The Women’s tournament at the 2018 Asian Games finally kicked off yesterday in Palembang, Indonesia, with three matches being played. The eleven-team tournament will feature a total of 23 games, leading from a group-stage to an eight team quarter-final.
Hosts Indonesia got off to a flying start with a 6-0 demolition of the Maldives, while South Korea edged Chinese Taipei 2-1 at the Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium in Palembang. Elsewhere, Thailand began their campaign with a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Japan.
The War Elephants’ men’s team didn’t perform much better, as they slumped to a 1-1 draw with Bangladesh. Supachai Jaided remains Thailand’s only goalscorer at the tournament as he managed to bring his side level with ten minutes remaining, but ultimately his contribution was unable to spur his nation on to collecting all three points.
This result leaves Thailand in a somewhat precarious position, as they need a victory over defending AFC U23 Champions Uzbekistan, or they must rely on Qatar and Bangladesh to play out a draw.
Vietnam has effectively secured progression after an impressive 2-0 victory over Nepal, with Nguyen Anh Duc and Phan Van Duc finding the net. The South East Asian side now sit atop Group B, level on points with Japan, who they face in their final group match.
Meanwhile, East Timor fell to their second consecutive defeat, losing 4-1 to the United Arab Emirates in Group C, which is now topped by China.
Tonight sees the first “South East Asian derby” as hosts Indonesia take on Laos in their penultimate group match, while Malaysia faces the daunting prospect of a South Korea side featuring Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-Min. Lastly, Myanmar hopes to pull off an upset in Group F when they take on Saudi Arabia.