Victorious Qatar, Jordan set for showdown

Hosts Qatar and Jordan are ready for a top-of-the-table clash after both teams registered their second wins in Group J of the AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2025 Qualifiers on Friday.
Jordan will head into tomorrow’s showdown only needing a draw after defeating Singapore 2-0 while Qatar, who have an inferior goal difference, also beat Hong Kong by the same score at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium.
Qatar beat Hong Kong 2-0With Hong Kong having suffered a huge defeat to Jordan in their opener, Qatar would have gone into the tie at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium with high hopes.
Hong Kong however, were a different side from Wednesday as they defended resolutely with the teams heading into the break on level terms.
Qatar increased their tempo after the break and were rewarded almost instantly, with Mohamed Khaled Gouda breaking the deadlock in the 47th minute.
Their resistance broken, Hong Kong conceded again in the 61st minute, with captain Ibrahim Mohammadali providing Qatar with a much needed healthier advantage to allow them to calmly see out the remaining minutes.

Jordan down Singapore 2-0
Jordan, 7-0 victors against Hong Kong, China in their opening match, didn’t take long to settle down as they imposed themselves on the tie at the Grand Hamad Stadium. Singapore, having lost 3-0 to Qatar, needed the points but soon had to concede to Jordan’s superiority with the West Asian side taking the lead through forward Odeh Burhan Fakhoury in the 26th minute.
They were 2-0 up four minutes later, with striker Ibrahim Mohammad Sabra finding the net as Singapore were left staring at early elimination heading into the break.
Jordan took their foot off the pedal in the second half but suffered a blow as captain Ezz Aldin Abualsood will not play a part in the showdown against Qatar after the midfielder was red-carded in the 66th minute.
In other results across Asia, Japan defeated Myanmar 6-0 while Kyrgyz Republic had to work hard for their 1-0 victory against Turkmenistan, Iraq secured their second win after beating Philippines 2-0 while Thailand posted a 13-0 win over Brunei Darussalam.
In Vientiane, Islamic Republic of Iran needed a late strike to earn a hard-fought 1-0 win against India in their AFC U20 Asian Cup China 2025 Qualifiers
Group G match on Friday.
In the group’s other fixture, Laos revived their campaign after scoring six unanswered goals past Mongolia.
Both teams enjoyed opening day wins with India sealing a 4-1 victory over Mongolia, while Iran scored eight unanswered goals against Laos.
India on Friday came close in the 25th minute but Manglenthang Kipgen shot his free-kick over the bar as neither side was able to break the stalemate in the opening 45 minutes at the Lao National Stadium.
The South Asian side wasted another opportunity in the 60th minute after Kelvin Singh Taorem set up Korou Singh Thingujam nicely, only for the forward to pull his effort just wide.

The Results
Group A (Hai Phong, Vietnam)
Syria 10-1 GuamBangladesh 1-4 Vietnam

Group B (New Taipei, Chinese Taipei)
Bahrain 4-0 Nepal
Chinese Taipei 1-3 Uzbekistan

Group C (Mishref, Kuwait)
Lebanon 8-0 N. Mariana Islands

Group D (Abha, Saudi Arabia)
Palestine 1-2 Australia
Saudi Arabia 5-0 Macau

Group E (Dushanbe, Tajikistan)
Oman 0-1 DPR Korea
Malaysia 0-1 Tajikistan

Group F (Jakarta, Indonesia)
Maldives 0-3 Yemen
Timor-Leste 1-3 Indonesia

Group G (Vientiane, Laos)
India 0-1 IR Iran
Laos 6-0 Mongolia

Group H (Buriram, Thailand)
Philippines 0-2 Iraq
Brunei Darussalam 0-13 Thailand

Group I (Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic)
Myanmar 0-6 Japan
Turkmenistan 0-1 Kyrgyz Republic

Group J (Doha, Qatar)
Hong Kong 0-2 Qatar
Singapore 0-2 Jordan