change to his starting 11 with Mohamed Ahmad replacing Mohanad Salem in defense.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, Bahrain vs United Arab Emirates
Bahrain coach Marjan Eid, meanwhile, brought in four new faces as he looked for a positive result to ensure his side's tournament would continue to the final group game. But Eid could have hardly prepared for what happened in the opening seconds of the game. Shortly after the kickoff, Bahrain defender Abdullah Omar lost the ball to Omar Abdulrahman in the right-back position and the playmaker's immediate lofted pass found Mabkhout running through on goal to slip the ball under goalkeeper Sayyid Muhammad Ja'far for an extraordinary start to the contest.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, Bahrain vs United Arab Emirates
Despite the stunning setback, Bahrain looked to respond and Abdulwahab Al Malood and Jaycee John both had volleyed efforts at Majed Naser's goal that flew wide. Mohamed Abdulrahman could have then helped the UAE go two goals to the good after he did well to retain possession inside the penalty area and play in Ahmed Khalil, but the striker could only fire his shot onto the foot of Jaffer's near post.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, Bahrain vs United Arab Emirates
UAE's failure to convert was punished at 25 minutes as Jaycee John rose highest at the backpost to power home Faouzi Aaish's inswinging corner with a thumping header. Three minutes later the powerful forward almost replicated his efforts and he headed a left-wing cross from Rashed Al Hooti that Naser did well to save. As the first period continued in frenetic fashion, Omar Abdulrahman then danced past two defenders before playing in Mabkhout who tricked his way past Jaffer only to see the ball cleared off the line.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, Bahrain vs United Arab Emirates
The second period didn't begin as dramatically as the first, but Al Malood did have a chance on goal 10 minutes after the interval as Jaycee John's header back to him found him with space for a shot inside the penalty area, but the forward could only steer his shot narrowly wide. A Bahraini backpass before the hour mark was punished with a free kick a yard inside the penalty area, and from the dead-ball Omar Abdulrahman clipped the top of the crossbar with a sweetly struck shot.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, Bahrain vs United Arab Emirates
But at 73 minutes, again from a set piece, the UAE took the lead. An inswinging free kick from the left side by Amer Abdulrahman curled dangerously into the penalty area and was met by the head of Bahrain skipper Hussain and inadvertently flew into his own net. Bahrain almost restored parity through a free kick of their own through Aaish, but Naser was able to tip over the inswinging free kick from the right as Bahrain cranked up the pressure with forwards Abdulatif and Sami Al-Husaini entering the fray. But, the UAE were able to contain the Bahraini onslaught and saw out the tie and take all three points to win their second consecutive game at the continental championship.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, Qatar vs Iran
Sardar Azmoun's individual brilliance ensured Iran and the United Arab Emirates would meet in Brisbane on 19 January to determine who would claim top spot in Group C after Carlos Queiroz's side defeated Qatar 1–0 at Stadium Australia. The 20-year-old Rubin Kazan striker further enhanced his already strong reputation with a turn that bamboozled the Qatar defense before slotting the ball past Qasem Burhan to score one of the goals of the tournament so far.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, Qatar vs Iran
The 52nd minute effort was greeted with raucous relief by the thousands of Iranian fans in the Sydney suburbs, who had created a carnival atmosphere at Stadium Australia from the moment the teams entered the field. The result means that Qatar are out of the tournament having previously lost their opening game 4–1 against the United Arab Emirates.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, Qatar vs Iran
A crowd of 22,672 traveled out to Stadium Australia, with the vast majority backing Iran and turning the iconic venue into a mini Azadi Stadium and, for the opening quarter of the game, the atmosphere was more noteworthy than the play on display as both sides battled for supremacy in midfield. It was the Iranians who steadily took control and by the end of the half Queiroz's team would have been disappointed not to have been in front.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, Qatar vs Iran
