2015 AFC Asian Cup Group A

Football tournament group stage October 2026 Group A of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup was one of four groups of nations competing at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. The group's first round of matches were played on 9 and 10 January, the second round on 13 January, and the final round on 17 January. All six group matches were played at venues in Australia. The group consisted of hosts Australia, South Korea, Oman and Kuwait.http://www.the-afc.com/uploads/afc/files/AC_2015F_matchSchedule_FA.pdf Match Schedule AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015 AFC South Korea and Australia advanced as group winners and runners-up respectively, while Oman and Kuwait were eliminated. Teams Draw position Team Method ofqualification Date ofqualification Finalsappearance Lastappearance Previous bestperformance FIFA Rankings March 2014nb The rankings of March 2014 were used for seeding for the final draw. Start of event A1 AUS *Hosts Hosts 5 January 2011 3rd 2011 Runners-up (2011) 63 100 A2 KOR 2011 AFC Asian Cup third place 28 January 2011 13th 2011 Winners (1956, 1960) 60 69 A3 OMA Group A winners 19 November 2013 3rd 2007 Group stage (2004, 2007) 81 93 A4 KUW Group B runners-up 19 November 2013 10th 2011 Winners (1980) 110 125 Notes nb Standings main football complete Asian Cup Australia 2015 KOR AUS OMA KUW KO KO 2 0 1 8 2 H 3 0 0 3 0 0 0 3 1 6 1 0 2 1 5 AUS KOR KUW OMA Q green1 Advance to knockout stage Tiebreakers In the quarter-finals: South Korea advanced to play Uzbekistan (runner-up of Group B). Australia advanced to play China PR (winner of Group B). Matches Australia vs Kuwait thumb|The match between Australia and Kuwait Hussain Fadhel's eighth-minute header briefly dampened spirits at a sold-out Melbourne Rectangular Stadium only for Massimo Luongo to set up Tim Cahill to equalise with his 37th international goal, 12 minutes before half-time. After Luongo headed home his first for the Socceroos at the end of the first half, a penalty from captain Mile Jedinak two minutes after the hour mark and a late strike from James Troisi secured all three points for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup finalists in the Group A opener.Luongo hailed after Australia victory http://www.afcasiancup.com/news/en/luongo-hailed-after-australia-victory/1gxsi1o2ppzid1en12rp32o438 afcasiancup.com 10 January 2015 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150111213745/http://www.afcasiancup.com/news/en/luongo-hailed-after-australia-victory/1gxsi1o2ppzid1en12rp32o438 11 January 2015 Looking to build on reaching the final of the last edition in Qatar, Australia made a bright start on a chilly evening, but the home side were stunned after just eight minutes as Fadhel stooped at the near post to direct a diving header from Abdulaziz Al Masha'an's right wing corner low past goalkeeper Mathew Ryan having broken clear of defender Trent Sainsbury. Australia were able to double their advantage two minutes after the hour mark as captain Jedinak confidently sent Hameed Youssef the wrong way from the penalty spot after Robbie Kruse had been upended by Sultan Al Enezi just inside the area.Socceroos dazzle in opening night win http://www.socceroos.com.au/article/socceroos-dazzle-in-opening-night-win/r0h0keahdold17etx2o5byl7a socceroos.com.au 10 January 2015 Kuwait came close to setting up a tense finish as only a finger-tip save from Ryan turned Fahad Al Ansari's superb 71st minute effort onto the crossbar, before Australia substitute Nathan Burns followed suit soon after with an acrobatic glancing header at the other end. But it was Australia who looked the more likely to add to their lead and Troisi's close range finish in stoppage time sealed an ultimately impressive victory for the home side.Socceroos' Asian Cup opener sold out! http://www.socceroos.com.au/article/Socceroos%27%20Asian%20Cup%20opener%20sold%20out!