Malaysia showed grit and courage to draw with South Korea 3-3 in a thrilling Group E match on Thursday as round of 16 cast was
South Korea ranks second in Group E with five points while Bahrain, beating Jordan 1-0 to top Group E with six points, will next face Japan, runner-up of Group D.
Kim Minjae (L) of South Korea vies with Darren Lok of Malaysia during the Group E match between South Korea and Malaysia at AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 in Doha, Qatar, Jan. 25 2024. (Xinhua/Jia Haocheng)
Another favorite Saudi Arabia confirmed the top spot in Group F after sharing the spoils 0-0 with Thailand, who also progressed to the last-16.
Oman and Kyrgyzstan failed to advance from the same group after a 1-1 draw, meaning Indonesia advanced from Group D as one of the four best third-placed teams.
Indonesia, Palestine, Syria and Tajikistan will make their first appearance in the knockout stage.
The heavyweight clash in round of 16 will be South Korea against Saudi Arabia, with both sides combining to claim the title five times.
Defending champions and host Qatar will face Palestine, while 2015 champions Australia meet Indonesia.
The match of the day on Thursday came at Al Janoub Stadium, where two-time winners South Korea started the match with intensity and pace, pressing Malaysia deep in its own half.
Jeong Woo-yeong, the attacking midfielder for Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart, rose high in the area to head the ball into the net following a corner kick about 20 minutes after the opening whistle.
After the restart, Malaysia, who had been eliminated before the tie, showed resilience to score their first goal in this tournament.
Winger Faisal Halim rounded off Bayern Munich's defender Kim Min-jae to curl the ball in from close range to make it 1-1.
In front of the cheering home crowds in yellow shirts, Malaysia delivered another counter-attack and won a penalty after VAR confirmed a foul in the area.
Arif Aiman Hanapi converted the penalty to help his side overtake the lead. Malaysia's coach Kim Pan-gon stayed clam after the thrilling goal, while fans of his side in the stands roared into celebrations, many of whom came to tears for excitement.
South Korea surged forward and pressed even higher after the setback but could not break through the resolute defense from the opponent until the 83rd minute.
Lee Kang-in, an attacking midfielder for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain, struck a powerful free-kick into the top corner to level the score.
Star forward Son Heung-min scored a penalty in stoppage time to regain the lead for South Korea at 3-2.
But Malaysia didn't step back as Romel Morales, a Colombian-born Malaysian forward, struck home from outside the box to help Malaysia draw at 3-3, ending their Asian Cup campaign on a high note.
A total of 24 teams are competing in six groups at the Asian Cup, which runs from January 12 to February 10. Group winners and runners-up advance to the knockout stage, along with the four best third-placed teams.
