Iran draws 1-1 with reigning champions Uzbekistan at the 2020 AFC U23 Championship in Thailand. (Photo: AFC)Hanoi (VNA) – Saudi Arabia took the lead in Group B at the 2020 AFC U23 Championship in Thailand after a 2-1 victory over Japan on January 9.
The teams went into halftime goalless, but three minutes after the break, Saudi Arabi took the lead when Al Khulaif fired a low shot that beat Japanese goalkeeper Keisuke Osako.
Japan were level just a few minutes later when Ryotaro Meshino saw his shot take a deflection off Al Tambakti into Al Yami’s net.
The game was eventually settled by a late penalty awarded to Saudi Arabia and Abdulrahman Ghareeb made no mistake from the spot.
The other Group B match between Qatar and Syria ended in a draw. It took the Qataris less than 30 minute to score twice, but they were unable to hold on to their lead with Syria scoring twice in extra time.
In Group C, Iran drew 1-1 with reigning champions Uzbekistan, while in the opening clash the Republic of Korea defeated China with a late goal to top the group./.
VNA