/glj29gfmuxth1jzj4coeyfrfo socceroos.com.au 10 January 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20161006083604/http://www.socceroos.com.au/article/Socceroos%27%20Asian%20Cup%20opener%20sold%20out%21/glj29gfmuxth1jzj4coeyfrfo 6 October 2016 dead The win meant that Australia had become the first host since Singapore back in 1984 to win the opening game of the tournament. For Kuwait, the country has failed to register a win since the 3–1 victory over the United Arab Emirates back in 2004. 9 January 2015 20:00 AEDT (UTC+11) AUS 4–1 Report KUW Cahill 33 Luongo 45 Jedinak 62 pen. Troisi 90+2 Fadhel 8 Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne 25,231 Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan) _aus14h _aus14h _aus14h _aus14h _nikegreen FFBB00 FFBB00 FFBB00 004044 FFFFFF Australia _kuwait15h _kuwait15h _kuwait15h _kuwait15h 0000FF 0000FF 0000FF 0000FF 0000FF Kuwait GK 1 Mathew RyanRB 2 Ivan FranjićCB 20Trent SainsburyCB 6 Matthew SpiranovicLB 13Aziz BehichDM 15Mile Jedinak (c)RM 10Robbie Kruse 72CM 21Massimo Luongo 84LM 7 Mathew LeckieCF 14James TroisiCF 4 Tim Cahill 65Substitutions:FW 9 Tomi Juric 65FW 16Nathan Burns 72MF 23Mark Bresciano 84Manager:Ange Postecoglou300px GK 23Hameed YoussefRB 5 Fahed Al HajriCB 4 Hussain Fadhel 19 57CB 13Musaed Neda (c)LB 6 Khaled Al Qahtani 75RM 8 Saleh Al SheikhCM 11Fahad Al AnsariCM 12Sultan Al EneziLM 21Ali MaqseedCF 10Abdulaziz Al Masha'an 64CF 16Faisal Zaid 47Substitutions:DF 2 Amer Al Fadhel 57FW 20Yousef Nasser 64FW 17Bader Al-Mutawa 75Manager:TUN Nabil Maâloul Man of the Match: Massimo Luongo (Australia)Derek Wilson Australia survive early scare to defeat Kuwait in Asian Cup opener http://www.dpa-international.com/news/sports2/australia-survive-early-scare-to-defeat-kuwait-in-asian-cup-opener-a-43782988.html Deutsche Presse-Agentur 9 January 2015 9 January 2015 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150109134133/http://www.dpa-international.com/news/sports2/australia-survive-early-scare-to-defeat-kuwait-in-asian-cup-opener-a-43782988.html 9 January 2015 Assistant referees: Abdukhamidullo Rasulov (Uzbekistan) Bakhadyr Kochkarov (Kyrgyzstan) Fourth official: Mohd Amirul Izwan Yaacob (Malaysia) Fifth official: Mohd Yusri Muhamad (Malaysia) South Korea vs Oman Third place finishers in 2011, South Korea were on top for much of the first period but at half-time had only Cho Young-cheol's stoppage time goal to show for their control of proceedings. A flurry of attacking substitutions in the final 30 minutes did see Oman threaten to level the game, notably through Amad Al-Hosni who had a header tipped onto the crossbar in added time, but South Korea held on to move into second place behind Australia. With a rainy conditions in the Australian capital, South Korea had their first chance on five minutes as midfielder Koo Ja-cheol cut in from the left-hand side and fired in a shot from the edge of the penalty area that Ali Al-Habsi got down low to his right to tip around the post. Two minutes later, Son Heung-min latched on to a long ball over the top from Kim Chang-soo and lifted the ball over Al-Habsi, only to see it bounce off the top of the crossbar and away from danger. Defender Jaber Al-Owaisi had a chance to put Oman ahead against the run of play but turned his header well over the bar from Eid Al-Farsi's corner on 12th minutes. Although, South Korea began to stamp their authority on the game, with six minutes of the half remaining Kim Ju-young brought down Abdulaziz Al-Muqbali and from 20 yards out Al Farsi bent the ball marginally wide of the far post. As the match neared the half-time interval, South Korea scored the opening goal they had long threatened. Al-Habsi had already athletically turned away his own defender Abdul Salam Al-Mukhaini's unintentional header and kept out a long-range free-kick from Son but he was beaten a minute into first half stoppage time.https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-10/south-korea-edges-oman-1-0-in-asian-cup/6010516 South Korea injured but victorious over Oman 10 January 2015 25 October 2026 Australian Broadcasting Corporation Lee Chung-yong pounced on a loose ball and laid the ball off to Koo and the midfielder's left footed shot from outside the area