Group D of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup took place from 7 to 16 January 2019. The group consisted of Iran, Iraq, Vietnam and Yemen. The top two teams, Iran and Iraq, along with third-placed Vietnam (as one of the four best third-placed teams), advanced to the round of 16.
The group contained two former champions, Iran (3 titles) and Iraq (1 title). Yemen made their debut at the tournament.
Teams Draw position Team Zone Method ofqualification Date ofqualification Finalsappearance Lastappearance Previous bestperformance FIFA Rankings April 2018 December 2018 D1 CAFA 14th 2015 (quarter-finals) Winners (1968, 1972, 1976) 36 29 D2 WAFF 10th 2015 (fourth place) Winners (2007) 88 88 D3 AFF 4th 2007 (quarter-finals) Fourth place (1956, 1960) 103 100 D4 WAFF 1st — Debut 125 135
Notes
Standings
In the round of 16: The winners of Group D, Iran, advanced to play the third-placed team of Group F, Oman. The runners-up of Group D, Iraq, advanced to play the winners of Group E, Qatar. The third-placed team of Group D, Vietnam, advanced to play the winners of Group B, Jordan (as one of the four best third-placed teams).
Matches All times listed are GST (UTC+4).
Iran vs Yemen
Yemen had the first chance of the match in the seventh minute when Ahmed Al-Sarori ran into the penalty area and flashed a shot narrowly over the bar. Mehdi Taremi opened the scoring in the 12th minute when he converted the rebound after Yemeni goalkeeper Saoud Al-Sowadi pushed Sardar Azmoun's long-range effort back into his path. At 23 minutes, Ashkan Dejagah's free kick found the back of the net via a combination of both the woodwork and Al-Sowadi, before Taremi bagged his second of the night by heading home Ramin Rezaeian's cross moments later. In the second half, after Al-Sowadi had repelled two Azmoun headers, the forward finished from close-range on 53 minutes to further extend Iran's lead. Azmoun was later denied by Mudir Al-Radaei's challenge when through on goal and his shot struck the bar with 14 minutes remaining. Substitute Saman Ghoddos added a fifth from the edge of the area shortly after, while Mehdi Torabi's drive struck the post in added time.
GK 1 Alireza BeiranvandRB 23Ramin Rezaeian CB 19Majid Hosseini CB 8 Morteza PouraliganjiLB 3 Ehsan HajsafiDM 9 Omid EbrahimiRM 21Ashkan Dejagah (c)LM 11Vahid Amiri AM 16Mehdi TorabiCF 17Mehdi Taremi CF 20Sardar AzmounSubstitutions:DF 15Pejman Montazeri MF 14Saman Ghoddos FW 10Karim Ansarifard Manager: Carlos Queiroz GK 23Saoud Al-SowadiRB 21Mohammed Ba RowisCB 3 Mohammed Fuad Omar CB 4 Mudir Al-Radaei LB 13Ala Addin Mahdi DM 12Ahmed Al-Haifi RM 11Abdulwasea Al-Matari CM 8 Wahid Al Khyat CM 9 Ala Al-Sasi (c)LM 7 Ahmed Al-SaroriCF 20Emad MansoorSubstitutions:DF 15Ammar Hamsan MF 6 Ahmed Abdulrab FW 10Ahmed Dhabaan Manager: Ján Kocian
Man of the Match: Ashkan Dejagah (Iran)
Assistant referees: Hiroshi Yamauchi (Japan) Jun Mihara (Japan) Fourth official: Palitha Hemathunga (Sri Lanka) Additional assistant referees: Jumpei Iida (Japan) Hiroyuki Kimura (Japan)
Iraq vs Vietnam Iraq and Vietnam have only met once at the Asian Cup back in 2007, when Iraq defeated Vietnam 2–0 on the road to their first Asian title.
After a slow start to the proceedings, Iraq came closest to breaking the deadlock through Hussein Ali's shot from distance which Đặng Văn Lâm tipped around his left-hand post on 14 minutes. Vietnam took the lead 10 minutes later, Nguyễn Quang Hải’s attempted pass saw defender Ali Faez turn the ball past the onrushing Jalal Hassan and into his own net. Iraq scored the equaliser shortly after the half-hour mark when Đỗ Duy Mạnh's defensive lapse saw Mohanad Ali surge into the area and fire home past a diving Văn Lâm. With three minutes of the first period remaining, Vietnam regained the lead as Nguyễn Công Phượng bundled home the rebound after Nguyễn Trọng Hoàng's shot had been parried into his path by Hassan. After the break, Safaa Hadi was denied by Văn Lâm and on the other end, Hassan dived to smother a Công Phượng effort. In the 60th minute, substitute Humam Tariq smashed the ball into the roof of the net after Vietnam had failed to clear Mohanad Ali's close-range effort. Ali Adnan curled home a 90th minute free kick from 20 yards to seal the victory for Iraq.
