(MENAFN- Arab Times) BRISBANE Jan 17 (Agencies): South Korea upset Australia 1-0 at the Asian Cup on Saturday to top the Group A standings and secure a potentially easier path to the final while leaving the host nation facing a treacherous route. Striker Lee Jeong-hyeop scored a perfectly-executed goal in the first half to give his team a surprise lead then the Koreans held on against a wave of Australian attacks to clinch the victory.
The win meant South Korea finished at the top of the Group A standings with three wins and will play either Uzbekistan or Saudi Arabia in the quarter-finals. As Group A runners-up Australia will play the Group B winners China with the defending champions Japan lurking as a possible semi-finalist. The Australians dominated possession and territory but paid a high price for squandering their best chances and resting some of their key players including star striker Tim Cahill who only came on for the last 20 minutes when the Socceroos were desperate for an equaliser. The Korean goalkeeper Kim Jin-hyeon pulled off a series of sharp saves to keep his team ahead and the visitors were unlucky not to grab a second on the counterattack as they raised hopes of winning their first Asian Cup since 1960. Oman 1 Kuwait 0 In Newcastle Australia Abdul Al Maqbali struck with a second-half header as Oman beat Kuwait 1-0 in a dead rubber at the Asian Cup on Saturday both teams already having been eliminated. A scrappy encounter between the Gulf rivals appeared to be meandering towards the tournament's first draw before Al Maqbali pounced with a superb header to break the stalemate in Group A game with only pride at stake. It was Oman's first victory at the Asian Cup since 2004. Al Maqbali's goal briefly sparked the game to life and the striker could have snatched a hat-trick inside three minutes first blazing wide on the volley and then seeing a header cleared off the line. Their bags already packed having been beaten by Group A powerhouses Australia and South Korea both teams were limited to speculative long-range shots in a first half offering very little for a crowd of 7000 in Newcastle to get excited about. Abdullah Al Buraiki forced a superb save from Oman goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi before squandering a gilt-edged chance to equalise by nodding over the bar when it appeared easier to score. Fahed Al Ebrahim smashed wide for 1980 champions Kuwait who huffed and puffed but with no end product as they failed to break an 11-match winless streak against Oman and finished without a point. Kuwait also finished bottom of their group with no points at the last Asian Cup in 2011 won by Japan. Both teams shipped four goals against Australia but neither looked capable of inflicting the same damage underlining the gap in quality between them and the top two sides in the group who met in Saturday's headline game in Brisbane.
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