Michael

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.

It's interesting how Boris Johnson, the person who has always backed supporting Ukraine in their war against Russia as much as possible, is now endorsing Trump to be the US President. Trump the man who will clearly cut support for Ukraine and look for a Ukrainian peace deal with Russia, if he becomes president. Boris obviously has his own priorities.

I just think the main role of a striker is to score goals first and foremost and this is what I see Taremi doing much better than Azmoun. Taremi is much more efficient with chances than Azmoun. Even at club level, Taremi usually scores the chances that come his way, while Azmoun seems to miss a lot. I think VAR was correct with the disallowed goals, but you're entitled to your opinion. Fair enough if you don't like the UAE as a country, again that's your opinion, but you can't compare the UAE to a country like Russia, even if they do have some flaws. I also think you can't single Taremi out, because by playing for the national team, every Iranian player is essentially supporting the Iranian regime by playing for Iran.

Ukraine's future depends on how much the West are willing to help them militarily. So far, the West has not helped them enough. With enough of the right weaponry, do you not think that Ukraine can turn this war in their favour? There are many men willing to fight to defend Ukraine and Europe, they just need more weapons, fighter jets and tanks. Kicking Russia out of Ukraine and them joining NATO is the only way Ukraine will be left alone. What are the alternatives to this? Ukraine keeps fighting with not enough weaponry, fighter jets and tanks and continues to lose more lives without making much headway on the battle fields. Or Ukraine tries to sign a peace-deal with Russia for a ceasefire, which will inevitably involve Ukraine accepting the Russian presence in Ukraine. This option will definitely mean that Ukraine never gets left alone. Ultimately, any potential peace deal will also give Russia time to regroup and attempt further attacks at gaining more Ukrainian territory in the future, as Russia has proven time and again that they cannot be trusted. It's a real sad situation that we have in Ukraine.

They have no regard for the innocent, they are destroying Ukrainian cities with their missile strikes.

Another shock result in the competition, as Algeria lost to Mauritania. The only goal of the game was scored by Mauritania's Dellah Yaly. Mahrez and company have been knocked out early in the competition. Mauritania 1-0 Algeria Angola beat Burkina Faso 2-0 as goals from Mabululu and Zini secured them victory and 1st place in the group. Angola 2-0 Burkina Faso

Australia and Uzbekistan drew 1-1 in a closely fought match. Australia took the lead through a penalty goal by Martin Boyle, while Uzbekistan managed to equalise from a header by Turgunboev. Australia knew a draw was enough to see them top the group and that's how the match ended. It's a shame that Uzbekistan's star player Eldor Shomurodov didn't make the Asian Cup cut due to injury, he would have added a lot to the Uzbekistan attack. Australia 1-1 Uzbekistan In the other match in this group, India lost their 3rd match in a row after they lost narrowly to Syria by a 1-0 score-line. Omar Khribin scored the only goal of the match and the win was enough for Syria to clinch 3rd place in the group and qualify out of the group. Syria 1-0 India

Why is their team dickheads? That's a bit of a silly thing to say. You can't just say it should have been 4-1 because you feel like it, VAR disallowed goals and VAR was correct. The goals shouldn't have counted and VAR was accurate. That's exactly why we have VAR. It's like saying the UAE should have won because they actually missed a penalty that they should have scored from and they also created other chances to score, they had more shots on target than Iran. At the end of the day, 2-1 was the final result and the fair result. Iran are heavily reliant on Taremi for good reason, he is by far their best striker and their best player. Azmoun unfortunately seems to miss most chances that come his way, unlike Taremi.

Where's the ambition at your club?

PSV Eindhoven's young Belgian winger Yorbe Vertessen, is close to joining Union Berlin. Both club sides are apparently close to agreeing a deal. Union reportedly poised to complete Vertessen capture (bulinews.com)

Meant to write Forest, my bad.

Danny Ings joining you guys hardly sets the pulse racing, especially at this stage at the tail end of his career.

I think Reyna would be an excellent signing for Palace. Incredible to think that he is still only 21 years old, as he has been playing at the top level for quite a while now. I think it would be a good move for all parties involved, as Reyna has struggled to break into the Dortmund side and he has been there for a few years now. It's probably time for him to move on.

If that's true, that's incredible news. Valencia have actually had a decent season so far and will probably look to finish in the top 6. This news is further good news for them, if it comes to fruition.

In today's games, Senegal won again as they defeated Guinea 2-0, with Abdoulaye Seck and Liman Ndiaye the scorers. Senegal 2-0 Guinea In the other match, Cameroon beat Gambia 3-2 with Ekambi, an own goal by Gomez and Christopher Wooh the source of Cameroon's goals, with Jallow and Colley the scorers for Gambia. Cameroon moved into 2nd place in the group after this win just behind Senegal. Cameroon 3-2 Gambia

Syria are a dogged team, but nothing special even at this level. They barely beat India 1-0, they will just be happy that they qualified for the next round having finished 3rd in their group.

In today's matches Iran beat the UAE 2-1 with Mehdi Taremi scoring both Iran's goals and Yahya Al-Ghassani scoring the UAE's goal. Iran 2-1 UAE In the other match Palestine beat Hong Kong easily 3-0 but finish 3rd in the group due to goal difference. Palestine 3-0 Hong Kong