Aymen Hussein scored both goals as Iraq shocked tournament favourites Japan 2-1 to claim a place in the knockout stage of the Asian Cup on Friday.

Hussein struck twice in the first half at Education City Stadium, with a 93rd-minute header from Wataru Endo proving to be too little, too late for Japan.

The famous win lifts Iraq, the 2007 champions, to the top of Group D with six points from two games and guarantees them a spot in the round of 16. 

Four-time winners Japan, Asia's highest-ranked team at 17, are second with three points.

Iraq took the lead after just six minutes when Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki palmed Ali Jasim's cross from the left straight to Hussein, who headed it home.

Japan streamed forward in search of an equaliser but Iraq defended in numbers before doubling their lead in first-half added time as Hussein headed in Aymed Yahya's cross. The goal was given following a VAR review to check if the ball had rolled out of play in the build-up.

It looked like Japan had been awarded a penalty 10 minutes into the second half as Takuma Asano was judged to have been fouled by Rebin Sulaka. However, referee Khalid Al-Turais overturned his original decision after viewing the pitchside monitor.

Liverpool midfielder Endo eventually got Japan within a goal in added time after goalkeeper Jalal Hachim failed to collect the ball but it was not enough to prevent his country's first group-stage loss at the Asian Cup since 1988.

Vietnam play Indonesia in the other Group D game on Friday, before Hong Kong meet Iran in Group C.

Jackson Irvine delivered again as Australia booked their place in the knockout stage of the Asian Cup on Thursday by beating Syria 1-0.

The midfielder scored for the second straight game to maintain the Socceroos' 100% start in Group B.

Australia won the title when hosting the tournament in 2015 and top the group on six points.

Irvine struck the winner when he turned inside the area and flicked a shot past Syria goalkeeper Ahmad Madanieh in the 59th minute at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium. He had scored the opening goal in his team's 2-0 win against India on Matchday One.

The closest Syria came to scoring was when Pablo Sabbag fired powerfully against the post early on.

In the second match of the day, Uzbekistan put themselves in position to join Australia in the next round after a 3-0 win against bottom team India.

Abbosbek Fayzullaev, Igor Sergeev and Sherzod Nasrullaev all scored in the first half to effectively seal the win before the break.

There is still plenty to play for in the group. Second-placed Uzbekistan are on four points going into their final game against Australia on Tuesday and would go top with a win. A draw would be enough to guarantee they advance as runners-up.

Syria could also move onto four points if they beat India. That might be enough to see it progress to the next stage as one of the best third-placed teams, even if they do not overtake Uzbekistan.

It has been a poor start for India, but there is still a chance they could advance as one of the best third-place teams if they are able to beat Syria.

In the final contest on Thursday, there was a 1-1 draw between Palestine and the United Arab Emirates, who played for more than half of the match with 10 men.

The draw for the UAE opens the door for Iran to move clear at the top of Group C if they can defeat Hong Kong on Friday.

Qatar became the first team to advance to the knockout stage of the Asian Cup after a 1-0 win against Tajikistan on Wednesday.

Akram Afif scored his third goal of the tournament to secure victory for the host nation and defending champions at Al Bayt Stadium.

As hosts of the World Cup in 2022, Qatar exited the competition at the group stage after three straight losses, but now maximum points from their opening two games in the Asian Cup have ensured they advance as group winners.

Afif lifted a shot over Tajikstan goalkeeper Rustam Yatimov in the 17th minute and Tajikistan finished the game with 10 men after Amadoni Kamolov was sent off in the 81st.

The other Group A contest between China and Lebanon finished 0-0.

After back-to-back draws, China likely need at least a point against Qatar in their last game to have a chance of advancing.

Both China and Lebanon's hopes of reaching the round of 16 are in the balance. While China are second in Group A on two points, they have the daunting task of facing Qatar in their final game, knowing a loss could see them overtaken by Lebanon or Tajikistan.

"We know that we depend on ourselves and that is something that every team would like to be in that position before the last game," China coach Aleksandar Jankovic said. 

"No matter if we play against a host country, Qatar, with their World Cup experience, we still depend on ourselves and I always like to be in this kind of situation."

Hassan Maatouk and Hasan Srour hit the bar for Lebanon either side of half-time, while Wu Lei thought he had broken the deadlock for China in the 65th minute, only for his close-range shot to be hooked off the line at Al Thumama Stadium.

China were quarter-finalists in each of the last two Asian Cups.

