Group A of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup took place from 12 to 22 January 2024.[1] The group consisted of hosts and defending champions Qatar, China, tournament debutants Tajikistan, and Lebanon.[2] The top two teams, Qatar and Tajikistan, advanced to the round of 16.
The match was originally scheduled to take place at Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor. However, the AFC confirmed in 21 August 2023 that the match would be moved to Lusail Stadium, Lusail due to significant interest for fans.[3]
This was the sides' second straight fixture in the tournament, having also met in the previous edition, which was won by Qatar 2–0. Qatar had never lost to Lebanon in their history, with ten wins and three draws in their thirteen previous meetings.
Akram Afif struck once late in each half and Almoez Ali scored another as Qatar cruised to a 3–0 win. Adding on to the seven out of seven matches won in their 2019 title-winning campaign, Qatar thus extended their streak to eight consecutive victories in the competition.
This was the sides' first competitive meeting since the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification phase, a 0–0 draw. Their most recent meeting was a friendly match in 2019, with China securing a 1–0 victory. In fact, China had never lost to Tajikistan in all five of their previous encounters.
The match was mostly dominated by Tajikistan, who nevertheless failed to convert a single chance from their dominant display into a goal. Their best chance came in the 26th minute when Alisher Dzhalilov was left unmarked in the penalty area, but aimed his shot wide of the post. In the 81st minute, however, in one of China's rare attacking opportunities from a corner kick, Zhu Chenjie appeared to give his side a 1–0 lead from a header, but the goal was disallowed by the VAR system after Tyias Browning was judged to have interfered with play from an offside position.
This was the first time the sides faced each other in the Asian Cup. Their most recent encounter dated back to 2009, having played home and away during 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification, with China emerging victorious in both fixtures. China had never lost against their West Asian counterpart in all five previous meetings, with four wins and one draw.
The opening minutes saw Liu Yang's attempt to deliver a high pass blocked, as no Chinese player managed to capitalize on the opportunity before Lebanon's Maher Sabra cleared the ball with a decisive header in the 19th minute. Lebanon, in turn, launched persistent attacks on China's goal, beginning with Hassan Maatouk's long-range shot in the 24th minute. A counterattack ensued, with Omar Chaaban's shot going just wide of the net in the 34th minute, followed by Khalil Khamis sending a header wide a minute later. In the 44th minute, a well-placed high ball from the left flank by Dai Wai Tsun led to Zhang Yuning's powerful shot, only for Lebanese keeper Mostafa Matar to deny it with a double save. Wu Lei attempted to seize the rebound, but Matar ultimately emerged victorious.
The first half concluded with Maatouk's long-distance attempt for Lebanon in stoppage time, hitting the crossbar of Yan Junling's net. As the second half unfolded, Lebanon continued to test China with long-range shots, including a notable 63rd-minute attempt by Hassan Srour also hitting the crossbar. However, China gradually asserted dominance in the later stages of the half. Despite both teams intensifying their efforts, the match concluded in a goalless draw.
The outcome of the match held significance for China, as it marked an unwanted record of failing to score in three consecutive Asian Cup matches, a feat previously unprecedented for the team in tournament history.
This was the sides' first meeting in the tournament and their first in any competition for twelve years, having met in 2012 where Tajikistan beat the Qataris 2–1 in a friendly. This was also the first competitive fixture to occur between the two. Qatar had only lost once against the sole debutant of this competition after four matches, with the three other encounters ending in Qatari victories.
Tajikistan made a bright start by applying early pressure on to push Qatar on the defence, however a ball won in the midfield saw Almoez Ali seize the opportunity as he provided a clinical pass for Akram Afif, who then struck the net despite Rustam Yatimov's effort to secure Qatar's lead, which turned out to be the only goal of the match. In the 77th minute, in a failed attack from Qatar, Amadoni Kamolov quickly intercepted but his attempt was prevented by Mohammed Waad and Ahmed Al Ganehi, which he later fell and his feet hit the face of Al Ganehi; later VAR consultation resulted in Kamolov being dismissed from the match at the 81st minute, thus killing any hope of a Tajikistani comeback.
This fixture marked the fifth time that the two sides met each other in the Asian Cup. Their most recent meeting in the competition saw the Qatar win 2–0 in 2011, a tournament also held in Qatar. However, the teams' most recent meeting in any competitive fixture occurred during 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, where China defeated Qatar away 2–1; both matches took place at the Khalifa International Stadium.
The first half saw China aggressively attempt to score against a largely rotated Qatari side, but they failed to do so despite some big opportunities. This proved costly when at the 66th minute, from a perfectly combined corner kick, Hassan Al-Haydos produced a thunderous volley to score the only goal of the match as Qatar confirmed first place in the group with maximum points.
This result meant China had failed to score in four consecutive Asian Cup matches for the first time; following Syria's win over India in Group B, China were eliminated from the tournament, marking their worst-ever performance during participation. Meanwhile, Qatar managed to advance past the group stage for the second consecutive Asian Cup without conceding a goal.
In the first half's fifth minute of injury time, Shervoni Mabatshoev managed to score for Tajikistan at the near-left post, only to be ruled out for offside. This was later capitalised on by the Lebanese when, from a counterattack, Bassel Jradi produced a brilliant curled effort to record Lebanon's first goal of the competition and give them the lead. However, a brutal foul by Lebanon's Kassem El Zein on Alisher Dzhalilov in the 52nd minute resulted in his dismissal, and Tajikistan then ramped up pressure further, with Dzhalilov scoring in the 70th minute only to be once again ruled offside. Nonetheless, Tajikistan got their reward in the 80th minute when, from a free kick, Parvizdzhon Umarbayev curled the ball into the net to give Tajikistan the equaliser. Empowered by the goal, Tajikistan then went in front when Nuriddin Khamrokulov struck a strong header thanks to a cross from Ehson Panjshanbe in the second minute of stoppage time. Tajikistan thus knocked Lebanon out of the competition and secured second place in their debut group stage campaign, progressing to the last 16.
Fair play points would have been used as tiebreakers if the overall and head-to-head records of teams were tied. These were calculated based on yellow and red cards received in all group matches as follows:
first yellow card: −1 point;
indirect red card (second yellow card): −3 points;
direct red card: −3 points;
yellow card and direct red card: −4 points;
Only one of the above deductions was applied to a player in a single match.
Qatar
China
Tajikistan
Lebanon
