Michael

The Australia v South Korea match was another really entertaining match. The two top Asian region sides battled it out in a tough encounter. Australia scored first when Craig Goodwin powerfully volleyed home a cross at the far post to give Australia the lead in the 1st half. South Korea would find the equaliser deep into injury time at the end of the match, as Son Heung-min was brought down in the penalty area and the referee awarded a penalty. Hwang stepped up and hammered the penalty into the net to equalise for the Koreans. The match went into extra time and a superb free-kick goal by Son Heung-min would secure the win for South Korea. South Korea move into the semi-finals having beaten two Asian powerhouses in Saudi Arabia and Australia to get. there. In both matches they were a goal down for most of the match, before finding an equaliser deep into injury time. Against Saudi Arabia the South Koreans would go on to win on penalties and against Australia, some Son magic from a free-kick would give them the winning goal. They have had a very tough route and they have shown a lot of character to come back in their matches when the odds looked against them. In Son Heung-min, Hwang Hee-chan and Lee Kang-in they have some very talented players. South Korea are the team I want to win this competition now. It would also be nice to see Klinsmann and his backroom staff of Herzog and Kopke also win this trophy with South Korea. Australia 1-2 South Korea In the other quarter final, Jordan defeated Tajikistan 1-0. A header from Jordan's defender Nasib came off of the Tajikistan player and found itself into the back of the net to give Jordan the lead. Jordan had the better chances in the match and they deservedly earned the win. Al-Tamari, Naimat and Olwan were all as dangerous as ever up front and this Jordan side can be a real threat to any team in Asia. They have made history for themselves by advancing to the semi-finals. Tajikistan 0-1 Jordan

R.I.P.

What a fortunate cut under the eye.

Heidenheim 1-3 Dortmund Bayern 2-1 Gladbach Freiburg 2-2 Stuttgart Mainz 1-1 Bremen Bochum 2-1 Augsburg Darmstadt 1-3 Leverkusen Köln 1-2 Frankfurt Wolfsburg 2-1 Hoffenheim Leipzig 3-1 Union Mainz 2-1 Union

Karlsruhe 3-1 Wehen Magdeburg 2-2 Kiel Schalke 2-1 Braunschweig St Pauli 2-1 Fürth Nürnberg 2-1 Osnabrück Hertha BSC 2-2 Hamburg Paderborn 1-2 Düsseldorf Hannover 2-1 Rostock Elversberg 2-2 Lautern

In the last 16 matches Australia thrashed Indonesia 4-0. An own goal by Baggot gave Australia the lead, but then goals from Martin Boyle, Craig Goodwin and Harry Souttar completed the rout for Australia. Australia 4-0 Indonesia The UAE and Tajikistan drew 1-1, as Khanonov gave Tajikistan the lead, only for Al-Hammadi to equalise for the UAE. The match then went to extra time and penalties. Tajikistan eventually won the penalty shoot-out 5-3 to advance to the next round. Tajikistan 1-1 UAE As mentioned before, Jordan defeated Iraq 3-2 in probably the most entertaining match of the last 16. Al-Naimat gave Jordan the lead, before Iraq fought back hard and scored 2 goals to make it 2-1 for Iraq. Natiq and Aymen Hussein were the scorers for Iraq, but Hussein was sent-off for over celebrating his goal. Jordan with the 1 man advantage then managed to equalise deep in injury time through Al-Arab and then Al-Rashdan fired in the winning goal from outside the area only 2 minutes later to send Jordan through to the quarter finals. Jordan 3-2 Iraq Qatar beat Palestine 2-1 in their match. Palestine took a surprising lead in the 1st half through Dabbagh. But Qatar's Al-Haydos equalised and then in the 49th minute, a penalty goal by Akram Afif gave Qatar the lead. Qatar would hold on and secure the vital win that sends them to the quarter finals. Qatar 2-1 Palestine Uzbekistan beat Thailand 2-1, as Uzbekistan's Turgunboev scored to give them the lead in the 1at half. However Thailand managed to equalise in the 2nd half through Sarachat. But Uzbekistan retook the lead just 7 minutes later as Fayzullaev scored with a shot on the turn. Uzbekistan would hold on to win and advance to the quarter finals. Uzbekistan 2-1 Thailand In the match between the 2 Asian powerhouses, Saudi Arabia and South Korea would draw 1-1. Although there were no goals in the 1st half, it was right at the start of the 2nd half that Saudi Arabia would take the lead. Saudi striker Radif was put through on goal by a lovely pass and Radif made no mistake as he slotted the ball past the keeper and into the far corner of the net to give Saudi Arabia the lead. However, South Korea found the equaliser through a Cho Gue-sung header in the 9th minute of injury time. That would be the last action before the extra-time period. The match eventually went to penalties and South Korea would win the shoot-out 2-4 and move into the quarter finals. Saudi Arabia 1-1(2-4 on penalties) South Korea Japan would beat Bahrain 3-1, as Ritsu Doan gave Japan the lead in the 31st minute. Kubo would add a 2nd goal, before an own goal by Ueda would pull a goal back for Bahrain. But Ueda would then go and score Japan's 3rd goal to seal an important win for Japan. Bahrain 1-3 Japan Iran drew 1-1 with Syria in their match. A Taremi penalty goal would give Iran the lead in the 34th minute, but Syria would equalise from a penalty of their own, as Khribin scored for them. Taremi got sent off right at the end of the match in injury time and the match would eventually go to penalties. It was Iran that prevailed in the penalty shoot-out as they won 5-3 on penalties. Iran 1-1(5-3 on penalties) Syria

