2024 Asian Cup Discussion Thread

Australian Football
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So with the tournament starting in a couple of days, it’s time to hate everything about Qatar again.

Group A:

  • Qatar
  • China
  • Tajikistan
  • Lebanon

Group B

  • Australia
  • Uzbekistan
  • India
  • Syria

Group C

  • Iran
  • UAE
  • Hong Kong
  • Palestine

Group D

  • Japan
  • Indonesia
  • Iraq
  • Vietnam

Group E

  • South Korea
  • Malaysia
  • Jordan
  • Bahrain

Group F

  • Saudi Arabia
  • Thailand
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Oman

Friday night kicks off with Qatar v Lebanon.

I personally can’t see Qatar losing this. Lebanon will be lucky to get a draw for mine. They’re WCQs the other month they have drawn against both Palestine and Bangladesh, before losing 1-0 to Saudi Arabia the other night.

Qatar are no giant, but they shouldn’t really have too much issues against Lebanon.

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2

Thankful that all our group games are at 1030 and not the awful early AM time slots.

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3

I think we have another Asian Cup thread but I honestly prefer this one as its in a section I look in a lot of the time.

Very good chance Qatar tops their group, and probably go on to quarter finals at least. I know they sucked at the World Cup but Netherlands, Ecuador and Senegal aren’t in this competition, and Qatar smashed the last Asian Cup. So I think they’ll be competitive, even if they don’t match the quality of a Japan, South Korea or probably Iran.

The fight for second in some groups could be interesting. Malaysia have shown a big improvement in recent times and are doing well in their WCQ group. For me, if they keep up that form, they can be a smokie for second in Group E. Oman are stronger playing in that part of the world, so I’d expect them to fight hard with Thailand for second in Group F.

4

Since i wake up at 5am for work mornings and have for the last decades, it’s always a wake up to watch extended highlights or whatnot.

I’m not staying up till 00:30 for a four hour sleep.

Different lives and all that.

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5

Vietnam to squeeze out of their group!

6

I feel like there’s been basically no build up to this at all.

I don’t know if I’ll bother with any games outside Australia’s until at least the knock out round.

7

I wonder if India has improved recently, I know their domestic league is attracting a few players the last couple of years

8

If they have, not significantly.

In the last 12 months, they’ve lost against Lebanon, and Malaysia. They had a good run of wins earlier in the year, but defeating Mongolia 2-0, and a late goal against Vanuatu to win 1-0 isn’t exactly a sign of a team on the up and up.

Sunil Chetri is still their main threat, but he’s on the verge of 40.

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9

Good stuff. So we should either win comfortably or fold the country basically. Just surprised they haven’t tried to get old mate Retre to play for them

10

I’ve seen more eurosnobs/morons complaining about their teams losing players from Africa and Asia than I have actual promotion for the tournaments.

11

Even 2019 had some of my mates wanting to go down to pub to watch, 2015 was understandable, a must.

This year, nothing - still a comedown from the World Cup or maybe just the world has gone even more to the ‘everything must be at the top’ extreme.

12

I think a lot of it is Qatar exhaustion. Everybody got so worked up about the World Cup, and all the Qatari bullshit, a lot of football fans when they announced it was to be held in Qatar, put it in the fuck it bucket.

Nobody (with the exception perhaps of Tim Cahill) likes Qatar. So us playing another regional tournament in the armpit corner of the Middle East is not exactly appealing to most.

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13

We doing the usual tournament thread + indivudal thread for Aus games or one thread?

If we want an Aus matchday thread: Asian Cup: Australia vs India 13 January

14

Other results overnight:

Uzbekistan 0-0 Syria
China 0-0 Tajikistan

15

My whole plan of throwing the last game to get second place and a better knockout path kinda relied on Uzbekistan being close enough to take top spot. Not a good start!

16

Japan take a lead but are now behind to Vietnam.

17

Ok they’ve turned it back around to 3-2 on the cusp of HT. There will be no upset tonight, children. Go to bed.

18

My bad. I turned it on ten seconds before 2-2.

19

I’m watching the highlights of Palestine v Iran and commentary cuts out just after Palestine pulls one back at half time… why do I get the feeling they brought up something about the invasion of Gaza that’s been deemed “controversial” by Paramount…

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I wonder if the AFC had anything to do with that. It is probably their stream that Paramount is using.