Lebanon lost 3-0 to Qatar in their opening game and sit bottom of the group with one point, but could still advance.

"It is a very important point for us, especially after a tough defeat against Qatar," coach Miodrag Radulovic said.

Ali Albulayhi scored in stoppage time as Saudi Arabia came back to beat Oman 2-1 in the Asian Cup on Tuesday.

In a dramatic conclusion to the match at Khalifa International Stadium, Albulayhi's headed winner was first ruled out for offside and then given after a VAR check.

To add to the chaotic scenes, Oman initially thought the offside call had been upheld and tried to restart the game with a free-kick.

But when referee Shaun Evans pointed to the centre spot, it sparked a mass celebration among the Saudi players and substitutes in front of fans as it appeared they believed the full-time whistle had blown, causing an extended delay before the match could resume.

Oman had led through Salaah Al Yahyaei’s 14th-minute penalty and withstood sustained pressure from Saudi Arabia until Abdulrahman Ghareeb scored three minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute.

His brilliant individual goal in the 78th minute spared Saudi coach Roberto Mancini defeat in his team's opening Group F game.

Starting a run from outside the box, he showed speed to burst away from Oman captain Harib Al Saadi and then dancing feet to beat two players and sweep a low shot past goalkeeper Ibrahim Al Mukhaini.

Albulayhi's winner came in the sixth minute of stoppage time when Ali Lajami flicked on a corner for him to head in from close range.

In the other Group F game, Supachai Chaided scored both of Thailand's goals in a 2-0 victory over Kyrgyzstan.

Thailand dominated at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium and could have scored twice early on when Supachok Sarachat hit the post and Suphanat Mueanta had an effort cannon off the crossbar.

Supachai made his team's superiority count in the 26th minute when he converted on the rebound after Bordin Phala's shot was saved by Kyrgyzstan goalkeeper Erzhan Tokotaev.

He scored his second three minutes after the break with another close-range finish as Kyrgyzstan struggled to deal with a cross into the box.

Lee Kang-in's individual brilliance inspired South Korea to a 3-1 victory over Bahrain in the Asian Cup on Monday.

Used to being overshadowed by Kylian Mbappe at club level and Son Heung-min on the international stage, Paris Saint-Germain's Lee took centre stage at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.

While Son missed a golden chance late on and was also booked for diving, Lee scored two picture-perfect goals to get South Korea off to a winning start in the competition the country has not won since claiming back-to-back titles in 1956 and 1960.

Not that he was comfortable with the spotlight.

"I would just like to say and highlight that it is not about individual performance. It's not just about my two goals. All the goals we score are very important for the team," he said after the Group E match.

His coach Jurgen Klinsmann was also restrained in his praise.

"If you score two in the opening game of the Asian Cup for us you deserve to be man of match and [it was] a very good performance. But I have to keep him on the ground every day," he said with a smile.

The game was tied at 1-1 when Lee took control, giving South Korea a 2-1 lead in the 56th minute with a left-footed shot from around 30 yards.

He was equally clinical as he scored his second goal 12 minutes later when showing sharp footwork and curling the ball into the bottom corner.

Hwang In-beom had given South Korea a first-half lead, but Bahrain equalised six minutes after the break through Abdullah Al Hashash.

Jordan sit top of Group E on goal difference after a 4-0 win over Malaysia.

Mahmoud Al Mardi and Mousa Tamari scored two goals each in the match at Al Janoub Stadium.

Jordan raced to a 3-0 half-time lead, with Al Mardi on target twice and Tamari scoring from the spot. The latter, who also had a goal disallowed by VAR, doubled his tally in the 85th minute.

In Group D, Iraq moved level with Japan on three points thanks to a 3-1 defeat of Indonesia.

Goals from Mohanad Ali, Osama Rashid and Aymen Hussein secured victory at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, while Marselino Ferdinan netted for Indonesia, who are making their first appearance in an Asian Cup in 16 years.

Palestine suffered a 4-1 defeat to Iran in their opening game at the Asian Cup on Sunday, with a moment of silence observed before the match to commemorate the victims of the Israel-Hamas war.

As the war reached the 100-day mark, both teams lined up in the centre of the Education City Stadium pitch as an announcement asked for silence "in memory of the lives tragically lost as a result of the ongoing conflict in Palestine".

A hush fell across the stadium in the city of Al-Rayyan before shouts of "free Palestine" were heard from members of the crowd.