was beaten out by Al-Habsi only as far as a sliding Cho who forced the ball back across the wrong-footed goalkeeper and into the opposite corner from close range. South Korea continued as they had left off after the break and four minutes after the restart, Lee drove a low shot into the side netting and then Al-Habsi pulled off a fine reaction save to tip over Koo's header from point-blank range. Oman coach Paul Le Guen made attacking replacements in the final half hour by bringing on Al-Hosni and Mohsin Al-Khaldi in an attempt to restore parity and on 76th minutes Al-Muqbali had a golden chance to equalize when Ali Al-Busaidi picked him out all alone in the penalty area but the forward's first touch was poor and South Korea cleared their lines. The West Asians continued to put in an improved performance thereafter as South Korea sat back, and in stoppage time Al-Hosni's goal-bound header from a corner was dramatically touched onto the crossbar by Kim Jin-hyeon as Uli Stielike's side narrowly escaped to take all three points.https://www.9news.com.au/national/2015/01/09/19/13/south-korea-fears-heat-hardened-oman-at-asian-cup South Korea complains about Canberra weather ahead of clash with heat-hardened Oman 9news.com.au 25 October 2026https://news.yahoo.com/asian-cup-south-korea-beats-oman-1-0-070630416.html Asian Cup: South Korea beats Oman 1-0 at Asian Cup 25 October 2026 10 January 2015 16:00 AEDT (UTC+11) KOR 1–0 Report OMA Cho Young-cheol 45+1 Canberra Stadium, Canberra 12,552 Peter O'Leary (New Zealand) _southkorea1415h _southkorea1415h _southkorea1415h _nikewhite _nikewhite F9041D F9041D F9041D 1111EE F9041D South Korea _omn19a _Oman19a _omn19a _oma19a _oma19a FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF Oman GK 23Kim Jin-hyeonRB 2 Kim Chang-soo 19CB 4 Kim Ju-youngCB 20Jang Hyun-sooLB 3 Kim Jin-suCM 6 Park Joo-hoCM 16Ki Sung-yueng (c)RW 17Lee Chung-yong 78AM 13Koo Ja-cheolLW 7 Son Heung-minCF 9 Cho Young-cheol 71Substitutions:DF 22Cha Du-ri 19FW 18Lee Jung-hyup 71MF 12Han Kyo-won 78Manager:GER Uli Stielike300px GK 1 Ali Al-Habsi (c)CB 13Abdulsalam Al-MukhainiCB 3 Jaber Al-Owaisi 73CB 2 Mohammed Al-MusalamiRWB 6 Raed Ibrahim SalehLWB 16Ali Al-BusaidiRM 7 Mohammed Al-Siyabi 86CM 12Ahmed Mubarak Al-MahaijriCM 8 Eid Al-FarsiLM 10Qasim Said 61CF 9 Abdulaziz Al-Muqbali 32Substitutions:FW 20Amad Al-Hosni 61MF 21Mohsin Al-Khaldi 73FW 23Said Al-Ruzaiqi 86Manager:FRA Paul Le Guen Man of the Match: Koo Ja-cheol (South Korea)South Korea aim to bank on former skipper Koo Ja-cheol to win first Asian Cup title in 55 years http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report-south-korea-aim-to-bank-on-former-skipper-koo-ja-cheol-to-win-first-asian-cup-title-in-55-years-2051371 Daily News and Analysis Reuters 10 January 2015 10 January 2015 Assistant referees: Jan-Hendrik Hintz (New Zealand) Mark Rule (New Zealand) Fourth official: Yudai Yamamoto (Japan) Fifth official: Najah Raham Alhamaidah (Iraq) Kuwait vs South Korea A goal from Nam Tae-hee meant South Korea would later join Australia, 4-0 winners over Oman, as the first teams to book themselves a place in the tournament's quarter-finals after they defeated Kuwait 1–0 at Canberra Stadium. The midfielder's breakthrough came on 35 minutes from a bullet header but Kuwait would once again be ruing the woodwork after they hit the post early in the second half through Ali Maqseed after having similar misfortune in their opening loss to Australia in the opening match.Unconvincing South Korea beat Kuwait to move into Asian Cup last eight 13 January 2015 The Guardian https://web.archive.org/web/20201108111945/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jan/13/asian-cup-south-korea-kuwait-report 8 November 2020 live https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jan/13/asian-cup-south-korea-kuwait-report Kuwait were eliminated from the tournament and would be playing for pride against Oman in their final group stage tie at Newcastle Stadium after their defeat in Australia's capital. Ahead of the game, both coaches had rung the changes with Uli Stielike bringing in seven