Ashkan Dejagah stumbled his way past Abdelkarim Hassan before pulling the ball back for Masoud Shojaei, but the ball was cleared before the former Osasuna striker could pull the trigger. Shojaei was involved again five minutes from the break as Iran continued to press, only this time his effort was deflected wide for a corner that Andranik Teymourian swung towards the penalty spot before Morteza Pouraliganji's header was cleared off the line by Ahmed Abdul Maqsoud. Minutes later, Dejagah's low shot-cum-cross flew across the face of goal with Ehsan Hajsafi just too slow to poke the ball across the line. Seven minutes after the restart, though, Iran finally took the lead they deserved, with Azmoun's moment of brilliance capping a fine move that featured tenacity and quality in equal measure.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, Qatar vs Iran
Teymourian won the ball deep in the Qatari half before laying off to Dejagah, and Azmoun spun around the Al Arabi striker's ball into the centre before slipping the ball past Burhan to send the Iranian team into a bench-clearing celebration. Azmoun, however, was not to finish the game, going off injured 10 minutes after his goal, and his replacement, Reza Ghoochannejhad had ample opportunity to finish off the game.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, Qatar vs Iran
On five occasions in the final quarter of the game the man from Charlton Athletic tried his luck, but each time he was unable to find a way past Burhan, but it mattered little as referee Ravshan Irmatov blew the whistle to send Iran into the quarter-finals for a sixth straight AFC Asian Cup.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, Iran vs United Arab Emirates
Reza Ghoochannejhad's last-gasp header gave Iran a 1–0 victory over the United Arab Emirates as Carlos Queiroz's men won Group C of the AFC Asian Cup. Samsung Player of the Match Ghoochannejhad's 91st-minute strike, his first goal of the tournament dealt UAE their first defeat of the tournament and allowed Iran to finish the group phase with the maximum nine points, three points ahead of Mahdi Ali's side.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, Iran vs United Arab Emirates
Iran would face the runners-up of Group D in the quarter-finals on 23 January in Canberra while UAE would play the Group D winners in Sydney, widely expected to be defending champions Japan. Queiroz had predicted a day earlier that neither team would be content with a draw, and the Persian Gulf rivals proved the Portuguese tactician right by staging a cagey match at Brisbane Stadium. The game was marked by Iran's defensive resolve that almost produced a clean-sheet against Argentina at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and suffocated UAE for the most part. UAE did not have a single shot on target for the whole game.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, Iran vs United Arab Emirates
Alireza Jahanbakhsh should have done better with a free header from the centre of the penalty area in the 18th minute but the Dutch-based striker fired over the crossbar towards the stands. The Iranians went close again in the final minute of the half, yet Sardar Azmoun's header at the right-hand post was cleared wide in the nick of time by Mohanad Salem as the two teams headed into the intermission on equal terms. The second half was more of the same, with UAE playmaker Omar Abdulrahman unable to find the touches to get his team going. Despite the pressure from Iran, Abdulrahman set up Abdelaziz Sanqour for an angular shot from the right, but the Al Ahli man failed to keep his effort on goal.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, Iran vs United Arab Emirates
Queiroz tried to inject some steam into the Iranian attack by bringing Ghoochannejhad and Ashkan Dejagah off the bench, but UAE also held firm at the back to frustrate their opponents. But Iran would have the last laugh as midfielder Andranik Teymourian unintentionally hit a half-clearance back into the box for Ghoochannejhad, who nodded in from close range as the predominantly Iranian crowd went wild. Mahdi Ali claimed after the match that Nekounam had been in offside position involving the ball when Ghoochannejhad had scored and questioned about the referee assignment.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, Qatar vs Bahrain
Bahrain ended their campaign with a 2–1 win over Qatar at Stadium Australia when a long-range strike from Sayed Jaafar Ahmed eight minutes from time gave Marjan Eid's side their first points of the tournament. Neither team had any chance of advancing to the knockout rounds after losing their opening matches against Iran and the United Arab Emirates, but Bahrain reclaimed some pride when Jaafar struck to secure the win after Sayed Saeed had put the Bahrainis in front before Hassan Al-Haydos equalised with a second half free kick.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, Qatar vs Bahrain
