The first match of the day is still the only one yet to finish, but I have an inkling that it will never be finished. Oman went into Yangon holding a 2-0 aggregate lead to take on their hosts Myanmar in the return leg of their series. Oman scored the opener midway through the first half, leaving Myanmar with the task of scoring four unanswered goals to stay alive in the competition.Oman was awarded a controversial penalty toward the end of the first half. The penalty had been converted to give Oman a 2-0 lead, which ended up being both the halftime score and the final score. During second half stoppage time, the match was abandoned due to the rocks and shattered glass being thrown at Omani players and the officials by the unruly and unhappy crowd, distraught by the perceived unjust penalty awarded to Oman and the impending elimination of Myanmar. FIFA is unlikely to force the teams to finish the match. Oman win the series 4-0 and advance to the preliminary draw in two days' time.
Nepal were looking to save face in front of their home fans in rainy Kathmandu after receiving a 9-0 mauling in Jordan in the first leg. The fans were more than likely bracing themselves for the worst, but their boys made a good account for themselves on the day. A scoreless first half gave Nepal hope that they could pull off an unexpected result and stun Jordan on the day, although the series was beyond reach.
Jordan opened the scoring a couple of minutes beyond the hour mark, but Nepal never quit on the match and scored ten minutes from time to bring relief to the crowd and restore honor to the team. Nepal ended the match and its tournament with a creditable 1-1 draw against a good West Asian side. Jordan will not mind the result one bit, however, as they win the series 10-1 and advance to the third round.
China visited neighbors Laos in Vientiane, looking to finish off the series after their opening 7-2 defeat of Laos in the first leg. Unlike in the first leg, Laos were unable to jump out to a lead, for China were on the alert from the start. China pounded in two goals in the first period to let Laos know they would have no chance to advance.
Laos pulled back a goal just after the restart and China's Yang Hao had a chipped penalty kick easily saved at 2-1, but China were in no giving mood and promptly proceeded to net four more goals to win the match 6-1 and the series 13-3. China hope to hear more good news when they learn of their fate at the preliminary draw on Saturday. Laos leave the tournament having taken down one neighbor (Cambodia) and succumbed to another (China).
Goals:
Oman
Amad Ali 22
Ismail Al Ajmi 39 PK
Jordan
Saeed Morjan 62
Nepal
Bharat Khawas 80
China
Qu Bo 24
Yu Hanchao 36, 88
Deng Zhuoxiang 67, 83
Yang Xu 90+2
Laos
Visay Phaphouvanin 47
Match Reports:
Highlights:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWL50hS5MoQ (Nepal v. Jordan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZsYFB6GWew (China v. Laos)
Full Match Video: (Nepal v. Jordan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTDRFxlhlVY (Second half)
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