new starters due to a swathe of injuries and illness to key players including Lee Chung-yong and Son Heung-min. Kuwait, too, also saw new faces at both ends of the field with defenders Amer Al Fadhel and Fahad Awadh coming in, as well as forwards Abdullah Al Buraiki and Yousef Nasser, all four making their first starts of the campaign. Having lost their Group A opener, the onus was on Kuwait to attack but their early attempts were snuffed out by the Korean backline as the first period began in cagey fashion with little goal-mouth action. But by the half hour mark, the match finally came into life as Kim Min-woo sent Lee Keun-ho through on goal, but Kuwait goalkeeper Hameed Youssef stood up well to get a hand to the Korean striker's attempted lob and he batted the ball over the crossbar.https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-13/south-korea-seal-qualification-with-1-0-win-over-kuwait/6015314 South Korea seal Asian Cup qualification with 1-0 win over Kuwait 13 January 2015 25 October 2026 Australian Broadcasting Corporationhttp://www.eurosport.com/football/south-korea-make-seven-changes-for-kuwait-clash_sto4544747/story.shtml https://web.archive.org/web/20150117234232/http://www.eurosport.com/football/south-korea-make-seven-changes-for-kuwait-clash_sto4544747/story.shtml 17 January 2015 South Korea make seven changes for Kuwait clash Eurosport 25 October 2026 dead The warning was not heeded by Kuwait and in their next attack the Koreans took the lead. Kim Min-woo found Cha Du-ri on the right flank and the full back set off on a lung-busting run before whipping in a cross that was met by a towering header from Nam that Youssef could not keep out. The breakthrough sent confidence flowing through the East Asians and they easily played out the remainder of the first period. But the Korean's composure was almost shattered within the first three minutes of the second half as Al Maqseed hit a sublime shot from the right-hand corner of the penalty area that had Kim Seung-gyu beaten as it clattered off the far post. With the second half turning into an exciting end-to-end spectacle, Nam then went close with his own long-range special as he cut inside and drove a low shot narrowly wide of Youssef's left-hand post on the hour mark, before Al Maqseed then went close again after checking inside Jang Hyun-soo and curling inches over the Korean crossbar. Coach Nabil Maâloul threw on star forward Bader Al-Mutawa with just under half an hour remaining as Kuwait pushed for a leveler but it was Korea who went closest to netting next as Kim Min-woo forced a solid save from Youssef as he unleashed an angled drive from inside of the penalty area following a one-two with Lee Keun-ho.https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/south-korea-survive-scare-from-kuwait-with-10-win-in-canberra-20150113-12n49f.html South Korea survive scare from Kuwait with 1-0 win in Canberra Jon Tuxworth 13 January 2015 The Sydney Morning Herald 25 October 2026 Abdulaziz Al Misha'an went close with a near post attempt before Park Joo-ho and Lee Jung-hyup both had efforts well-saved as the game ended in frenetic fashion with neither team able to make further incursions into the scoreline as Korean fans celebrated in the stands.http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11385985 Asian Cup: Reshuffled South Korea lineup beats Kuwait 1-0 25 October 2026 13 January 2015 18:00 AEDT (UTC+11) KUW 0–1 Report KOR Nam Tae-hee 36 Canberra Stadium, Canberra 8,795 Alireza Faghani (Iran) _kuwait15h _kuwait15h _kuwait15h _kuwait15h 0000FF 0000FF 0000FF 0000FF 0000FF Kuwait _southkorea1415a _southkorea1415a _southkorea1415a _kor2012a _nikeblue FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF South Korea GK 23Hameed YoussefRB 2 Amer Al FadhelCB 5 Fahed Al HajriCB 13Musaed Neda (c)LB 3 Fahad Awadh 35RM 9 Abdullah Al Buraiki 75CM 11Fahad Al AnsariLM 12Sultan Al Enezi 64AM 21Ali MaqseedAM 10Abdulaziz Al Masha'anCF 20Yousef Nasser 76Substitutions:FW 17Bader Al-Mutawa 64MF 16Faisal Zaid 75FW 15Faisal Al Enezi 76Manager:TUN Nabil Maâloul300px GK 21Kim