The win ensures Bahrain would finish third in Group, but Eid's team were comprehensively outplayed by the Qataris for large periods of the game and the 2011 tournament hosts would have gone into the halftime break wondering how they had not found the back of the net. Misfortune cost the Arabian Gulf Cup champions on more than one occasion, with Mohammed Muntari twice going close, the first when he steered the ball just wide of Hamed Al-Doseri's goal in the 20th minute and the second, four minutes later, when his header from Al-Haydos' free kick came back off the post.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, Qatar vs Bahrain
Bahrain, though, always carried a threat in an open and entertaining game. Shubbar's sixth-minute header was straight at Qasem Burhan, while the 22-year-old had another headed effort in the 29th minute that came back off the base of the post. With 11 minutes remaining in the half, however, the Al Riffa striker put his side in the lead when Faouzi Aaish slalomed past two Qatari defenders before cutting the ball back to Shubbar, who steadied himself before sliding a left foot shot over the line. Qatar continued to pick holes in the Bahrain backline into the second half, with Ali Assadalla evading the defence thanks to a one-two with Muntari, only to hit goalkeeper Al-Doseri with his shot.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group C, Matches, Qatar vs Bahrain
Midway through the half, though, the Qataris finally claimed the goal their possession play deserved when Al Haydos, their star performer on the evening struck a low free kick that went under the Bahraini wall as it jumped before beating the keeper to his right. Another pair of missed opportunities from Muntari continued to frustrate the Qataris and, as the young striker grew increasingly despondent, he and his teammates were punished in the harshest manner possible when Jaafar scored the winner with just eight minutes remaining. Picking the ball up on the corner of the penalty area, the Al Riffa midfielder clipped his shot over the head of Burhan, who had taken a step off his line and the ball sailed into the back of the net.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D
Group D of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup was one of four groups of nations competing at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. The group's first round of matches were played on 12 January, the second round on 16 January, and the final round on 20 January. All six group matches were played at venues in Australia. The group consisted of title holders Japan, Jordan, Iraq and Palestine. Japan and Iraq advanced as group winners and runners-up respectively, while Jordan and Palestine were eliminated.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Japan vs Palestine
Japan kicked off the defence of their AFC Asian Cup title as Javier Aguirre's side notched up an empathic 4–0 win over tournament debutant and rivals Palestine at Newcastle Stadium. Yasuhito Endō, Shinji Okazaki, Keisuke Honda and Maya Yoshida were all on the scorer as the four-time continental champions showed their class to pick up all three points on a blustery evening.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Japan vs Palestine
Palestine, appearing in the competition for the first time after winning the AFC Challenge Cup in May 2014, finished the game with 10 men after Ahmed Harbi was sent-off for a late challenge on Shinji Kagawa that earned him a second booking after being cautioned in first half injury time. Aguirre made his intentions clear from the start by fielding a full strength line-up against Palestine and it took just eight minutes for the defending champions to notch their opening goal.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Japan vs Palestine
Endo, earning his 149th cap for his country and making a Japanese record 18th appearance at the AFC Asian Cup, took aim from 25 yards out and his low left foot strike gave Ramzi Saleh little chance as it settled into the goalkeeper's bottom right corner. By the 25th minute, Japan had doubled their lead with Okazaki showing razor sharp reflexes to head Kagawa's shot from the edge of the area past Saleh. And just a minute before the half-time break Honda made it 3-0 from the penalty spot after Kagawa was brought down by Mus'ab Al-Batat. Palestine saw little of the ball in the opening 45 minutes, although Ismail Al-Amour fashioned a rare opportunity five minutes before the break, only to drag his effort from the edge of the area across the face of goal.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Japan vs Palestine
There was little let-up from Japan at the beginning of the second half with Endo trying his luck again from long distance – this time with his right foot – but Saleh was equal to the task, turning the ball around his right post. Seconds later, though, Yoshida headed home Japan's fourth, rising highest to nod in Kagawa's corner as the gulf in class between the teams became ever more apparent.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Japan vs Palestine
