2024-01-25T17:06:06+00:00
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/ The matches of the third round of the fifth and sixth groups of the Asian Cup, which took place on Thursday, sparked widespread controversy due to the results of these matches, and allegations that the teams deliberately obtained these results for calculations related to the matches of the round of sixteen of the tournament.
Group 5, whose teams refused to take the lead to avoid facing Japan in the round of 16, Bahrain took first place by beating Jordan 1-0, while the strong South Korea surprisingly tied in the last seconds with modest Malaysia 3-3.
Bahrain raised its score to 6 points in Group 5 to set up a date with the “Blue Samurai”, compared to 5 points for South Korea and 4 for Jordan, who had previously secured qualification.
The surprise in the Jordan-Bahrain match was the absence of the star of the “Nashama” team and the winger of the French Montpellier, Musa Al-Taamari, from the starting lineup, after he shone in his country’s first two matches against Malaysia (4-0) and against South Korea (2-2). Meanwhile, midfielder Nour Al-Rawabdeh was absent due to a broken rib, ending his journey in the tournament.
Regarding whether the loss was intentional, Jordan’s Moroccan coach, Hussein Ammouta, said in televised statements: “Choosing this lineup was necessary as long as we had secured qualification. It was an adventure to field all the main players. Mahmoud Al-Mardi had a minor injury.”
Regarding the events of Group 6, Saudi fans attacked South Korea’s German coach, Jurgen Klinsmann, after he appeared smiling after his team conceded an equaliser against Malaysia in the Asian Cup.
With this draw, South Korea avoided facing Japan, the top candidate for the title, in the round of 16, and will likely face Saudi Arabia if they top their group.
Social media users in Saudi Arabia posted a composite photo of Klinsmann, in which he appeared frowning in the first photo after Korean star Heung-Min Son scored the opening goal for his country against Malaysia 3-2 in the third minute of stoppage time, while signs of relief and happiness appeared on the German coach’s face when his team received the equalizer goal 3-3 in the 14th minute of stoppage time.