TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2015 SPORTS Australia, UAE aiming for first Asian Cup titles MELBOURNE: If the detour leads to the this Asian Cup. ultimate destination for Tim Cahill and Abdulrahman “is a good player, so is the Socceroos, Australians won’t be wor- Mabkhout up front,” Australia coach ried at all about the route the national Ange Postecoglou said, before adding team has taken to the Asian Cup final. that he was more concerned with the Australia takes on the United Arab threat posed by the team as a whole Emirates in the semifinals today at than by individual players. Newcastle, 160 kilometers (100 miles) “They are probably one of the few north of Sydney. Organizers no doubt national teams in this region, and partic- would have preferred a semifinal at a ularly the Middle East, who have been heaving former Olympic stadium in pretty stable in terms of their coach and Sydney on Australia Day, Jan. 26, but the their team,” Postecoglou said. “They look Socceroos missed out on that by losing more cohesive than some of the other their last group game 1-0 to South Korea. sides that tend to chop and change a bit. The South Koreans instead took that That is where the danger lies, rather than slot - at Australia’s marquee stadium on with the individuals.” the national holiday - for their semifinal Australia and the UAE have never met against 2007 champion Iraq. in a competitive match, and their last Australians widely expected, then, two friendlies have ended in scoreless that their team would be meeting draws. Australia joined the Asian confed- defending champion Japan in the eration in 2006 and its best run at the 33,000-seat stadium at Newcastle, in a continental championships was a run- rematch of the 2011 Asian Cup decider. ner-up finish to Japan in 2011, when the But the UAE ensured that wouldn’t hap- UAE finished 13th. pen with a surprising quarterfinal win on Two quarterfinals were decided on penalties over the four-time champions. penalties but that didn’t’ concern And so both teams will be aiming for Postecoglou, who didn’t leave any doubt their first continental title when Australia about his approach in the knockout hosts the UAE, a team that is growing in stage. “What they do becomes a little bit confidence and self-belief. irrelevant ... we want to dictate the Cahill produced two spectacular goals game,” he said. “So whether they sit back to deliver Australia a 2-0 quarterfinal win or come at us, we have to make sure in over China last week. The United Arab either scenario we are the ones on the SYDNEY: Iraq’s Younus Mahmood (L) fights for the ball with South Korea’s Kim Jin Su (R) during the semi-final football match between South Emirates earned their place after a front foot and dominating the game.” Korea and Iraq at the AFC Asian Cup in Sydney yesterday. — AFP thrilling 5-4 upset win on penalties after UAE coach Mahdi Ali said the win over their quarterfinal with regional power- reigning champion Japan had given his house Japan finished 1-1 after extra time. team renewed confidence. “Of course ... S Korea beat Iraq 2-0 to While Australia has enviable attacking it’s a great thing it will give the players options with the likes of Cahill, Massimo more confidence and more motivation,” Luongo, Robbie Kruse and captain Mile Ali said. “We fought for the 120 minutes Jedinak, the UAE boasts the most prolific for this game and thank God that we win reach Asian Cup final forward in the tournament in Ali this game.” Mabkhout, who has found the net four He knows, though, that the game times. The 35-year-old Cahill has three against Australia will rise to another lev- goals this tournament and has captured el. “Of course playing against Australia in S Koreans in first final since 1988 the imagination of home fans with his Australia will be a very tough game,” Ali uncanny ability to turn a game with pin- said. “It will be a very tough game and SYDNEY: South Korea moved a step closer to the Match. “All the players were together, firm to get down low to push the ball across his goal. point headers and inspired shots at goal. the stadium will be very crowded and we burying their 55-year Asian Cup hoodoo when and united, and that’s what gave us the win The South Korea goalkeeper gave the Iraqis UAE playmaker Omar Abdulrahman, hope that we do the same in the next they grabbed a goal in each half to beat Iraq 2-0 today.” South Korea had looked the most likely to the sniff of an equaliser when he rashly charged meanwhile, has proved a formidable foe game (as we did against Japan).” — AP yesterday and set up a final against Australia or score in a cagey opening to the match with Son out of his area three minutes after halftime but United Arab Emirates. Heung-min, the two-goal hero of their quarter- another two minutes on and his team’s lead had Lee Jeong-hyeop gave the Taegeuk Warriors final victory over Uzbekistan, drawing a fingertip been doubled. the lead with a 20th minute header and defender save out of Jalal Hassan with a long-range effort. The ball bounced around the area in an Kim Young-gwon lashed the second into the net A minute later and the Koreans were in front, extended bout of aerial ping-pong from a Son five minutes after the break as the South Koreans Kim Jin-su curling a free kick into the box and Lee corner before Lee Jeong-hyeop chested it down reached the final for the first time since 1988. rising above the Iraqi defence to head down and for Kim Young-gwon to hit it first time from the Iraq, perhaps emotionally and physically drained into the net. edge of the box past the despairing dive of by their dramatic quarter-final victory over Iran Iraq skipper Younis Mahmoud was making his Hassan. Iraq were forced to press forward but last week, played with plenty of passion but were presence felt up front but South Korea are not a clear-cut opportunities were still few and far unable to become the first side to breach the side to be bullied at the back and he was more between for them while Hassan had to be at his Korean defence in five matches in Australia. often than not battling alone in the first half. sharpest to deny long-range efforts from South Their hopes of another fairytale run to the title The persistent rain that fell on Sydney all day Korean skipper Ki Sung-yueng and Son inside a to match their 2007 triumph were washed away was not able to dampen the spirits of a noisy minute. in the Sydney rain and it is twice champions crowd of just over 36,000, the South Koreans at Kalaf continued to cause problems with his South Korea who will return to Stadium Australia one end with inflatable batons and the horde of pace on the right flank but there always seemed next Saturday in search of a first Asian Cup crown Iraqis at the other accompanied by drums and to be a South Korean foot or head to cut out the since 1960. “This semi-final was crucial for us to whistles. The Koreans had more to shout about final ball and prevent a scoring chance. “The play- get to the final, we know we have not won this but Iraq gave their supporters a lift with a flurry ers did a good job,” said Mahmoud. “My team has competition for many years,” said South Korean of attacks just before the break when winger many young players and this was their first time midfielder Nam Tae-hee, who was named Man of Amjed Kalaf’s raking drive forced Kim Jin-hyeon (playing in a big tournament).” — Reuters Unfancied hosts, Congo advance in Cup of Nations BATA, Equatorial Guinea: Hosts Equatorial hardly had any time to put together a competitive ners-up but they made it two wins on the bounce Guinea and Claude Le Roy’s Congo Brazzaville team after being appointed at the start of this all the same. defied the odds to become the first teams to qual- month, and he later described the triumph as a Thievy Bifouma’s second goal of the tourna- MALABO: Senegal’s players walk on the pitch at Malabo stadium yesterday on the ify for the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of “Cinderella story”. “The poor team beat the rich ment gave Congo the lead early in the second half eve of their 2015 African Cup of Nations football match Senegal v Algeria. — AFP Nations on Sunday. The duo were considered the team on merit, thanks to their sacrifice, their com- and Fabrice Ondama clinched the win in the 88th outsiders in Group A when the competition mitment, their pride and their passion,” he said. minute just after Aristide Bance had levelled for began, but Congo advanced in first place after “This squad only came together 20 days ago in the Stallions. Congo are through to the quarter- Senegal in pole position beating Burkina Faso 2-1 in Ebebiyin while Madrid, then we went to Lisbon and put in place a finals for the first time since 1992, while Le Roy has Equatorial Guinea sunk Gabon 2-0 amid emotion- style of play with optimism.