Qatar 2011

[blahblah]

China win 2-0 in a match that was littered with fouls and Kuwaiti's going down like left right and centre. Kuwait had a couple of very handy players however once Al Enezi was sent off for a dangerous tackle the game was effectively over. Mutwa played and had a good game but couldn't find the back of the net. Junmin Hao (who plays for Schalke) seemed to be the link man for China as predicted. The result leaves China & Uzbekistan sitting pretty on top of Group A.

Tonight is Jordan v Japan. Jordan have some experience and competence in the their defence (a number of whom play in Saudi Arabia) with Amer Shafia pretty handy between the sticks and Hatem Aqel marshalling the defence. After that they are in trouble. Still the managed to go to Iran and collect three points so they are no pushovers. Still, as we've seen earlier in this thread Japan are all class. I expect the Jordanians to be difficult to break down, but not difficult enough.

Saudi are playing Syria in what should be a tighter contest. Saudi have mercurial Al Qahtani and a couple of promising young players but they are short on confidence at the moment. Syria can score goals through Al Hussain in midfield and club team mate Al Khatib up front. I think they'll rattle the Saudis and though much weaker on paper, could be a banana skin if Saudi lose their nerves.

The prediction from Phnom Penh, Japan 3-0, Saudi 2-1

[Abdul]

I think Kuwait got screwed by A-League refereeing. The red card was extremely soft and the Chinese guy rolled around like a pansy hit in the face by a wet noodle. The yellow card and subsequent direct FK right outside the box that China scored from was also a dive.

At least well done to China for researching the nature of the officials; they saw what kind of shit they could get away with and exploited it perfectly.

[Agostinho]

I completely disagree - I think that was an obvious red card. Sure the Chinese lad hammed it up but he still got kicked in the nuts.

Don't remember the other decision as I wasn't paying that much attention.

[blahblah]

I completely disagree - I think that was an obvious red card.

I couldn't agree more. Neda got into a tackle with Yang Xu and frustrated with the tangle of legs on the ground looked at him and then gave Yang Xu a quick kick in the crown jewels. Red card anywhere.

the Chinese guy rolled around like a pansy hit in the face by a wet noodle

actually the Chinese spent most of the night hacking and Kuwaiti's play acting. Indeed when Neda kicked Yang Xu, Neda was also rolling about trying to divert attention. It was a difficult game to referee with the only really bad call being the Mutwa penalty shout when cleaned up by Du Wei.

[sevengoals]

78 min.

Japan 0 - 1 Jordan

ok...


Japan still has time to turn it around or do they?

[sevengoals]

Japan 1 - 1 Jordan

[Agostinho]

This is going to be a really tough tournament.

[blahblah]

Vert interesting results. Jordan managed a lucky goal when a ball deflected off Yoshida's foot and then parked the bus with very good effect. Japan pushed and pushed all game however the Jordanians were too tight at the back. Eventually Yoshida scored with a header however it was a close thing for Japan.

A bigger upset though was Syria who downed Saudi Arabia 2-1. This will have a big effect on the group as Saudi are very much a confidence side and this will not have helped at all. This group is shaping up to be interesting. Next games are Jordan v Saudi & Japan v Syria.

[blahblah]

I've just heard that after the game the Saudi's sacked coach Jose Periero! They are now down in a tournament, low on confidence and without their coach. This group is getting interesting indeed.

[David Votoupal]

Syria have been the darkhorses of Asian football for about 5 years now. So now is their moment.

[blahblah]

Syria have been the darkhorses of Asian football for about 5 years now. So now is their moment.

I've long advocated that Syria could be a happy hunting ground for A-League scouts.

Australia play tonight. India have had further problems with Houghton only finding out a day or two ago that Sushil Singh has a two game suspension from a red card in the Challenge Cup final so he's had to find a replacement. India may try to park the bus however I think Timmy's timing and Ogre's size will reduce the effectiveness of such an approach.

More interesting tonight (for the neutral at least) is the Bahrain - South Korea fixture. South Korea are looking hot to trot though I'm not convinced that having Park Ji-Sung leading the line is a good idea. The Koreans are going to struggle to contain Jaycee and Abdullatif though I'm not sure if the Bahraini's are going to be able to do much about Lee Chung-Yong or Ki Sung-Yueng, and hence the midfield will be owned by the East Asians. I'm hoping youngster Song Heung-Min gets a run. In all I think Bahrain are a good chance of scoring on the counter, but South Korea will score more.

[Agostinho]

I don't like to make such predictions usually, but it's hard to see this match not being a blow out... And in that event, surely the pressure is on Scott McDonald. If he can't score against such lowly opposition, it must be the end of the road for him.

As it stands, he's 20 caps with no goals. Not suggesting he doesn't do anything off the ball, but in the end you can't continue to carry strikers who don't score.

[blahblah]

Subrata Paul played well for India between the sticks however apart from the game had something of a training run feel about it with the amount of space being afforded.

The South Korea game was far more interesting with the Koreans controlling much of the game however the Bahraini's never losing their cool and maintaining pressure all night. 2-1 to the Koreans was a fair reflection of the match though the red card to Kwak Tae Hwi means he won't be facing Australia, not that they don't have cover for him.

Tonights games will be very interesting due to the sheer number of unkowns. North Korea look good on paper with Hong Yong-Jo and Jon Tae-Se both leading the line and both playing in Europe. The midfield also has overseas experience though it is the defense where things get a little, well, North Korean. UAE have had a strong youth programme going for a while and dividends are starting to be paid. I expect Ahmed Khalil to play a strong role here and as long as veteran Subait Khater can hold the midfield together they will cause problems. I expect the North Koreans to win this however if UAE can score early anything could happen in this game.

Iraq v Iran, I'm not sure where to start. Plenty of history on and off the pitch between these two and Team Melli hasn't been producing the talent of the past. Still, I think the Osasuna pair of Nekounam and Masoud to give the Iranian engine room too much class. Couple that with Ghotbi's coaching and I think they'll get over the line against the Lions of Mesopotamia whom they defeated in October.

[blahblah]

a grinding encounter between North Korea and UAE. The Koreans were all over UAE early and managed a penalty which Hong Yong Jo hit against the post. UAE managed to get themselves into the game and started worrying the North Korean goals where Myong-Guk Ri was playing like a true muppet. Chollima managed a draw though in reality UAE deserved the win.

It's half time in the Iraq-Iran game where the score is 1-1. It's been a tad scrappy at times which is to be expected when two sides with history clash. Not a boring game by any means however Iran are starting to gain ascendancy in the midfield. I guess we'll all find out how it finishes in the morning

[blahblah]

The group defining games now begin. Qatar play China tonight and if they lose they could well be out of the tournament. China seem to have adopted a physical approach to the game and it could well unsettle the Qataris though equally could see them carded out of the game. If China score early I suspect it will be over as the Qatari defense is fragile at best.

Uzbekistan play Kuwait it what will probably be a good match to watch. The Uzbeks looked good through Geynrikh and Akhmedov will continue to be the foundation for Uzbek thrusts forward. They need to get more out of Shatskikh though as the Kuwaitis will not be as accommodating at the back as were the Qataris. It will be a fast, open game and one that could well end in a score draw, though I'm going for the boys from Tashkent.