In the midst of a heated soccer match, the Chinese men's soccer team and Thailand were tied on points, and a 4-1 victory pushed the Thais to the threshold of advancement. The Chinese men's soccer team skillfully capitalized on this opportunity, while the Thai team had no choice but to hand over the promotion spot. Nonetheless, Singapore's resilience remained respectable as they hung in there until the end even after they were out of the tournament.
[Competition within the group heats up]
Group A: Qatar narrowly defeats India, Kuwait beats Afghanistan
In Group A, Qatar established an early advantage for qualification with a 2-1 win over India. Kuwait, on the other hand, won a thrilling 1-0 battle against Afghanistan at the Ali Salem Al Sabah Stadium, thanks to a goal from Eid Rashidi.
Group B: Japan come out strong, North Korea turn back Myanmar
Japan rode to an early qualification spot in Group B with a 5-0 win over Syria. North Korea, meanwhile, battled Myanmar at the New National Stadium in Laos, winning 4-1 thanks to goals from Ri Il Sung and Ri Joong Jo to advance.
Group C: Malaysia narrowly beats Chinese Taipei, Oman and Kyrgyzstan shake hands
In Group C, Malaysia beat Chinese Taipei 3-1 at home but still couldn't change their goal difference disadvantage and went out. Oman and Kyrgyzstan shook hands 1-1, with Kyrgyzstan advancing on goal difference.
Group D: Indonesia beats Philippines, Iraq and Vietnam on the line
In Group D, Indonesia beat the Philippines 2-0 at the Gloria Puncano Stadium to advance. The match between Iraq and Vietnam is in the spotlight, with the outcome of the match still to be revealed as to who will snatch the last qualification spot.
[Asia 18 preliminaries]
As the group stage comes to a close, a list of Asia's 18-team preliminaries is emerging, including China, South Korea, Qatar, Kuwait, Japan, North Korea, Oman, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Australia and Palestine.