Seung-gyuRB 22Cha Du-ri 70CB 20Jang Hyun-soo 19CB 19Kim Young-gwonLB 3 Kim Jin-suRM 15Lee Myung-joo 46CM 16Ki Sung-yueng (c)LM 6 Park Joo-hoRF 10Nam Tae-hee 42 86CF 11Lee Keun-hoLF 8 Kim Min-woo 76Substitutions:FW 9 Cho Young-cheol 46FW 18Lee Jung-hyup 76MF 14Han Kook-young 86Manager:GER Uli Stielike Man of the Match: Abdulaziz Al Misha'an (Kuwait)South Korea 'lucky' to edge Kuwait 1–0 http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/sport/football-south-korea/1587582.html Channel NewsAsia 13 January 2015 13 January 2015 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150113165635/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/sport/football-south-korea/1587582.html 13 January 2015 Assistant referees: Reza Sokhandan (Iran) Mohammad Reza Abolfazli (Iran) Fourth official: Yudai Yamamoto (Japan) Fifth official: Najah Alhamaidah (Iraq) Oman vs Australia A second straight four-goal haul means Australia and South Korea would battle for top spot in Group A in Brisbane at the weekend after Ange Postecoglou's Socceroos handed Oman a comprehensive 4–0 defeat at Stadium Australia on to advance to the quarter-finals of the tournament. A draw would be enough for the tournament hosts on 17 January evening to win the group on goal difference and set up a quarter-final clash with the runners-up in Group B, after two goals in three minutes from Matt McKay and Robbie Kruse sent Australia on their way to an impressive victory. A penalty from Mark Milligan and a close range strike from second-half substitute Tomi Juric added to Oman's woes in a game in which Paul Le Guen's side were totally outclassed. Coupled with South Korea's 1-0 win over Kuwait earlier, the two quarter-finals berths from Group A have now been filled, with only the positions at the top of the table left to be determined.13 January 2015 Outstanding Socceroos beat Oman 4-0 to secure quarter-final spot https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-13/outstanding-socceroos-beat-oman-4-0-to-secure-quarter-final-spot/6015456 25 October 2026 ABC News en-AU McKay was drafted into the starting line-up as Postecoglou made three changes to the team that handed Kuwait a 4–1 thrashing in the opening game, with injured captain Mile Jedinak replaced by Mark Milligan, and McKay and Jason Davidson came in instead of James Troisi and Aziz Behich. The changes did little to disrupt the rhythm of the Socceroos, who steadily took control of the game after an early scare, when Raed Ibrahim Saleh's third minute thunderbolt from long range was brilliantly palmed to safety by Mat Ryan. However, the Socceroos, just as they did against Kuwait in the tournament opener in Melbourne, slowly took control of the game and by the time the clock had ticked past the halfway point in the opening period, Australia were in total command. Tim Cahill, captain for the night in Jedinak's absence twice went close with looping headers before McKay, one of the heroes of Australia's run to the final in Qatar four years ago, put his side in front.https://www.sbs.com.au/sport/topic/football Football highlights, interviews and opinion SBS Sport 25 October 2026 Kruse's 27th minute corner from the Omani right was headed goalward by Trent Sainsbury and McKay scooped the ball over the line from close range to lift the majority of 50,276 fans to their feet. Three minutes later the Australians doubled their advantage, with Kruse this time starting and finishing a fine move with a run from just inside his own half, laying the ball off to Massimo Luongo, whose return pass the Bayer Leverkusen striker slipped under Ali Al-Habsi. Milligan converted from the spot three minutes into first half injury time after Cahill was hauled down by Ali Al-Busaidi as the Socceroos closed out an impressive opening 45 minutes with another goal.http://www.goal.com/en-gb/match/australia-vs-oman/1466389/preview Oman 0 - 4 Australia Match preview - 13/01/2015 Asian Cup - Goal.com Goal (website) 25 October 2026 Cahill and Luongo made way for Juric and Mark Bresciano five minutes after the restart and, with 20 minutes to go, Western Sydney