Once the game began, three-time champions Iran never looked back after Karim Ansarifard struck within two minutes, with Shoja Khalilzadeh adding a second goal 10 minutes later.

Mehdi Ghayedi made it 3-0 with 38 minutes on the clock, but the loudest cheers came when Palestine's Tamer Seyam pulled a goal back in first-half stoppage time.

Sardar Azmoun scored a fourth for Iran 10 minutes after the break as Amir Ghalenoei's team made a winning start to their Group C campaign.

Elsewhere, Takumi Minamino scored twice as Japan came from behind to beat Vietnam 4-2 in Group D.

The tournament favourites trailed 2-1 in the first half despite Monaco attacker Minamino opening the scoring after 11 minutes.

Nguyen Dinh Bac levelled things up at Al Thumama Stadium five minutes later and Vietnam, ranked 94th in the world by FIFA, went ahead through Pham Tuan Hai's goal in the 33rd minute.

Record four-time Asian Cup winners Japan, who have been heavily tipped to reclaim the trophy they last won in 2011, recovered from that setback as former Liverpool forward Minamino equalised in the 45th minute.

Keito Nakamura then made it 3-2 in first-half stoppage time and substitute Ayase Ueda made the points safe five minutes from full-time.

Finally, Hong Kong's Philip Chan Siu Kwan scored the 1,000th goal in the history of the Asian Cup, but his team still fell to a 3-1 defeat against the United Arab Emirates.

Chan briefly levelled the Group C match four minutes into the second half after Sultan Adil had given UAE the lead from the penalty spot 11 minutes before the break. However, it took just three further minutes for UAE to regain their advantage through Zayed Sultan.

Substitute Yahya Al Ghassani then struck deep into stoppage time to clinch victory against the lowest ranked team at the tournament, with Hong Kong sitting 150th in the FIFA World Rankings.

Australia are up and running in the Asian Cup after second-half goals from Jackson Irvine and Jordan Bos broke India's resistance and secured a 2-0 win.

The 2015 champions are out to reclaim the title in Qatar and were given an early test against a stubborn opponent and a raucous crowd at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium.

Australia dominated the Group B match, but struggled to find a way through India's determined defence until goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu failed to claim a high cross from Martin Boyle five minutes after the break and Irvine pounced to fire home from close range.

Bos, a substitute, had only been on the field for a minute when he converted Riley McGree's low cross at the far post to double the lead in the 73rd.

"We can improve on everything and the boys know that," Australia coach Graham Arnold said. "We have our standards and I have high expectations of the players and their performances and those expectations and standards need to be met."

The match was the first in the history of the Asian Cup to be officiated by a female referee, with Japan's Yoshimi Yamashita in charge.

Australia are two points clear at the top of Group B thanks to a 0-0 draw between Uzbekistan and Syria.

Uzbekistan are hoping to be the main challenger to Australia, but they failed to make their pressure count at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium.

Syria looked to have taken the lead in the second half through Ibrahim Hesar, only for the goal to be ruled offside.

In Saturday's early match, Tajikistan, making their Asian Cup debut, held China to a 0-0 draw in Group A.

Alisher Dzhalilov came close to putting Tajikistan ahead in the first half, while China's Liu Binbin had a shot cleared off the line after the break and Zhu Chenjie saw a goal ruled out by VAR.

Reigning champions Qatar top Group A after a 3-0 win over Lebanon on Friday.

Qatar began their defence of the Asian Cup with a 3-0 win over Lebanon at Lusail Stadium on Friday.

Two goals from Akram Afif and another from Almoez Ali saw the host nation make a perfect start as the tournament kicked off in front of a crowd of 82,490.

The only concern for Qatar coach Bartolome Marquez Lopez was an injury to star forward Ali in the second half.

But Afif proved how important he will be to his team's hopes of retaining their crown with clinical finishes at the end of each half.

Afif opened the scoring in the 45th minute when he latched onto Ali's lay off, and the forward rounded off the win in stoppage time when he charged into the box and lifted a shot over Lebanon's goalkeeper.

Ali, who was the leading scorer when Qatar won the trophy for the first time in 2019 with nine goals, struck in the 56th. He also had a goal ruled out for offside.

But he looked in discomfort as he limped off the field in the 77th minute, holding the back of his leg.

Qatar is staging the tournament for the third time after original host China withdrew as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament was supposed to be held in 2023, but was delayed to this month due to the extreme heat in the height of the summer in the Middle East.