Mahajna's sending off threatened to cause further problems for Palestine but, despite being down to 10 men, central defender Abdelatif Bahdari almost claimed a consolation goal eight minutes from time when his flying header went just wide. Gōtoku Sakai and Yoshinori Muto both tried their luck in the dying minutes to extend Japan's lead, but in the end the titleholders commenced their defence of the trophy in a convincing manner.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Jordan vs Iraq
Yaser Kasim scored a late winner as 2007 AFC Asian Cup champions Iraq produced a gritty 1–0 victory over 10-man Jordan at Brisbane Stadium to move level on points with Japan, and also became the first ever group stage loss of Jordanian team. Kasim struck with 13 minutes remaining in the crucial meeting between the Arab rivals ahead of their clash with Japan on 16 January. But while Iraq had more of the possession by a comfortable margin, both sides were starved for clear-cut chances in the opening half. Iraq thought they had created a chance in the 16th minute when Kasim picked out Younis Mahmoud, but Tareq Khattab came to the rescue by snuffing out the iconic striker with a sliding tackle.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Jordan vs Iraq
Jordan coach Ray Wilkins had said a day earlier that if his team failed to qualify for the quarter-finals it would not be because of a lack of effort, and his troops proved the former Manchester United and Chelsea midfielder right with an industrious performance right down to the final whistle. But equally, Jordan struggled over the last third of the pitch, missing that touch of creativity necessary to penetrate Iraq's defense as striker Odai Al-Saify was free in front of goal a minute before the hour mark only to float a back-header over the crossbar. During the following sequence, Mohammad Mustafa had another chance for Jordan from the heart of the penalty area, but mishit the ball, shooting harmlessly into the arms of goalkeeper Jalal Hasan.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Jordan vs Iraq
But just when a draw appeared to be on the horizon, Iraq put an end to the stalemate in the 77th minute through Kasim, who slashed his way into the penalty area from right angle before pulling the trigger and seeing his shot deflected off Khattab to wrong-foot goalkeeper Amer Shafi. The momentum continued to swing in Iraq's favor as in the 84th minute Jordan defender Anas Bani Yaseen was given his marching orders after collecting a second booking for a late shoulder charge on Saad Abdul-Amir.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Palestine vs Jordan
Hamza Al-Dardour became only the fourth player in the history of the AFC Asian Cup to score four goals in a single game as two-time quarter-finalists Jordan kept their knockout stage hopes alive with a resounding 5–1 win over Palestine. Yousef Al-Rawashdeh's eye-catching strike 12 minutes before half-time at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium settled any nerves for Jordan, who had previously not won a match since their final AFC Asian Cup qualifier in March 2013 having suffered a 1–0 defeat by Iraq in their tournament opener.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Palestine vs Jordan
And with recalled striker Al Dardour netting twice inside the final ten minutes of the first half before scoring twice inside the final 15 minutes, Jordan would remain in Melbourne to face defending champions Japan on 20 January still in contention to maintain their 100% record of qualifying for the quarter-finals. Debutants Palestine, though, would travel to Canberra to face Iraq facing an uphill battle to still progress having earlier lost 4–0 to Japan despite Jaka Ihbeisheh netting their historic first AFC Asian Cup goal with five minutes remaining.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Palestine vs Jordan
With both sides looking to bounce back from opening defeats, 2014 AFC Challenge Cup winners Palestine almost opened the scoring after just five minutes as only an alert one-handed save from Jordan goalkeeper Amer Shafi turned Hesham Salhe's vicious dipping strike from 25 yards onto the crossbar. Jordan did settle into the contest as the half progressed, although Palestine goalkeeper Ramzi Saleh remained largely untested as Abdallah Deeb flashed an effort just wide of the post midway through the opening 45 minutes.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Palestine vs Jordan