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Yep, the Global South countries are mainly defined as regards to their socioeconomics and politics apparently.

It's categorised as the Global South in political terms. That's what it's defined as, it's not just this guy saying it.

Uzbekistan beat Thailand 2-1 today, Fayzullaev scored the winning goal from a shot on the turn outside the area. Fayzullaev has looked one of Uzbekistan's best players in this competition. Uzbekistan 2-1 Thailand

Yeah, I watched the match and yeah, it is a kind of surprise since Iraq were the favourites. But Jordan are a very organised and tough side and their star player Al-Tamari was excellent. It wasn't just him though, some of Jordan's other offensive players like Olwan and Al-Naimat played very well also. But Iraq were the side controlling the possession for most of the match, despite the dangerous counter attacks from Jordan. Jordan took the lead after a poor pass gave away possession in a dangerous area that gave Al-Naimat the opportunity to run on in at goal and he finished well when one on one with the Iraqi keeper to give Jordan the lead. But Iraq showed character, creating several chances before they equalised with a header by Saad Natiq. Aymen Hussein then shot home the goal that gave Iraq the lead, but he was shockingly sent off for over celebrating. That sending off gave Jordan the initiative for the remaining quarter of an hour of the match left. Jordan duly managed to score 2 goals deep in injury time through Al-Arab and Al-Rashdan to claim the surprise win. Jordan have a very well organised side and in Al-Tamari they have one of the best players in the whole competition, perhaps the best so far. Olwan and Al-Naimat both play well with him when Jordan attack. But I think that Iraq had a bigger chance to win the Asian Cup had they gotten past Jordan. Lets see if the Jordan national team can prove me wrong.

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Frankfurt 2-1 Mainz Wolfsburg 2-0 Köln Hoffenheim 3-2 Heidenheim Bremen 1-1 Freiburg Augsburg 1-3 Bayern Stuttgart 1-2 Leipzig Leverkusen 3-1 Gladbach Union 2-1 Darmstadt Dortmund 3-1 Bochum

Lautern 2-2 Schalke Hannover 2-1 Nürnberg Rostock 2-2 Elversberg Osnabrück 1-2 Paderborn Wehen 1-2 Hertha BSC Düsseldorf 2-2 St Pauli Hamburg 2-0 Karlsruhe Fürth 2-1 Kiel Braunschweig 1-1 Magdeburg