Qatar will host a second major tournament in the space of eight months after the country, hosts of this year's World Cup, was awarded the 2023 Asian Cup.

Next year's tournament was due to be held in China but, owing to the Chinese government's strict Zero-COVID policy, it was confirmed earlier in 2022 that the competition would be held elsewhere.

Qatar, which is gearing up to host the World Cup in November and December, has now been selected to hold the tournament, which will take place between June 16 and July 16, 2023 and involve 24 teams.

It will mean the reigning Asian Cup champions have the chance to defend their title on home soil, with Qatar triumphing in the United Arab Emirates in 2019.

There has been controversy surrounding Qatar's hosting of this year's World Cup, with particular criticism of the nation's human rights record.

The World Cup kicks-off when Qatar face Ecuador on November 20 in Doha.

"The biggest trouble with Celtic is trying to keep hold of Ange. In three or four years, you're going to have the same situation. He has won multiple titles and he will be trying to get a move to England or one of the big leagues. That is his pathway."

Ange Postecoglou is cut from the same cloth as Pep Guardiola and Maurizio Sarri – an emphasis on a high-octane style of attacking football, with an unrelenting belief in their philosophy.

But his appointment as Celtic manager has caused a stir in Scotland. Fans have questioned his ability and credibility to make the step from Asian to European football.

Postecoglou has been tasked with leading an embattled Celtic back to the Scottish summit after the Bhoys were dethroned by bitter rivals Rangers in 2020-21.

There are some parallels to legendary manager Arsene Wenger. Like Postecoglou, the Frenchman had history in Japan, having spent a year with Nagoya Grampus before being brought to the UK by Arsenal in 1996.

Social media was not around at the time of Wenger's Gunners arrival, though it would be safe to assume he would have been subjected to similar criticism from a supporter base desperate to wrestle the trophy back to Celtic Park.

Those questioning Postecoglou's pedigree should look no further than his CV – the most decorated coach in Australian football history, having also transcended and changed the landscape of the sport Down Under.

From South Melbourne to Australia and Japan, Postecoglou has won it all – a pair of National Soccer League championships, back-to-back A-League titles, a record 36-match unbeaten streak at Brisbane Roar, plus a ground-breaking 2015 Asian Cup triumph with the Socceroos and a J1 League crown with Yokohama F.Marinos, while silencing his doubters.

A former Australia international, Postecoglou – who delivered two NSL trophies within three years of his tenure in charge of boyhood club South Melbourne – truly announced himself at the helm of 'Roarcelona'.

After a brief and unsuccessful stint in Greece in 2008, followed by a short spell in the semi-professional state league in Victoria which resulted in relegation, Postecoglou landed in Brisbane the following year.

Postecoglou oversaw a rebuild and after asking to be judged a year from the time he replaced ex-Socceroos boss Frank Farina, his project culminated in the development of arguably the greatest footballing side in the history of Australian football.

Playing an entertaining and possession-based brand of football, the Roar won the championship in 2010-11 and successfully defended their trophy the following season amid a 36-game unbeaten streak – an all-time Australian football code record for the longest undefeated run, surpassing rugby league outfit Eastern Suburbs' record set 74 years prior.

Postecoglou also coached Melbourne Victory before his Australia appointment in 2013. In the A-League, his teams scored 1.7 goals per game; only one head coach (minimum 30 games) has a higher average in the competition's history (Graham Arnold - 1.8).

The Greek-born boss left Australia's domestic competition with a 51 per cent win percentage as head coach – the joint-fifth best of any manager in the competition's history.

Erik Paartalu was one of Postecoglou's first signings as Roar coach and the ex-Australia international told Stats Perform: "He will be absolutely buzzing. He isn't the type to take a job on lightly. He would've researched beforehand. I'm sure he's probably been offered jobs of this calibre before but wasn't ready.

"Ange has always been ambitious. This guy just doesn't stop. Any other Australian coach that would've won the J.League would've just stopped there and chilled out in Asia. The guy is in his mid-50s. He would've researched this whole situation at Celtic, who is leaving and who is coming, who can I get in? I know he's already thought about his next step from here."

"With Ange, it was the tactical side of it where he explained and broke things down so easily on the pitch, whether that be playing 11-v-seven, so you would have a huge overload and confidence in possession. Or if it was in a video session, always pointing out the good things about people," said Paartalu as he reflected on his Roar days. "He always pumped up the smaller details of the team. His way to getting us to feel, you just felt so confident."