But Saleh could do little 12 minutes before half-time as Jordan quickly worked the ball across and into the left hand corner of the penalty area for Ahmad, and with the midfielder given time to steady himself and pick his spot, he expertly curled the ball into the top corner past the despairing dive of the Palestine goalkeeper.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Palestine vs Jordan
Less than two minutes later Saleh was again beaten as the custodian was drawn out of position by Deeb as the striker charged into the area before the Jordan forward played the ball across the six yard area for Al Dardour to slide in bravely at the back post. And with the last kick of the first half Jordan added a third in stoppage time as Al Dardour, who did not feature during the opening defeat by Iraq, stabbed home from close range as Saleh was unable to cut out Odai Al-Saify's drilled first-time cross.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Palestine vs Jordan
Palestine looked to recover from a disastrous end to the first half and came out strongly after half-time, with only a superb one-handed block from Shafi denying Abdelhamid Abuhabib, although at the other end, Saleh had to be on his toes to push Oday Zahran's lofted effort over the crossbar. Ahmed Al Hassan's side continued to press in the closing stages, but with 15 minutes remaining, Al Dardour completed his hat-trick with a superb solo goal as the striker coolly beat Saleh having picked the ball up just inside Palestine's half.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Palestine vs Jordan
And five minutes later, Al Dardour joined Iranian duo Behtash Fariba and Ali Daei and Bahrain's Ismail Abdul-Latif on the list of players to score four goals at the AFC Asian Cup as the striker stabbed home Zahran's cross from just outside the six yard area. There was, though, still time for Palestine to net their first AFC Asian Cup goal as Ihbeisheh netted from close range with five minutes remaining.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Iraq vs Japan
Man of the match Keisuke Honda's penalty helped Japan to their second straight victory as the defending champions eked out a 1–0 win over Iraq. Honda netted from the spot midway through the opening half as Javier Aguirre's side stayed on top of the group with the maximum six points, three points more than Iraq and Jordan, who defeated Palestine 5–1 earlier in the day. Japan's qualification for the quarter-finals rests on their last first-round game on 20 January in Melbourne against the Jordan.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Iraq vs Japan
Honda was involved in all of Japan's best moments in the first half, starting with a through ball for Shinji Kagawa that the Borussia Dortmund man fired wide in the 11th minute. Iraq returned the favour four minutes later from a corner, Ahmad Ibrahim Khalaf calling Eiji Kawashima into action with a soaring header the Standard Liège custodian managed to keep out.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Iraq vs Japan
Honda headed off the bottom of the right-hand post in the 17th minute before Yasuhito Endō, making his 150th appearance for Japan, started a sequence through the box that Kagawa should have finished on 21 minutes from close range. A minute later, though, Aguirre's men managed to put themselves on the scoreboard as Honda was taken down in the area by Ali Adnan. Honda stepped up to the spot himself, converting for his second goal of the tournament to push the holders in front.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Iraq vs Japan
Shinji Okazaki, said to be on the shopping list of several Premier League clubs this winter, should have doubled Japan's lead after 33 minutes but missed a free header that kept the Iraqis within one goal going into half-time. Two minutes after the break, Honda picked up where he left off in the first half, smashing against the crossbar with his weaker right foot from 20 yards out, and he had the best chance of the game four minutes past the hour that should have all but ended the contest.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Iraq vs Japan
Substitute Hiroshi Kiyotake, who gave Japan a lift after coming on, set up Honda with a slick pass across the face of the goal but the A.C. Milan man, despite being completely free at the far post, somehow uncharacteristically missed, hitting the upright. Japan continued to flirt with the idea of scoring a second but came up short before the final whistle ended what turned out to be a relatively tame meeting between the winners of the last two Asian Cups.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Japan vs Jordan