GK 1 Jalal Hassan (c)RB 2 Ahmad IbrahimCB 3 Frans Dhia Putros CB 7 Safaa HadiLB 5 Ali FaezCM 23Waleed Salim CM 8 Osama Rashid CM 6 Ali AdnanAM 16Hussein AliSS 9 Ahmed YasinCF 10Mohanad AliSubstitutions:MF 13Bashar Resan FW 11Humam Tariq DF 17Alaa Ali Mhawi Manager: Srečko Katanec GK 23Đặng Văn LâmCB 3 Quế Ngọc Hải (c)CB 2 Đỗ Duy Mạnh CB 4 Bùi Tiến DũngRM 8 Nguyễn Trọng Hoàng CM 6 Lương Xuân Trường CM 16Đỗ Hùng DũngLM 12Nguyễn Phong Hồng DuyRF 19Nguyễn Quang HảiCF 10Nguyễn Công Phượng LF 20Phan Văn Đức Substitutions:FW 18Hà Đức Chinh MF 7 Nguyễn Huy Hùng DF 5 Đoàn Văn Hậu Manager: Park Hang-seo
Man of the Match: Ali Adnan (Iraq)
Assistant referees: Taleb Al-Marri (Qatar) Saud Al-Maqaleh (Qatar) Fourth official: Abu Bakar Al-Amri (Oman) Additional assistant referees: Khamis Al-Marri (Qatar) Khamis Al-Kuwari (Qatar)
Vietnam vs Iran
Iran had the first chance of the game, Vahid Amiri failed to apply a finishing touch at the far post following Ashkan Dejagah’s 11th minute corner. Vietnamese goalkeeper Đặng Văn Lâm then denied Saman Ghoddos before producing another stop to repel a Sardar Azmoun drive shortly before the half-hour mark. The breakthrough came on at 38 minutes when Azmoun headed home a Ghoddos cross, sending his side into the half-time break holding a slender lead. In the 52nd minute, substitute Nguyễn Văn Toàn's pass found Nguyễn Công Phượng, whose shot from 12 yards was parried to safety by the advancing Alireza Beiranvand. Moments later, Azmoun forced Văn Lâm into another save, only to see Mehdi Taremi lash the subsequent rebound wide off the target. At 68 minutes, Azmoun gathered a Mehdi Torabi pass and fired past Văn Lâm to extend his side’s advantage and register his third goal of the tournament. Nguyễn Quang Hải then curled a late effort narrowly off target and Iran held on to register a record ninth successive AFC Asian Cup group stage victory.
GK 23Đặng Văn LâmCB 3 Quế Ngọc Hải (c)CB 2 Đỗ Duy Mạnh CB 4 Bùi Tiến DũngRM 8 Nguyễn Trọng Hoàng CM 15Phạm Đức Huy CM 16Đỗ Hùng DũngLM 5 Đoàn Văn Hậu RF 19Nguyễn Quang HảiCF 10Nguyễn Công PhượngLF 20Phan Văn Đức Substitutions:FW 9 Nguyễn Văn Toàn MF 11Ngân Văn Đại FW 22Nguyễn Tiến Linh Manager: Park Hang-seo GK 1 Alireza BeiranvandRB 2 Voria GhafouriCB 8 Morteza PouraliganjiCB 13Hossein KanaanizadeganLB 3 Ehsan Hajsafi DM 9 Omid EbrahimiRM 21Ashkan Dejagah (c)LM 11Vahid Amiri AM 14Saman GhoddosCF 17Mehdi Taremi CF 20Sardar Azmoun Substitutions:MF 6 Ahmad Nourollahi MF 16Mehdi Torabi FW 10Karim Ansarifard Manager: Carlos Queiroz
Man of the Match: Sardar Azmoun (Iran)
Assistant referees: Ronnie Koh Min Kiat (Singapore) Sergei Grishchenko (Kyrgyzstan) Fourth official: Palitha Hemathunga (Sri Lanka) Additional assistant referees: César Ramos (Mexico) Hettikamkanamge Perera (Sri Lanka)
Yemen vs Iraq Iraq took the lead in the 11th minute when Mohanad Ali beat the Yemen defence before unleashing a shot from outside the box into the bottom right corner. Yemen had their first look at goal from a set-piece five minutes later, but Abdulwasea Al-Matari sent his header just above the bar. Yemen goalkeeper Saoud Al-Sowadi soon conceded the second goal in the 19th minute when Bashar Resan's strike from the top of the box bounced off the right post before settling in the net. In the second half, both teams came close to finding the net with Ahmed Abdulrab's right-footed shot from outside the box just being kept out by Iraq goalkeeper Jalal Hassan in the 59th minute. Iraq responded five minutes later, with Mohanad coming close to getting his second but his lob was denied by the post and Ahmed Yasin missed the chance to tuck the rebound home. Iraq ended proceedings on a high note as Alaa Abbas scored with a left-footed shot from the centre of the box and into the net.
