Saudi Arabia advanced to the knockout stage of the Asian Cup with a game to spare after beating nine-man Kyrgyzstan 2-0 on Sunday.
Goals in each half from Mohamed Kanno and Faisal Al-Ghamdi at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al-Rayyan, Qatar, put the three-time champions in first place in Group F.
The Saudis have six points from two games and are two points ahead of Thailand, who earlier drew 0-0 with Oman. Third-place Oman have one point and Kyrgyzstan are pointless.
The task for Saudi Arabia was made much easier by Kyrgyzstan, who were making only their second appearance in the tournament, having a player sent off early in each half.
First to go was Aizar Akmatov for a rash challenge on Sami Al-Naji after just eight minutes.
Kanno broke the deadlock 10 minutes before the break, volleying home Saud Abdulhamid's cross at the far post.
Seven minutes into the second half, Kimi Merk was also shown a red for a dangerous tackle.
It resulted in almost constant pressure from Saudi Arabia and, with six minutes remaining, Al-Ghamdi’s long-range shot took a deflection and went through the hands of the otherwise impressive Erzhan Tokotaev in goal.
"It is difficult to play against Saudi Arabia with 11 players but with nine it is too difficult," Tajikistan captain Tamirlan Kozubaev said. "We did our best."
Earlier, Thailand moved closer to securing a spot in the knockout stage of the Asian Cup after drawing 0-0 with Oman on Sunday.
There was little attacking action of note at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha with a close-range header from Elias Dolah of Thailand in the 15th minute almost crossing the line before it was cleared.
Oman, who lost their opening game against Saudi Arabia, struggled to break through the committed Thailand defence. Issam Al-Sabhi came closest with a shot that was saved late in the game.
"We are so happy to get one point and everybody worked hard for each other," Thailand defender Pansa Hemviboom said. "We communicated well as a team to get this result."
Oman, with just a point from their opening two games, need a win in their final group match against Kyrgyzstan to keep alive hopes of a place in the knockout stage.
The top two teams from each of the six groups advance, along with the four best runners-up.
Scotland 0-0 Portugal: Hosts claim first Nations League point on Ronaldo's landmark outing
Scotland have their first point of their 2024-25 Nations League campaign, having held Portugal to a 0-0 draw at Hampden Park.
The match itself was not a great spectacle with limited chances either way, as Cristiano Ronaldo's 200th start for Portugal ultimately ending in disappointment.
It was a performance of grit over style for Steve Clarke's side, though, who managed just three shots during the match.
Portugal came closest to finding the net, with Craig Gordon getting down expertly to stop Bruno Fernandes slotting home from a Rafael Leao cutback in the 87th minute.
The draw leaves Scotland bottom of Nations League Group A1, although their first point means the gap to third-placed Poland stays at three points ahead of the two meeting in the November international break.
Portugal, meanwhile, are top of the standings on 10 points and know a point from their remaining two games will seal their progression to the quarter-finals, after maintaining their three-point buffer to second-placed Croatia following their 3-3 draw with Poland.
Data Debrief: Scotland ruin Ronaldo's landmark appearance
Ronaldo made his 200th start for Portugal tonight, 21 years and four days after making his first start for the Selecao against Albania in October 2003.
After scoring in each of Roberto Martinez’s first 12 competitive matches in charge of Portugal, the Selecao have since drawn a blank in four of their last seven matches under the Spaniard.
Portugal attempted 715 passes tonight - their highest number in this Nations League campaign, with their 14 attempts the lowest they have managed in the competition this term, ending the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 1.52.
Scotland, meanwhile, are now winless in their last 10 competitive matches (D4 L6), their longest-ever run without a competitive victory, though they managed to keep a clean sheet against a team above them in the FIFA rankings for the first time since a 2-0 win over Spain in 2023.
Zola surprised by Palmer's Chelsea impact
Gianfranco Zola believes Cole Palmer is a "top player", though he has been surprised by the impact the England international has had since joining Chelsea.
Palmer signed for the Blues at the start of last season and is a hugely influential figure at Stamford Bridge.
He was named the Premier League's Young Player of the Year, and since his debut in September 2023, Palmer has been involved in 44 top-flight goals (28 goals, 16 assists). No other player in the competition has directly contributed to as many goals in that time.
Already this season, he has netted six goals and registered five assists in the league, the most of any Chelsea player, and made history against Brighton, becoming the first player to score four times in the first half of a Premier League match.
And Chelsea great Zola has high hopes for the 22-year-old.
"At the moment he is producing performances and results worthy of a top player, so where he can get, I don't know, because this guy has surprised everyone, especially me," Zola told Stats Perform at Festival dello Sport in Trento, Italy.
"I knew he had good qualities, but doing what he is doing is a surprise for me. And so, I would really like him to continue to surprise both me and the others, so let's hope he continues like this."
Chelsea sit fourth in the Premier League and are unbeaten in the competition since their opening-day loss to Palmer's former club Manchester City.
Enzo Maresca is now looking to become only the fifth boss to win each of his first four Premier League away games, with one of the previous four to do so being his next opponent, Liverpool's Arne Slot.
Despite questions surrounding the club before the start of the season, Maresca has seemingly imposed his style of play on the squad quickly, and Zola is impressed with how they have adapted to life under the new head coach.
"I am very happy because beyond the results, which are positive, the team is showing signs of being on the right path," he added.
"There is a structure that is working and then, as they say in England, a 'top of that', that is Palmer, who is continuing to do extraordinary things as he did last year."
Chelsea face league leaders Liverpool on Sunday and will be looking to stay in the mix at the top of the table by claiming their first win in seven against the Reds.
Maresca has shrugged off early suggestions that Chelsea could challenge for the title this season, and though Zola thinks the Blues are competing well, he expects it to be tight in the Premier League.
"Undoubtedly the competition is very strong, very high," he said.
"Liverpool, Arsenal, who have been doing important things for a few years now, City, who will return to their levels, are already at their levels, have had the misfortune of losing a very important player like Rodri, who can be a factor, but [Pep] Guardiola has always shown that he can find solutions, so they will also be there.
"The Premier League is competitive, and Chelsea will have a lot of competitiveness against these teams. However, I repeat, it is encouraging because they are growing well."
Former Liverpool defender Matip confirms retirement after Anfield exit
Former Liverpool defender Joel Matip has confirmed his retirement from professional football.
Matip, who joined Liverpool on a free transfer in 2016, has been without a club since leaving Anfield at the end of last season and has since decided to call time on his 15-year career.
The 33-year-old started out at Schalke, making 258 appearances for the Bundesliga outfit and helping them lift the DFB-Pokal and German Super Cup in 2011.
Matip was among the first signings made by Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, joining in the same window as Sadio Mane, Georginio Wijnaldum and Loris Karius.
He helped the Reds return to the Champions League in Klopp's first full campaign in charge, making 29 Premier League appearances and keeping nine clean sheets.
However, his spell with the Reds was marred by repetitive injuries, sustaining 16 different issues across his eight-year spell on Merseyside.
The former Cameroon international's final appearance for Liverpool came in a 4-3 win over Fulham in December 2023 after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in the same game.
Matip made 201 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions, scoring 11 goals and winning six major honours, which included the Reds' sixth Champions League triumph.
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