Keisuke Honda scored for the third consecutive game as defending champions Japan finally confirmed their place in the quarter-finals of the tournament as 2–0 win over a brave Jordan completed a 100% record in Group D. The four-time winners only needed a point in front of a 25,000 crowd at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium having earlier beaten Palestine and Iraq, but Honda's 24th-minute strike and a late second from Shinji Kagawa saw Javier Aguirre's side claim the win; meanwhile this meant for the first time ever in Jordan's Asian Cup participation, they'd failed to qualify into the knockout stage; and also for the first time in Asian Cup history, Jordan lost to Japan, having drawn Japan twice in 2004 and 2011.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Japan vs Jordan
Having ended Jordan's hopes of an appearance in the last eight as Iraq claimed second place in Group D after beating Palestine in Canberra, Japan would face Group C runners-up the United Arab Emirates in Sydney on 23 January for a place in the semi-finals.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Japan vs Jordan
Japan coach Aguirre named the same side for a third consecutive game with the defending champions only needing a point to qualify for the quarter-finals as Group D winners, while opposite number Ray Wilkins made one change with Anas Bani Yaseen returning from suspension to replace Saeed Murjan and with Jordan needing to at least avoid defeat to keep their quarter-final hopes alive, Ray Wilkins' side showed their intentions, lining up in an attacking 4-3-3 formation and pressing Japan from the first whistle.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Japan vs Jordan
Jordan's plans, though, were almost dealt a huge blow after just 10 minutes as Takashi Inui smashed home Kagawa's pull-back only for the assistant referee's flag on the near side to rule the ball had crossed the line prior to the delivery from the Borussia Dortmund midfielder. But Japan eventually took the lead midway through the first half as Jordan goalkeeper Amer Shafi could only parry Shinji Okazaki's angled strike from Inui's clever pass across goal and Honda was on hand to net from a tight angle.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Japan vs Jordan
Shafi, though, denied the defending champions a second five minutes later as the Jordan goalkeeper showed superb reflexes to push Masato Morishige's point-blank header from Honda's vicious corner over the crossbar as Japan continued to control the game and restrict their opponents to rare forays forward. Needing to at least avoid defeat, striker Ahmad Hayel and midfielder Munther Abu Amarah were introduced at half-time for Jordan, and the move paid off as Wilkins' side started the second 45 minutes with added vigor after Japan had enjoyed nearly 75 percent possession in the first half.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Japan vs Jordan
Japan, though, still remained the more likely to add to their lead and Shafi had to be on his toes to push away Honda's strike from just outside the area with 19 minutes remaining, with Jordan beginning to tire as the half progressed having valiantly tried to keep up with their opponents' superior passing and movement. The Japanese made sure of the three points with eight minutes remaining when a cross from substitute Yoshinori Muto found the onrushing Kagawa close to the penalty spot and Shafi was only able to help the first-time strike into the back of the net. Japan came close to adding a third in the first minute of stoppage time, but Honda was unfortunate to see his low drilled strike from inside the area crash into the post with Shafi rooted to the spot.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Iraq vs Palestine
Goals from Younis Mahmoud and Ahmed Yasin led Iraq into the quarter-finals and a meeting with arch-rivals Iran, after a 2–0 victory against Palestine at Canberra Stadium. Mahmoud's first goal in the tournament Down Under came on 48 minutes and was his seventh in AFC Asian Cup competitions, meaning he has now scored in four consecutive continental championships since he first appeared at the 2004 edition. Mahmoud's could have had a second just before the hour mark, too, but Palestine's back-up goalkeeper Tawfiq Ali, who put on an impressive show throughout in the absence of the injured Ramzi Saleh, saved the forward's spot-kick.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Iraq vs Palestine
But two minutes before the end midfielder Yasin, making his first start of the tournament, sealed the points and the victory for Iraq. The win means Iraq finish second in Group D, behind defending champions Japan who topped Jordan 2–0 in the day's other game, and Radhi Shenaishil and his team would remain in Canberra for their last-eight showdown with Group C winners Iran on 23 January.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Iraq vs Palestine