Saudi Arabia and Thailand ended up drawing in a goal-less match, with both sides playing their reserves. The Saudis controlled most of the match, but both sides will be fine with the draw, as they have both qualified for the next round. Saudi Arabia 0-0 Thailand Oman who lead Kyrgyzstan 1-0 at half-time, dominated their match against their central Asian rivals. The Oman side created a flurry of chances to score, but couldn't add to their 1st half goal. They would pay for this, as a mistake and mix-up in defence between the Omani keeper and defender, gave Kyrgyzstan a soft goal late in the match. Oman surprisingly get knocked out of the competition, which they will be distraught about, as they were touted as a dark horse for this competition. As a result, their manager Ivankovic was immediately sacked after this match. Oman 1-1 Kyrgyzstan

Al Qaeda is not part of the coalition and there is no proof to suggest that Al Qaeda are fighting directly under the Saudi leadership. Saudi Arabia and Iraq have been fighting and arresting loads of suspected terrorist extremists linked to terrorist organisations like ISIS and Al Qaeda, so why on earth would they be funding them? Moreover, Saudi Arabia and the coalition have carried out operations against Al Qaeda in Yemen Al Qaeda have carried out attacks against Saudi Arabia in the past, they even want the overthrow of the Saudi regime, as Al Qaeda are an Islamist organisation. How would Saudi Arabia be supporting Al Qaeda, when they've attacked each other and with Al Qaeda holding a huge threat to the Saudi ruling regime? There is no proof for this at all. It's true that Saudi Arabia funded sunni rebel groups in Syria. Some of them being absorbed by ISIS which appeared later, was something that the Saudi government clearly could not have foreseen. It's true that Saudi Arabia fund the spread of Salafism, but then again from speaking to muslims, they tell me that most sunni muslims around the world consider themselves as Salafis. So that would actually be most muslims. Most muslims do not behave in an extremist way, it's only a small minority who have a warped way of thinking. I think the opinions of the Arabs I've spoken to vary, depending on the country they are from. Most Syrians I have met hate the Asad regime, but then again that's probably why they are here in the UK, the same applies to most Iraqis and Yemenis. It's mixed with Egyptians with some hating their country, while others praising it. But as for Jordanians, Saudis, Kuwaitis, Emiratis and Qataris they all seem to be happy with their country. Not completely happy of course, but happy enough. Not including Jordan, but the other Gulf states provide their citizens with a good lifestyle and a decent standard of living. It's true that no country in the whole of the Middle East likes it when their citizens criticize the governments too much, but then again, these countries aren't democracies, they are monarchies. Kuwait from my understanding is the most democratic in the region, where citizens can pretty much openly criticize most things to do with the government. Furthermore, there are regions much worse when it comes to freedom of expression, most of Africa and Asia are much harsher on citizens if they step up to complain against the ruling regimes. At least most of the citizens in the Gulf Arab states are in the main happy with their life and what their country provides for them. Regarding the Iranian fans who protested at the World Cup in Qatar, I have not read or heard about them being handed over to pro-Iranian regime supporters by the Qatari authorities. But what I do know, is that there were occasions where the protesting Iranian fans were attacked by other Iranian fans who were pro the Iranian regime. Alleged Iranian government supporters also harassed the protesting Iranian fans according to reports I read. But as far as the Qatari authorities are concerned, all I know is that they on some occasions seized t-shirts, flags and other things that expressed support for the protest movement. If you can provide any proof against all that I have said, I will be more than happy to reconsider my opinion.

In the latest matches, Saudi Arabia and Thailand are drawing 0-0 at half-time, with both sides playing mostly their reserves, as they've both qualified already. Although Saudi Arabia missed a penalty early on, as Radif missed his penalty in the 12th minute. Saudi Arabia 0-0 Thailand at half-time While Oman took a 9th minute lead against Kyrgyzstan, as Muhsen Al-Ghassani ran into the area and opened the scoring with a powerful shot that found the back of the net. Kyrgyzstan 0-1 Oman at half-time

