On the evening of September 25, Beijing time, in the third round of the Asian Games Men's Football Team Group D, Japan defeated Palestine 1-0, locking up the first place in the group with 2 consecutive wins and 6 points. Palestine locked up second place in the group on goal difference and Qatar locked up third place in the group. So far, the knockout rounds of the top 16 have been released, and the national soccer team's opponent for the 1/8 finals has been determined to be Qatar.
The match caught the attention of national soccer fans as they cheered saying which team the national soccer team will face in the 1/8 finals. After the national soccer team drew 0-0 with Bangladesh on the previous match day, they locked the first place in the group with 7 points and entered the top 16 knockout stage with their heads held high. Meanwhile, 15 other teams entered the knockout stage.
According to the rules, the top two of the six groups and the third place finishers of the four best-performing groups made up the top 16 in the knockout round. After the competition, China, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Bahrain, North Korea and Kyrgyzstan decided to lock up the top two spots in each group. In addition, Myanmar, Thailand and Indonesia decided to advance to the third place in the group with better results. The only suspense is between Palestine and Qatar in Group D. There is another match in the same group, Japan vs. Palestine, which will determine which team will lock up third place in the group.
With Vietnam in third place in Group B and no chance to be the best third-place finisher in the group, the national soccer team's 1/8 opponent for the final will be determined to be the third-place finisher in Group D, which will happen between Palestine and Qatar.
Depending on the group, Palestine will lock up third place in Group D with an eighth-quarter final against the Chinese men's soccer team, or else Qatar, as long as they lose to Japan by three or more goals.
In the end, Japan won 1-0 to lock up the top spot with two consecutive victories and six points, while Palestine beat Qatar to lock up second place and Qatar to lock up third place as the national soccer team's opponent in the 1/8 finals.
Men's Soccer 1/8 Final Matchup Specifics:
China Men's Football vs Qatar
North Korea vs Bahrain
For Thailand, Iran
South Korea vs Kyrgyzstan
Hong Kong, China vs Palestine
Indonesia, Uzbekistan, India
Japan vs Myanmar
India vs Saudi Arabia
Depending on how the knockout round plays out, if the national soccer team eliminates Qatar, the opponent to make it into the top eight is likely to be defending champion South Korea, which will begin play on October 1st. The match essentially decides the fate of the two teams for the title.