Handed his first start of the tournament, Justin Meram went close to justifying his coach's decision after just three minutes as he jinked inside following a long throw on the left and into the area but he was closed down quickly and his shot stuttered into the hands of goalkeeper Ali. Palestine themselves could have taken a shock lead on 20 minutes as Jalal Hasan made a hash of Ashraf Nu'man's corner but the ball was cleared just before Abdelatif Bahdari could pounce on the loose ball.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Iraq vs Palestine
While Iraq dominated the first period, they found Ali showing no signs of nerves in his first start and in confident form. The 24-year-old goalkeeper saved a swerving long-range effort from Waleed Salem 20 minutes into the contest before diving low to his right to block Mahmoud's header five minutes before the interval. And Iraq's profligacy continued in just the second minute of the restart as Mahmoud blazed wide when the influential Yasin's pull-back found him inside the penalty area. But the striker's woes in front of goal would last only another minute.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Iraq vs Palestine
From half-time substitute Ali Adnan's corner, Mahmoud's rose highest to direct a firm header past Ali. Almost immediately after that setback, Palestine then had their best chance of the night as a poor pass from Salam Shaker fell into the pass of the alert Nu’man but Hasan pulled off an impressive save with his feet to block the goal-bound effort.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Iraq vs Palestine
The game began to open up as both teams looked for goals before Ahmed Harbi brought down Meram inside the area for a penalty to Iraq just before the hour-mark. Mahmoud stepped up, looking for his second of the night, but Ali continued his impressive performance by diving the right way, low to his left, and parried the ball away.


2015 AFC Asian Cup Group D, Matches, Iraq vs Palestine
Iraq continued to hammer away at the Palestine defence and eventually a second goal came their way in the game's dying minutes as Yasin scored the goal his fine performance warranted with a powerful low strike from the edge of the area that zipped into the back of the net and Adnan could have made it three late on with an effort that hit the upright, but the points were safe as the final whistle blew shortly after to the delight of the large contingent of Iraqi fans.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage
The knockout stage of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup was the second and final stage of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, following the group stage. It was played on 22 to 31 January, began with the quarter-finals and ended with the final match of the tournament, held at Stadium Australia, Sydney. The top two teams from each group (eight in total) advanced to the knockout stage to compete in a single-elimination tournament. A third-place match was played between the two losing teams of the semi-finals (United Arab Emirates and Iraq). Australia won the trophy after defeating South Korea in the final.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage
In all matches in the knockout stage, if the score were level at the end of 90 minutes, two 15-minute periods of extra time was played. If the score were still level after extra time, the match was decided by a penalty shoot-out.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Qualified teams
The top two placed teams from each of the four groups advanced to the knockout stage.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Bracket
Scores after extra time are indicated by (a.e.t. ), and penalty shoot-out are indicated by (pen. ).


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, South Korea vs Uzbekistan
Son Heung-min scored twice in extra-time as two-time champions South Korea secured a third consecutive appearance in the semi-finals after edging out Uzbekistan 2–0 in a thrilling quarter-final at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, South Korea vs Uzbekistan
Bayer Leverkusen forward Son netted with just over a minute of the first half of extra-time remaining following an entertaining yet goalless 90 minutes of normal time, which was the first draw of the tournament, before repeating the feat at the end of the second period and having followed up their win over Uzbekistan in the third place play-off at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup with a fourth consecutive win of the 2015 campaign without conceding a goal, Uli Stielike's Group A winners would face either Iran or Iraq in semi-final at Stadium Australia in Sydney.


2015 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage, Quarter-finals, South Korea vs Uzbekistan
Group B runners-up Uzbekistan had made a positive start as lone striker Bakhodir Nasimov and Sanjar Tursunov tested South Korea goalkeeper Kim Jin-hyeon inside the first 20 minutes before Odil Ahmedov volleyed over on the edge of the six-yard area from Vitaliy Denisov's left wing cross.