That's true about Saudi and them throwing their weight around, but they have been battling with Iran for control over the region for a while, that's no secret. The only difference being is that most of the Sunni Arab countries or sunni populations seem to welcome Saudi intervention. Although the shia groups probably don't welcome their intervention. There's no proof that Saudi Arabia have directly funded ISIS or Al-Qaeda, although it is true that they have funded Sunni separatist groups in Syria for example. They also fund sunnis in Lebanon and Iraq. But it would be a bit mad for them to back extremist groups like ISIS and Al Qaeda, when these groups are theologically opposed to the set up of their Kingdom. Moreover, both ISIS and Al Qaeda have attacked Saudi Arabia in the past. So on a state level, I highly doubt they have supported these groups, there's no proof of it anyway. As for Qatar, well yeah, political protests at the stadiums are also not allowed. However, I am not aware of arrests made directly because of these banners. When I was working in the region, I went to a few matches and those waving the old Syrian flags saw their flags taken away from them and confiscated. But the people involved weren't arrested. Arrests would only really happen if the protestors kick up too much of a fuss, well that's from my experience. I was not referring to Kish Island, I was referring to the Greater and Lesser Tunb Islands and the Abu Musa Island. I saw a documentary about this dispute several months ago now. The Islands were under the control of Arab sheikhs before Iran took them over. However, Iran claims that the islands are historically theirs. The islands are highly disputed between both countries.

The South Korea v Malaysia match finished in a 3-3 draw. After Woo-Yeong had given the South Koreans the lead in the first half, Faisal equalised for the Malaysians in the 2nd half. An Arif penalty goal gave the Malaysians a shock 2-1 lead in the 62nd minute, but then an own goal by Syihan gave South Korea the equaliser. Then a Son Heung-Min penalty gave South Korea the lead in the 4th minute of injury time, only for the Malaysians to incredibly equalise in the 15th minute of injury time through Morales. There were plenty of goals in a match that the Koreans dominated. However, the Koreans advance to the next round while the Malaysians are knocked out. South Korea 3-3 Malaysia The other match between Jordan and Bahrain finished with a 1-0 win for Bahrain, as the Jordanians couldn't find the equaliser they wanted in the 2nd half. Both teams qualify for the next round though, although it is Bahrain who top the group, with South Korea in 2nd place and Jordan in 3rd. Jordan 0-1 Bahrain

In the current ongoing games, South Korea lead Malaysia 1-0 at half-time, thanks to a goal by Woo-yeong. While Bahrain have taken a relatively surprising lead against the inform Jordanian national team. Bahrain lead 1-0 at half-time thanks to a goal by Yusuf Helal. South Korea 1-0 Malaysia at half-time Jordan 0-1 Bahrain at half-time

Iraq fielded their reserves against Vietnam, yet still won the match 3-2. Vietnam took the lead through Viet Anh in the 42d minute, but Iraq equalised through a header by defender Sulaka. Aymen Hussein then gave Iraq the lead in the 73rd minute, before Vietnam equalised in injury time through Quang Hai, but Iraq then retook the lead in injury time as an Aymen Hussein penalty goal sealed his 2nd goal of the game and Iraq's 3-2 win. Iraq 3-2 Vietnam In the other match of the group, Japan beat Indonesia 3-1. Ayase Ueda scored Japan's first 2 goals before an own goal by Hubner put Japan 3 gaols up. But right in injury time Walsh pulled a goal back for the Indonesians. But Japan triumphed easily in this match and qualify to the next round. Japan 3-1 Indonesia