Wanderers' striker Juric put the seal on the win with a sliding finish after Leckie's superb cross from the left with the outside of his right boot gave the Oman defence little chance.Asian Cup: Socceroos crush Oman 4-0 13 January 2015 The Australian 18 March 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150318042208/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/football/asian-cup-socceroos-crush-oman-4-0/story-fn63e0vj-1227183909937 subscription live https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/football/asian-cup-socceroos-crush-oman-40/news-story/14a952007e1a9e78b2ee74da5856aeaa 13 January 2015 20:00 AEDT (UTC+11) OMA 0–4 Report AUS McKay 27 Kruse 30 Milligan 45+2 pen. Juric 70 Stadium Australia, Sydney 50,276 Ryuji Sato (Japan) _omn19h _Oman19h _omn19h _oma19h _oma19h FF0000 FF0000 FF0000 FF0000 FF0000 Oman _aus14h _aus14h _aus14h _aus14h _nikegreen FFBB00 FFBB00 FFBB00 004044 FFFFFF Australia GK 1 Ali Al-Habsi (c)CB 13Abdulsalam Al-Mukhaini 45+1CB 3 Jaber Al-OwaisiCB 2 Mohammed Al-MusalamiRWB 6 Raed Ibrahim Saleh 88LWB 16Ali Al-Busaidi 46RM 12Ahmed Mubarak Al-Mahaijri 36CM 8 Eid Al-FarsiLM 21Mohsin Al-KhaldiCF 9 Abdulaziz Al-MuqbaliCF 20Amad Al-Hosni 46Substitutions:MF 4 Ali Al-Jabri 46DF 11Amer Said Al-Shatri 46DF 15Ali Salim Al-Nahar 88Manager:FRA Paul Le Guen300px GK 1 Mathew RyanCB 20Trent SainsburyCB 5 Mark MilliganCB 6 Matthew Spiranovic 73RM 2 Ivan FranjićCM 17Matt McKayCM 21Massimo Luongo 51LM 3 Jason Davidson 87AM 4 Tim Cahill (c) 51CF 10Robbie KruseCF 7 Mathew Leckie 77Substitutions:FW 9 Tomi Juric 51MF 23Mark Bresciano 51FW 11Tommy Oar 77Manager:Ange Postecoglou Man of the Match: Robbie Kruse (Australia)Dean Bilton Outstanding Australia beats Oman 4–0 to secure quarter-final place http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-13/outstanding-socceroos-beat-oman-4-0-to-secure-quarter-final-spot/6015456 Australian Broadcasting Corporation 13 January 2015 13 January 2015 Assistant referees: Toru Sagara (Japan) Toshiyuki Nagi (Japan) Fourth official: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore) Fifth official: Jeffrey Goh Gek Pheng (Singapore) Australia vs South Korea Australia–South Korea football rivalry Host country, Australia lost 1–0 against South Korea at Brisbane Stadium thanks to a goal from striker Lee Jung-hyup. The loss was Australia's first defeat on home soil since losing to Kuwait in qualifying for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in March 2009, means the Koreans top Group A and would play either Saudi Arabia or Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals in Melbourne. This result also meant for the first time, South Korea managed to beat Australia in Australian turf, be it in a major football competition or friendly. Australia meanwhile would take on China PR in the quarter-finals at the same ground. Lee Jeong-hyeop scored 13 minutes before the end of the first half in a thrilling encounter but the Koreans did not emerge unscathed, with midfielders Koo Ja-cheol and Park Joo-ho both departing from the game with injuries. Aziz Behich returned to the starting line-up for the Australians, as did Tomi Juric, while Son Heung-min remained on the bench for the Koreans despite having recovered from the fever that kept him out of the 1–0 win over Kuwait.https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-17/south-korea-grabs-top-spot-with-1-0-asian-cup-win-over-socceroos/6023358 South Korea grabs top spot with 1-0 Asian Cup win over Socceroos 17 January 2015 25 October 2026 Australian Broadcasting CorporationAsian Cup 2015: Australia v South Korea at Brisbane live blog Just after the half hour mark, it was the Koreans who made the breakthrough in a fascinating first half. Despite having Park Joo-ho off the pitch receiving treatment following a clash with Nathan Burns that earned the Australian striker a yellow card, the Koreans took the lead following a fine move instigated by Ki Sung-yueng and finished off by Lee Jeong-hyeop. Swansea midfielder Ki slipped the ball inside Australian left back Ivan Franjić to former Asian Footballer of the Year