Summary of the First Round of Asian Qualifiers: Upsets Across Half of Asia! South Korea, Australia, and Saudi Arabia Fail to Secure Opening Wins, National Team Loses Debut Match

Last night and this morning, all matches of the first round of the top 18 qualifiers were concluded. Besides the national team’s 0-7 loss to Japan, both other matches in the same group produced upsets. The other two groups remained relatively calm, but teams including Uzbekistan, Iran, and Iraq all secured opening wins, while South Korea was surprisingly held to a 0-0 draw by Palestine.

The national team performed “steadily,” with two upsets in the same group

The national team’s loss to Japan was predictable before the match, but what disappointed fans the most might be the scoreline; the 0-7 defeat marked the team’s worst-ever loss in an official match.

The other two matches in the same group also produced upsets, with Australia losing 0-1 at home to Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, despite missing a penalty opportunity in the second half, being held to a 1-1 draw by Indonesia, ranked 133rd in the world. Saudi Arabia is the national team’s opponent in the second round.

Uzbek + Two Irans Secure Opening Wins, South Korea Upset

In the other two groups, Group A, despite North Korea missing a penalty, Uzbekistan secured an opening win with Masharipov’s goal, defeating North Korea 1-0 at home. Iran, thanks to Taremi’s winning goal, beat Kyrgyzstan 1-0 for an opening victory.

The more surprising match in Group A was Qatar, the consecutive Asian Cup champions, who, after leading 1-0 at home, conceded three goals in the second half to the UAE, known as the “West Asian National Team,” and lost 3-1.

In Group B, South Korea drew 0-0 at home with Palestine, which can be considered a small upset. As the seeded team in this group, the Taeguk Warriors, boasting overseas stars like Son Heung-min and Kim Min-jae, failed to secure an opening win.

Iraq won 1-0 against Oman with a winning goal from Ayman Hussein. In the match between Jordan and Kuwait, Kuwait equalized in stoppage time, ending the match in a 1-1 draw.