Qatar is strict on political protests of any kind, I believe you need to get permission in order to protest and for the protest to be approved by the government. So it's not surprising that they arrested those Iranians protesting without permission. This rule is not aimed specifically at Iranian protestors, it applies to any kind of political protest. They were always going to apply their laws to any group that comes out with a political protest, that don't get approval for the protests to go ahead. Well Iran seized control of some Islands in the region that the UAE has claims to. This has been an ongoing dispute for decades. Moreover, I think that you are well aware of the rhetoric that came from the Iranian regime during the 1979 Iranian revolution and beyond. The new Islamic regime not only aimed to restructure Iran's political system and society, but they also had plans to do throughout the Middle East. Many of the heads of the Iranian regime called for the overthrow of the monarchies in the region, as well as the secular governments and they wanted them to be replaced by Islamic regimes. In fact, soon after the revolution and before the official Iran-Iraq war, the Iranian regime began sponsoring waves of terror attacks inside Iraq, with the aim of toppling Saddam Hussein and his Baathist regime. So such actions were a direct affront to neighbouring countries and the rhetoric was clearly threatening. So it's no wonder that all these neighbouring countries were wary of Iran. Even today, you are well aware of how this Iranian regime operate. They sponsor groups and they use proxies to fight to achieve this Iranian regime's goals. So it's not true to suggest that Iran is no threat to these countries. Look at the huge influence Iran has in Iraq today, it's quite unheard-of really. They also have influence in Syria, Yemen and Lebanon. Moreover, the Iranian regime helped fund opposition groups within Bahrain to topple the Bahraini regime during their Arab spring protests. So it's not surprising that many in the region are very cautious and on the alert when it comes to Iran. Proxy wars are just as bad as an invasion, in a way, they are a different kind of invasion. They are often aimed at toppling regimes and replacing them with puppet regimes that would be extremely loyal to the Iranian government. I don't see how the Arab states have been supporting Iranian extremism. I mean they might have been happy that Iran has supported Hamas over the years, because the Palestine issue seems to mean a lot to the muslim countries in the region. But other than that, I can't think of any other Iranian extremism that they would support. As you know they are predominantly sunni lead countries, so they would naturally oppose the Iranian backed religious shia opposition groups in the region. I also don't see why they wouldn't want the current Iranian regime to be replaced. The current regime has over the years been a serious threat to them. I am sure a new much more friendly Iranian regime would suit those in the region much more.

I totally agree with your first 4 paragraphs, this is exactly what I have been saying all along, yet I am still confronted in everyday life by many who have strong feelings about the Ukraine-Russia issue, but who can't see the picture. What I will say in reply to your last paragraph, is that although Russia has a much larger population and thus much more manpower, Ukraine still has a large population itself. 43 million people is a heck of a lot of people. Ukraine's military currently has 900,000 active personnel, which is a hell of a lot of people. Plus there are many more that Ukraine can call on as reserves. I think the advanced weaponry that the West has, plus fighter jets and more tanks can really assist them in turning the tide. I'd say that more fighter jets could potentially be a game changer in this war. Putin may have a lot of support in Russia, but the Ukrainians are more motivated to fight this war than most of their Russian counterparts. The Russians have mined the hell out of the areas they have control over in Ukraine and they are now well entrenched in defensive positions in those regions. It clearly won't be easy for Ukraine to win this war, but it is very possible if they are given the right support and handed the weapons as well as the fighter jets needed to win it.

Yes, that's what seems to be the case. He is another self-serving politician.

It's interesting what you say, because I do realise that religion plays a big role in that region, even if it is used for political reasons. Out of the Gulf Arab States, only Oman and Iraq are not ruled by Sunni muslim leaders, despite both countries having large sunni populations. Iraq has pretty much been lead by the Shia since the fall of Saddam and are in many ways controlled or influenced by Iran these days. While Oman has an Ibadhi muslim leadership and Oman has played a significant role as the acting peacemaker in the region, between the Gulf Arab states and Iran. So it's the Sunni lead Gulf Arab countries that you have an issue with. However, from how I see it, these Gulf Arab states have opposed Iran on occasions because of the threat that the Iranian regime causes them as sovereign nations. Not including Saudi Arabia, Iraq or Oman, as these countries have relatively large land masses, but countries like the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait could be taken over in a short period of time if Iran ever decided to invade them. Ultimately, they don't want the Iranian regime meddling in their internal affairs, by supporting certain groups within their countries. Furthermore, I do not see where they played a big role in the decades of oppression Iranians face on a daily basis. If you could explain that, it would be good. As for not supporting national teams because of the politics of the nation in question, I don't know where one would start with that. If I thought that way, I probably wouldn't support the English national team. While we are generally looked after in our country relatively well as a collective, our foreign policy has been terrible and our government has been responsible for the deaths of millions of people over the years. I personally prefer to separate sport from politics as much as possible. Otherwise we would have a long list of countries we wouldn't deem appropriate to support, that would be more than half countries in the world, trust me.