Postecoglou, like Manchester City's Guardiola and former Chelsea and Juventus boss Sarri, pushes the boundaries. Firmly set in his belief of how football should be played, Postecoglou's approach never waivers and success follows the 55-year-old in his pursuit of excellence.

"That's what we loved about him," Postecoglou said. "We went on that unbeaten streak and then lost five in a row. Never even mentioned getting close to the record. It was just like 'if we play the way we play, we'll wipe this team off the park'.

"In the first grand final [2011 against Central Coast Mariners], the goal I scored in the last couple of seconds [of extra time, 120th minute to force penalties after 2-2 draw], it was the build-up before that showed everything that we're about. [Michael] Theo had the ball and could've gone long, but he throws it to [Massimo] Murdocca and we build up from the back and get a corner. That was so typical of the way he wanted us to play. Even in training, it was like, 'don't put the ball above waist height or in the air'. If you did that, you had to give the ball to the other team. So we were drilled into knowing short passes, through lines, everyone in the right position, movement off the ball, entry points on the edge of the box, guys overlapping, 4-3-3 and don't cross the ball in if you're not sure. That was his blueprint. We were going to play his way all the way to the death. When we lost five in a row, he never got angry. He was so clear, saying keep doing it, be confident, keeping passing the ball.

"He definitely improves players' game intelligence when they work under him. You feel 10-feet tall and just know your job inside and out because of the way he prepares you."

Handpicked to introduce style and substance to the Socceroos in 2013, Postecoglou led Australia at the 2014 World Cup. Undaunted by the 'Group of Death', Australia left Brazil emptyhanded, but took it to Chile, the Netherlands and holders Spain in stunning fashion.

Postecoglou delivered a first Asian Cup to Australia in 2015, while he secured qualification for the 2018 World Cup before stepping down prior to the Russian showpiece.

The Socceroos scored 86 goals in A-Internationals under Postecoglou – the second most they have scored under any manager since the beginning of 1965 (Frank Farina - 197). Australia won 22 games during his tenure; only two managers have won more since the beginning of 1965 (Frank Farina - 34 and Holger Osieck - 23).

Postecoglou eventually landed at F.Marinos – part of the City Football Group – in 2018.

Physical performance coach Gregory King was part of the team Postecoglou put together to accompany him on his journey in Japan, where he ended F.Marinos' 15-year wait for league glory in 2019.

Postecoglou left F.Marinos with the highest winning percentage (49.2 – 58 victories in 118 games) in the history of the club. Since joining the Yokohama club, only two managers have a better winning percentage than Postecoglou; Toru Oniki (65) and Go Oiwa (50) from a minimum of 10 games.

Despite the language barrier, F.Marinos bought into the Postecoglou way. Since 2018, the team ranked first for passing accuracy (86.5) and possession (63.2), while they were second for goals per game (1.9), expected goals per game (1.8), shots per game (15.2), shots on target per game (5.3), shot conversion rate (12.6), shooting accuracy (47.2), chances created per game (11.4), passes per game (619.4), passing accuracy in opposition half (82.4), big chance total per game (2.4), big chance created per game (1.8) and big chance scored per game (1.1).

"He definitely has a really good understanding from conditioning, strength and sport-science point of view," King told Stats Perform. "His attention to detail is optimal. You know you can't pull the wool over his eyes. He knows everything going on within his team but he lets you run your own department. He gives you a license to achieve the objectives of the team in your own way."

During F.Marinos' triumphant season in 2019, Postecoglou's men covered the greatest distance in the J1 League (116.48), ahead of Oita Trinita (114.79km). They also tallied the most total sprints with 191, more than FC Tokyo (174).

As Postecoglou prepares to take pre-season training with Celtic, King said: "They're definitely in for a lot of hard work. Really quality football sessions based around the principles of how he wants to play. But, there's no holding back in terms of intensity.

"I think they will enjoy the sessions, however they will be pushed physically. The football we played in Yokohama was extremely high intensity. The physical qualities have to be at their peak. We expected our best players to play regularly, so to be able to do that, the players have to have a lot of good hard work behind them and to be able to cope with it."

"I'd be very surprised if he wasn't looking closely at injury history, how many games they've been able to play over the past seasons in terms of durability. Speed is obviously a massive factor from the forwards and also the centre-backs being able to play really aggressive and a high line. You can only do so much when you have them. We feel we can improve them all physically but from a conditioning point of view, you have to recruit players strong in those areas already to be able to play the way we did."