Doha, Qatar: The highly anticipated AFC eAsian Cup 2023 kicked off in Doha on Thursday marking a major milestone in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)’s legacy.
Enthusiastic esports fans witnessed an exciting spectacle as top gamers from the Continent clashed, showcasing not just their individual skills but also their ability to adapt while playing alongside a partner.
The first day of the event held crucial significance, with teams aiming to place themselves in favourable positions to book their spot in the Round of 16.
Played on Konami’s eFootball 2024, the five-day event will see 20 teams take part in exciting 12-minute battles as they vie to become the first-ever winners of the AFC eAsian Cup 2023.
Group A
Group A kicked off with Qatar settling for a goalless draw against Lebanon, followed by a 1-0 defeat in the return leg.
However, the hosts bounced back with an impressive 2-0 victory against Tajikistan to collect three vital points but failed to replicate the result in the second leg, which ended 1-0 in favour of Tajikistan.
Qatar finished their group stage campaign with four points.
Group B
Uzbekistan became the first team to seal their place in the knockout stage after they beat Syria 2-0 and 1-0.
The pair of Salokhiddin Esanov-Rashid Khakimov faced a formidable Indian team where the Central Asian side thrilled fans by scoring in the dying seconds of both clashes to hold the eTigers to 1-1 draws, finishing their group stage outing with eight points.
Group C
With Hong Kong, China pulling out of the event, action in Group C will commence on Friday with an enticing clash between the United Arab Emirates and the Islamic Republic of Iran at 16:00 (UTC +3).
Group D
Hosting some of the biggest names in esports, most notably, Japan’s Aihara Tsubasa and Indonesia’s Elga Cahya Putra, Group D was the scene of some of the most exciting feuds of the day.
Japan started their group stage campaign on a winning note with a 1-0 defeat of Vietnam but were then stunned by the same score in the reverse fixture. A far more confident Vietnam, led by Nghiem Xuan Nam and Le Doan Thanh Tam, took an early lead in the first half and held on to clinch the three points.
However, the Vietnamese duo faced a tough time when they took to the virtual pitch against Indonesia.
Led by 2022 IESF Bali 14th World Esports champion Elga Cahya Putra, Indonesia powered past Vietnam with a stunning 5-0 win, followed by a 1-0 victory in the second leg.
Group E
One of the two groups with four participants, Group E was yet another site of excitement where internationally acclaimed esports talents, Shaharil Shaifuddin of Malaysia and Jordan’s Sief Addeen Dababneh locked horns in the group’s opening tie.
It was Malaysia who applied pressure on Jordan to take the first match 2-0 but failed to hold onto the momentum and lost the return leg tie 2-0, with the highlight being a last minute screamer from Jordan’s Dababneh.
Meanwhile, in the encounter between Korea Republic and Bahrain, it was the West Asian side who took the lead but Korea Republic equalised in the early minutes of the second half and then took the lead in the 85th minute, to seal a 2-1 win.
However, Bahrain fought back in the second leg and wore down the Korean defence line to finish the game with a 1-0 victory.
In the final match of the day in Group E, Jordan found themselves edged 1-0 by Korea Republic but were quick to take revenge in the second leg, also with a 1-0 victory.
Group E is poised for thrilling match-ups on Day 2, as Jordan and Korea Republic lead the pack with six points each, while Malaysia and Bahrain closely follow with three points apiece.
Group F
Saudi Arabia hit the ground running with an emphatic 5-0 triumph over the Kyrgyz Republic with two sensational goals in either half. Things did not improve for the Kyrgyz Republic as the return leg saw an even more dangerous Saudi Arabia take to the pitch to hand the Central Asian side a 5-1 defeat.
Saudi Arabia continued their winning run when they faced Oman next where they defeated their fellow West Asians 3-1 in the first leg. But a fate similar to the Kyrgyz Republic awaited Oman in the reverse leg with Saudi Arabia roaring to a 6-2 win.
Finally, to wrap up group stage action from Day 1, Thailand locked horns with Kyrgyz Republic, with the Southeast Asian side scoring in the second minute for a 1-0 win.
In the second leg, Thailand got a taste of their own medicine when Kyrgyz Republic took the lead in the third minute in similar fashion but their joy was shortlived as the Thai team found the equaliser before the half-time whistle.
Thailand came back from the break to double their lead to win 2-1, finishing the day with six points.
Saudi Arabia clinched 12 points from their first day action, while Thailand sit in second place with six points.Oman and the Kyrgyz Republic have yet to open their account.
