ABU DHABI — Striker Ahmed Khalil converted an extra-time (ET) penalty to send the United Arab Emirates into the Asian Cup quarter-finals with a 3-2 win over Kyrgyzstan on Monday, keeping alive their hopes of landing the continental title on home soil.
The substitute’s 102nd minute spot kick had enough power to find the net despite goalkeeper Kutman Kadyrbekov getting a hand on it and set up a last-eight meeting with holders Australia in a rematch of the 2015 semi-final.
After an early goal from Khamis Esmaeel was cancelled out by Kyrgyzstan’s Mirlan Murzaev, it looked like Ali Mabkhout’s 64th minute strike was going to settle the match for the hosts until Tursunali Rustamov’s dramatic stoppage-time equalizer.
Alberto Zaccheroni’s side know they will need to lift their game considerably to achieve their dream of winning the title back at the same stadium on Feb. 1 after making such heavy work of the hard-working but limited Asian Cup debutants.
ESMAEEL STRIKES
A small 17,784 crowd turned out on an unusually cool evening in the Emirati capital but the vast Zayed Sports City arena was brought to life in the 14th minute when the hosts took the lead.
Ismail Matar swung a corner into the box, defender Khalifa Mubarak rose well to head the ball goalwards and Esmaeel nodded it home from close range.
Kyrgyzstan were level 12 minutes later when Akhlidin Israilov’s pass put Murzaev through on goal and he took one touch to control the ball and another to take him past the keeper before slotting it into the net from a wide angle.
The Emiratis had struggled in front of goal throughout the group stage and the usually reliable Mabkhout headed wide from three metres a minute after halftime.
He made amends with his eighth Asian Cup goal after the hour mark, however, needing one touch to control Amer Abdulrahman’s pass before rifling the ball into the net.
Kyrgyzstan defender Tamirlan Kozubaev should have equalized seven minutes later but somehow steered his shot wide from point-blank range although the Central Asians would not be denied and finally levelled from a stoppage-time corner.
Rustamov was gifted an extraordinary amount of space inside the six-yard box and the midfielder made no mistake with his header to send the match into extra time.
The home side made the brighter start to the extra period and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot when Mabkhout fell under a challenge from Bekzhan Sagynbaev leaving Khalil to put away the penalty.
Kyrgyzstan then twice hit the woodwork but to the host nation’s relief they were unable to snatch a third equaliser.
RYAN THE HERO AS AUSTRALIA BEAT UZBEKISTAN IN SHOOTOUT
Australia goalkeeper Maty Ryan earned the Asian Cup holders a quarter-final place with two saves in the shootout to see off Uzbekistan 4-2 on penalties after the match finished goalless following extra time on Monday.
Brighton & Hove Albion’s Ryan denied Islom Tukhtakhujaev and Dostonbek Khamdamov to leave Mathew Leckie to score the winning spot kick and take the Socceroos into the last eight.
Australia deserved to progress after dominating the second half and most of extra time in the 0-0 stalemate as they kept their hopes of retaining the title on track.
It was Uzbekistan, however, who had made the early running and Ryan was called into action after just 10 minutes as Eldor Shomurodov burst past Trent Sainsbury to force the Premier League keeper to block his close-range shot.
Australia carried little threat, with Aziz Behich registering their only goal attempt in the opening 45 minutes when he tried his luck from outside the area, and Uzbek keeper Ignatiy Nesterov had few problems.
Javokhir Sidikov flashed a long-range effort narrowly wide of Ryan’s goal and Khamdamov should have done better when he was found by Shomurodov with time and space.
The Socceroos pressed in the second half, with Rhyan Grant heading over from an acute angle when Milos Degenek’s diagonal ball found him unmarked behind the Uzbekistan defence having moments earlier sent another header into the hands of Nesterov.
Uzbekistan’s keeper was now seeing all the action, and he was forced to deny Leckie nine minutes after the Hertha Berlin winger came off the bench before pushing Tom Rogic’s deflected strike from outside the area wide for a corner.
Australia continued to be frustrated when the game went into extra time with Chris Ikonomidis, Leckie and Rogic all going close before the extra period drifted towards penalties.
In the shootout, Behich saw his penalty saved by Nesterov before Tukhtakhujaev’s attempt was kept out by Ryan, and the Australia keeper then denied Khamdamov in the penultimate round to leave Leckie to wrap up the win. — Reuters