GK 23Saoud Al-SowadiRB 21Mohammed Ba RowisCB 15Ammar HamsanCB 4 Mudir Al-RadaeiLB 13Ala Addin MahdiDM 12Ahmed Al-Haifi RM 11Abdulwasea Al-MatariCM 17Hussein Al-Ghazi CM 9 Ala Al-Sasi (c) LM 7 Ahmed Al-SaroriCF 20Emad MansoorSubstitutions:MF 8 Wahid Al Khyat MF 6 Ahmed Abdulrab FW 10Ahmed Dhabaan Manager: Ján Kocian GK 1 Jalal Hassan (c)RB 17Alaa Ali MhawiCB 2 Ahmad IbrahimCB 22Rebin SulakaLB 6 Ali AdnanDM 7 Safaa HadiRM 9 Ahmed YasinCM 13Bashar ResanCM 16Hussein Ali LM 11Humam Tariq CF 10Mohanad Ali Substitutions:MF 14Amjad Attwan FW 21Alaa Abbas FW 19Mohammed Dawood Manager: Srečko Katanec
Man of the Match: Mohanad Ali (Iraq)
Assistant referees: Huo Weiming (China PR) Cao Yi (China PR) Fourth official: Mohamad Zainal Abidin (Malaysia) Additional assistant referees: Ma Ning (China PR) Liu Kwok Man (Hong Kong)
Vietnam vs Yemen Mudir Al-Radaei involved himself in an altercation with Nguyễn Công Phượng to concede a free kick, picking up a yellow card from referee Ahmed Al-Kaf and from the resulting free kick, Vietnam took the lead. Nguyễn Quang Hải sent a left-foot strike from 25 yards curling away from Salem Al-Harsh and into the top corner of the goal. Ten minutes into the second half, a move started by Đỗ Hùng Dũng's angled ball down the right allowed Nguyễn Trọng Hoàng to pull his cross back to Công Phượng, only for his shot to be blocked by the Yemeni defence. Seconds later, Hùng Dũng's shot was collected by Al-Harsh. Ahmed Al-Sarori outpaced Đoàn Văn Hậu before firing a right foot shot that flew across the face of goal. Four minutes after the hour mark, though, Vietnam added the second from the penalty spot. Phan Văn Đức burst past Abdulaziz Al-Gumaei, surging into the box before the Yemeni defender wrestled him to the ground. Quế Ngọc Hải calmly slid the spot kick home to give Vietnam the win. However, as Vietnam was unable to score more than two goals, Vietnam had been forced to wait until the final group stage matches, in which they managed to become the last team to qualify for the knockout stage.
GK 23Đặng Văn LâmRB 8 Nguyễn Trọng HoàngCB 4 Bùi Tiến DũngCB 3 Quế Ngọc Hải (c)LB 5 Đoàn Văn HậuDM 12Nguyễn Phong Hồng DuyCM 6 Lương Xuân Trường CM 16Đỗ Hùng DũngRW 19Nguyễn Quang HảiLW 20Phan Văn Đức CF 10Nguyễn Công Phượng Substitutions:FW 22Nguyễn Tiến Linh FW 9 Nguyễn Văn Toàn MF 14Trần Minh Vương Manager: Park Hang-seo GK 22Salem Al-HarshRB 21Mohammed Ba RowisCB 15Ammar Hamsan CB 4 Mudir Al-RadaeiLB 13Ala Addin Mahdi DM 19Mohammed BoqshanRM 11Abdulwasea Al-MatariCM 8 Wahid Al Khyat CM 9 Ala Al-Sasi (c)LM 7 Ahmed Al-SaroriCF 20Emad Mansoor Substitutions:FW 10Ahmed Dhabaan DF 5 Abdulaziz Al-Gumaei FW 18Ahmed Alos Manager: Ján Kocian
Man of the Match: Nguyễn Quang Hải (Vietnam)
Assistant referees: Abu Bakar Al-Amri (Oman) Rashid Al-Ghaithi (Oman) Fourth official: Hiroshi Yamauchi (Japan) Additional assistant referees: Jumpei Iida (Japan) Hiroyuki Kimura (Japan)
Iran vs Iraq
Iran had the first chance at goal in the 12th minute when Vahid Amiri sent a cross into the box but Sardar Azmoun’s header was just off the mark. Three minutes from the half-time whistle, Alireza Jahanbakhsh latched on to Azmoun’s deflected attempt but couldn’t get his left-footed strike on target. Iran, in a bid to break down the Iraq defence, boosted their attacking prowess by bringing on Mehdi Taremi and Mehdi Torabi in the 63rd and 75th minutes respectively. However, it was Iraq who nearly took the lead in the 77th minute when substitute Alaa Abbas’s header was tipped over the bar by Alireza Beiranvand. As the minutes ticked away, neither team was able to make headway as they settled for a share of the spoils.