Lee Keun-ho and his low ball towards the far post was given the faintest of touches by Lee Jung-hyup to deflect it over the line. The goal was South Korea's first on-target effort in the half, with Kwak Tae-hwi's 15th-minute header having earlier gone just wide of Mat Ryan's goal. The hosts were the livelier of the two teams in the opening exchanges, and Burns was given the chance to punish a mistake by Kim Young-gwon after just 11 minutes, only to waste the opportunity.Australia 0-1 South Korea Asian Cup match report 17 January 2015 The Guardian https://web.archive.org/web/20230427081531/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jan/17/australia-south-korea-asian-cup-2015-match-report 27 April 2023 live https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jan/17/australia-south-korea-asian-cup-2015-match-report Burns was Australia's most likely source of a goal in the opening 45 minutes, and the majority of the 48,513 crowd inside a packed Brisbane Stadium thought the Wellington Phoenix striker had leveled the game four minutes after the Koreans had taken the lead, but the ball hit the side netting. Knowing a draw would ensure top spot in the group standings, the Australians pushed hard in the second half for the equaliser. Juric missed a gilt-edged chance eight minutes after the restart when he steered Franjić's return pass over the bar from six yards out while 11 minutes later substitute Mathew Leckie found the arms of Kim Jin-hyeon with his effort on the turn.http://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2015/jan/17/asian-cup-2015-australia-v-south-korea-live Asian Cup 2015: Australia 0-1 South Korea - as it happened Richard Gadsby 17 January 2015 25 October 2026 The Guardian Burns' last involvement in the game almost yielded the leveler for the Australian team in the 70th minute as he surged through the middle of the Korean defence before seeing Kim Jin-hyeon save at full stretch before Kim Chang-soo hacked to safety. Robbie Kruse and Tim Cahill came off the bench for the final 20 minutes, replacing Burns and Matt McKay respectively, but the duo were unable to break South Korea's defensive resistance, with Kruse coming closest two minutes from the end when Kim Jin-hyeon deflected his close-range effort over the bar.Gatt Ray Socceroos begin Asian Cup test against South Korea 17 January 2015 The Australian 17 January 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150117164850/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/football/socceroos-begin-asian-cup-test-against-south-korea/story-fn63e0vj-1227188154910 subscription live https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/football/socceroos-begin-asian-cup-test-against-south-korea/news-story/df073bf6d0651c6276c900808447c750https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/asian-cup-the-lowdown--australia-v-south-korea-20150116-12rzbg.html Asian Cup: The Lowdown - Australia v South Korea Sebastian Hassett 16 January 2015 The Sydney Morning Herald 25 October 2026 17 January 2015 19:00 AEST (UTC+10) AUS 0–1 Report KOR Lee Jung-hyup 33 Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane 48,513 Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain) _aus14a _aus14a _aus14a _aus14a _nikeyellow 000040 000040 000040 000040 000040 Australia _southkorea1415a _southkorea1415a _southkorea1415a _kor2012a _nikeblue FF0B23 FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF South Korea GK 1 Mathew RyanCB 20Trent SainsburyCB 5 Mark Milligan (c)CB 6 Matthew Spiranovic 79RM 2 Ivan FranjićCM 17Matt McKay 71CM 21Massimo LuongoLM 13Aziz BehichAM 14James Troisi 60CF 9 Tomi JuricCF 16Nathan Burns 29 71Substitutions:FW 7 Mathew Leckie 60MF 4 Tim Cahill 90+1 71FW 10Robbie Kruse 71Manager:Ange Postecoglou300px GK 23Kim Jin-hyeonRB 2 Kim Chang-soo 61CB 5 Kwak Tae-hwiCB 19Kim Young-gwonLB 3 Kim Jin-suCM 6 Park Joo-ho 41CM 16Ki Sung-yueng (c)RW 12Han Kyo-won 58 76AM 13Koo Ja-cheol 49LW 11Lee Keun-hoCF 18Lee Jung-hyupSubstitutions:MF 14Han Kook-young 41MF 7 Son Heung-min 49DF 20Jang Hyun-soo 76Manager:GER Uli Stielike Man of the Match: Ki