Vietnam and Uzbekistan will avoid win: football fans

The final result of group C on Monday night was unexpected when Iraq defeated Saudi Arabia 2-1 to take the top spot. That means the top spot of group D will meet defending champion Saudi Arabia, while the second place will play Iraq in the quarterfinals.

Uzbekistan are at the top of group D with six points, leading Vietnam on goal difference. Coach Timur Kapadze and his team only need a draw against Vietnam tonight to win the group. If that happens, they will meet Saudi Arabia in the quarterfinals. But some onlookers say Uzbekistan may do what they can to avoid the defending champions.

"I think both Vietnam and Uzbekistan don't want to top group D, because they will have to face Saudi Arabia," account @Zaki Stewart commented on ASEAN Football.

Account @Yudha S wrote: "I think Vietnam want to lose because Saudi Arabia is on a different level compared to them."

Account @Ngntd Grany Cio added: "The match will be very interesting with many goals. I predict a 2-2 draw with all of them being own goals."

The scenario may be similar to the final round of group E at the Asian Cup in January. At the time, South Korea and Jordan secured a place in the next round with the winner of the group meeting Japan in the last 16.

In the last match of group E, South Korea was held to a 3-3 draw by Malaysia, who were already eliminated. Meanwhile, Jordan lost 1-0 to Bahrain. This result put Bahrain to the top of the group, and they lost to Japan in the next stage. Meanwhile, South Korea reached the semifinals and Jordan made it to the final.

Account @Nico Sipayung from Indonesia commented: "The match between South Korea and Malaysia will be recreated today."

Account @Eka Ahmad, another Indonesian, responded: "It would be fun if both teams scored own goals in this match."

Indonesia has been in a similar situation. In the 1998 Tiger Cup (now AFF Cup) group stage in Hanoi, Thailand and Indonesia wanted to avoid Vietnam in the semifinals. In the 90th minute of their final group game, defender Mursyid Effendi dribbled the ball back and scored an own goal, creating a 2-3 loss for Indonesia. In the semifinals, Thailand met Vietnam and lost 3-0, while Indonesia also lost to Singapore.

However, the Uzbekistan Football Assocation (UFA) denied the team would not play to win. Spokesperson Abror Oripov said: "Uzbekistan came to the tournament with the goal of winning every match and winning the title. No team can make us afraid."

Uzbekistan have never participated in Olympic football but their youth team have improved over the past 10 years, and this time they are determined to get a spot.

The top three of 16 teams in the tournament will attend the Olympics, while the team that lose the third-place playoff will play African team Guinea for the remaining spot.