Group F, just like most of the other groups, was almost concluded before the final matchday. Uzbekistan and Japan already qualified for the round of 16 and all they need to do is to decide which team will finish first.
At the beginning of the day, Uzbekistan were in a good position, as they had better goal difference than Japan. Yet, the Uzbeks tried to score and found the net for the first time at the 40th minute, as Eldor Shomurodov scored the first goal. Unfortunately for them, Yoshinori Muto tied after three minutes.
If there is someone that feels comfortable in Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain, it might be Tsukasa Shiotani. The Japanese who plays for the local team, Al Ain, scored and Japan led 2-1. Even though Uzbekistan tried to equalize at the last minutes, they failed to do so.
For the second time in this tournament, Japan won although they conceded first. Now they need to show more from these skills at the knockout stage, as they will face Qatar or Saudi Arabia. Uzbekistan finished in the second place and they will play against strong rival, the reigning champions, Australia.
Tsukasa Shiotani, scored a winning goal in a familiar place (Asian Football Confederation (AFC))
Meanwhile, the real drama took place in Abu Dhabi. Oman and Turkmenistan played for the third place in the group, wishing to book a spot to the next stage.
In the first half, the two teams wanted to get the lead. Ahmed Kano scored at the 20th minute, but Turkmenistan scored too, when Altymyrat Annadurdyyew equalized.
Until the last moment, the result was still tied. If it was the final score, both teams were eliminated in the end of the match. At the 84th minute, things started to change. The substitute, Mohammed Al-Ghassani scored and Oman led 2-1. Only during the additional time, Oman scored once again and Mohammed Al-Musalami was responsible for the decisive goal, 3-1 to Oman.
After the win by two goals, Oman qualified from the third place to the round of 16. This result affected the race for the next round, as Palestine officially has been eliminated. Oman will wait to the end of the group stage in order to see whether they will play against Iran.