Lions of Mestopotamia secured a 2-1 win over pre-tournament favourites Japan on matchday two, and thereby moved to the summit of Group D, with six points to their name from two outings.
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Iraq will be bidding to go through to the knockout stage of the AFC Asian Cup as Group D winners when they take on Vietnam at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Wednesday. Lions of Mestopotamia secured a 2-1 win over pre-tournament favourites Japan on matchday two, and thereby moved to the summit of the group, with six points to their name from two outings, three clear of the Samurai Blue and Indonesia, who will face each other in the other match of the day. Golden Star Warriors, on the other hand, suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Tim Garuda on Friday, and are languishing at the bottom of the table, yet to open their account in the tournament.
Today’s Round 3 matches 🔥
Group D ⏰ 2:30pm
🇮🇶 🆚 🇻🇳
🇯🇵 🆚 🇮🇩What are your predictions? ✍🏼#AsianCup2023 #HayyaAsia pic.twitter.com/kYcmnXtfka
— AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 (@Qatar2023en) January 24, 2024
Iraq booked their place in the last-16 stage of the competition courtesy of producing an upset victory over Japan on Friday. Jesus Casas’ side produced a near perfect performance against the Samurai Blue at Education City Stadium, scoring two goals in the first-half thanks to Aymen Hussein’s brace, while the four time champions scored a consolation goal through Wataru Endo’s 93rd-minute effort. Though Japan had the bulk share of possession (73%), Lions of Mesopotamia were solid at the back, restricting their opponents to just two efforts on target. Meanwhile, a victory on Wednesday will held Iraq to finish the group stage with a 100% record for the first time ever.
Vietnam, on the other hand, gave a good account of themselves in their 4-2 defeat to Japan in their opening fixture ten days ago, but then lost out to Indonesia on matchday two. Asnawi Mangkualam’s lone goal in the first-half separated the two sides at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium and ended the Golden Star Warrior’s hopes of progressing to the knockout stage. Philippe Troussier’s men have now lost seven of their last eight outings in al competitions, failing to score in five of those fixtures. They have conceded a combined five goals in their two group games this time around.
Iraq probable starting lineup: Hassan, Tahseen, Natiq, Sulaka, Adnan, Allee, Al-Ammari, Amyn, Bayesh, Iqbal, M. Ali
Vietnam probable starting lineup: Filip, Manh, B. Anh, Trong, Thanh, Son, N. Anh, Khang, N. Hai, Dung, Tung
Iraq
| Opponents | Score |
| Japan | 2-1 (W) |
| Indonesia | 1-3 (W) |
| South Korea | 1-0 (L) |
| Vietnam | 0-1 (W) |
| Indonesia | 5-1 (W) |
Vietnam
| Opponents | Score |
| Indonesia | 0-1 (L) |
| Japan | 4-2 (L) |
| Kyrgyzstan | 2-1 (L) |
| Iraq | 0-1 (L) |
| Philippines | 0-2 (W) |
| Last 5 match-results | Score |
| Iraq beat Vietnam | 0-1 |
| Iraq beat Vietnam | 3-2 |
| Iraq beat Vietnam | 1-0 |
| Vietnam draw Iraq | 1-1 |
| Iraq beat Vietnam | 2-0 |
The AFC Asian Cup fixture between Iraq and Vietnam will take place at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Wednesday at 5:00 pm IST.
| Iraq vs Vietnam | Key Details |
| Date | January 24 |
| Venue | Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium |
| Kickoff time in Iraq | 2:30 pm |
| Kickoff time in Vietnam | 6:30 pm |
| Kickoff time in Qatar | 2:30 pm |
| Kickoff time in India | 5:00 pm |
The live telecast of the AFC Asian Cup matches in India will be available on Sports 18 network. Besides, football fans in India can also live stream the game through Jio Cinema. Meanwhile, those in Iraq can watch the match on beIN Asian Cup 1, beIN Sports Connect, TOD, Al Iraqiya and Al Rabiaa TV. Football fans in Vietnam can catch the live action via FPT Play and VTV network.
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