Aymen Hussein came off the bench to score twice – including a winner 12 minutes into added time – as Iraq defeated Vietnam 3-2 to stay perfect at the Asian Cup on Wednesday.
The result means Iraq finish Group D with a flawless three wins from three and sets up a last-16 tie against one of the best third-placed sides at the Khalifa International Stadium next Monday.
Iraq, who had already beaten tournament favourites Japan and Indonesia, started the game with a place in the knockout rounds already sewn up, affording head coach Jesus Casas the luxury of fielding an entirely changed starting line-up, with the exception of defender Rebin Sulaka.
Vietnam took the lead just before half-time when Bui Hoang Viet Anh scored from a set-piece but Khuat Van Khang was then sent off for a second booking just before the interval.
Iraq took full advantage, equalising two minutes after the restart when Sulaka headed home from a corner, before Hussein scored with a header of his own to complete the turnaround in the 73rd minute.
Vietnam almost stole a point against the run of play when Nguyen Quang Hai equalised in the 91st minute, but Iraq upped the tempo again and earned a penalty which was calmly converted by Hussein in the 12th minute of added time.
Meanwhile, in the other Group D game, Japan cruised into the last 16 – and set up a possible showdown with South Korea – after a 3-1 win over Indonesia.
Ayase Ueda struck in each half to go with a late Indonesia own goal in Doha to send the Samurai Blue through as group runners-up behind Iraq.
Sandy Walsh scored a consolation goal for Indonesia in injury time at the end of the game.
Japan will now face the winners of Group E – South Korea's group. Jurgen Klinsmann's South Korea are currently second on goal difference behind Jordan and face Malaysia in their final group match on Thursday.
Following Japan's shock 2-1 defeat to Iraq, coach Hajime Moriyasu made eight changes to his starting line-up, bringing in an entirely new defence.
He kept faith in goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, who was at fault against Iraq and was racially abused online after the game.
But there was still no place for Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma, who was left out for a third straight game as he struggles for full fitness.
Japan were awarded a penalty in the sixth minute after a VAR check ruled that Indonesia defender Jordi Amat had dragged down Ueda in the box.
The Feyenoord striker dusted himself down and dispatched the spot kick past goalkeeper Ernando Ari.
Japan cranked the tempo back up and Keito Nakamura lashed a volley against the post in the 35th minute. They kept it going in the second half and Ueda doubled their lead seven minutes after the restart.
Ritsu Doan cut through the Indonesia defence down the wing and Ueda was on hand to tap home his low cross.
Ueda went looking for his hat-trick and his shot pressured Indonesia defender Justin Hubner into firing the ball into his own goal in the 88th minute.
But Indonesia got an even later goal to give their fans something to cheer about, with Walsh volleying home from close range in the 91st minute.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Federer's 11 Wimbledon finals
2003 Beat Mark Philippoussis
2004 Beat Andy Roddick
2005 Beat Andy Roddick
2006 Beat Rafael Nadal
2007 Beat Rafael Nadal
2008 Lost to Rafael Nadal
2009 Beat Andy Roddick
2012 Beat Andy Murray
2014 Lost to Novak Djokovic
2015 Lost to Novak Djokovic
2017 Beat Marin Cilic
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
Director: Paul Weitz
Stars: Kevin Hart
3/5 stars
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
