Syria and Uzbekistan join Vietnam and South Korea in the last eight of the 2018 Asian Games after respective wins in the Round of 16.
South Korea finally showed their true colour in the 2018 Asian Games when they defeated Iran 0-2 to advance to the quarterfinals of the competition. After a nervy slender 1-0 win over Kyrgyzstan to confirm their place in the knock-out stage, the Koreans produced an outstanding performance to oust their rivals.
Dominating the match for most parts, Korea eventually took the lead five minutes before half time through Hwang Ui Jo. Lee Seung-moo confirmed the win over Iran with another goal just 10 minutes after the restart as Son Heung-min retains his chances of winning the gold medal.
Meanwhile the runners-up of the 2018 AFC U23 Championships had to toil for long periods before finally getting the goal they deserved in a slim 1-0 win over Bahrain. Vietnam shaded the match but had to wait until the 88th minute before Nguyen Cong Phuong rifled home the winner from close range.
It was a similarly close fight between Palestine and Syria with the latter also needing a late goal to seal their passage through being one of the best eight teams in the region. Ahmad Ashkar scored the only goal in the match in the 78th minute to keep Syria’s hopes alive.
Over at Wibawa Mukti Stadium, the result was more clear cut than the others as AFC U23 champions cruised to an easy 3-0 win over Hong Kong to set their sights on another success in this calendar year.
Uzbekistan was in a class of their own, with the Hong Kong side not even managing to win a single corner kick. Goals came through Ikromjon Alibaev (27′), Javokhir Sidikov (60′) and Zabikhillo Urinboev (65′) as they stomped their superiority on the match.
In the quarterfinal, Uzbekistan will played against South Korea while Syria will come up against the challenge of Vietnam with both matches scheduled to be played on August 27.