Sung-yueng (South Korea)South Korea edges Australia 1–0 to top Group A at Asian Cup https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/2015/01/17/south-korea-edges-australia-1-0-to-top-group-a-at-asian-cup/21910679/ USA Today Associated Press 17 January 2015 17 January 2015 Assistant referees: Yaser Tulefat (Bahrain) Ebrahim Saleh (Bahrain) Fourth official: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore) Fifth official: Jeffrey Goh Gek Pheng (Singapore) Oman vs Kuwait Oman beat Kuwait 1–0 at Newcastle Stadium to finish in third place of the Group A. With both teams having lost their first two games to effectively be eliminated from the competition, the meeting between the Persian Gulf rivals had little riding on it. Oman ensured they did not finish bottom of the group by pulling off a victory thanks to a solitary goal from Abdulaziz Al-Muqbali despite Kuwait having much the better of the game. Kuwait side would feel hard done by as they outplayed their opponents for much of the match. However, a goal in the 69th minute by Al Muqbali was all that mattered for Oman at the end of the day.https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/asian-cup-the-lowdown--oman-v-kuwait-20150116-12s131.html Asian Cup: The Lowdown - Oman v Kuwait Sebastian Hassett 16 January 2015 The Sydney Morning Herald 25 October 2026 After a quiet start to the first half Kuwait began to find their rhythm, and managed the first shot on goal in the 11th minute when Musaed Neda fired in a free kick from just outside the box on the right which sailed over the bar. Just before the half hour mark Khaled Al Qahtani received the ball in space in the box on the right following a fine pass from Abdullah Al Buraiki. He had time to pull the trigger, but sent in a poor effort that flew high and right of the goal. Four minutes later on the other side of the box Kuwait had another great chance when Fahed Al Hajri was unmarked and after being on the end of a fine ball he volleyed wide of the mark. In the 42nd minute Fahad Al Ansari sent in a brilliant shot from the right and well outside the box. It was slightly too high but forced the keeper to make a dive at full stretch to make sure his goal was protected.Oman in 1-0 win over Kuwait in Asian Cup 17 January 2015 The Australian subscription https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/football/oman-in-10-win-over-kuwait-in-asian-cup/news-story/d6df3977e5c36cd9afd52f4c7e453783 The second half saw Kuwait continue to exert pressure on Oman as they went in search of a breakthrough goal. Five minutes into the second half, Oman's Jaber Al-Owaisi came so close to scoring a spectacular own goal when in trying to clear the ball he headed it just over his own cross bar. In the 53rd minute, Al Hajri shot low and left of the right hand post from just outside the box. Shortly after Al Buraiki broke down the right and as he closed in on goal quickly to fire off a shot that was well saved by Oman's goalkeeper and captain Ali Al-Habsi. Completely against the run of play Oman broke the deadlock in the 69th minute when they scored a textbook goal.Oman win 1-0 over Kuwait in Asian Cup Mohammed Al-Siyabi fired in a pinpoint cross from the right to Al Muqbali, who was unmarked and produced a fine header from close range that easily beat the keeper. Two minutes later, Al Muqbali could have made it 2–0 when he was found in the middle of the box again, but he shot well wide. Oman maintained the pressure and Qasim Said could have added another when he was found in space shortly after on the left but he blasted his shot straight at the keeper. At the other end Kuwait quickly retaliated and had two fine opportunities to draw level. In the 79th minute Al Buraiki had a clear header but failed to find the target and then one minute later from a similar position Yousef Nasser also glanced the ball wide as Kuwait finished bottom of Group A.http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/article/2015/01/16/pride-play-when-oman-and-kuwait-meet Pride to play for when Oman and Kuwait meet 25 October 2026 17 January 2015 20:00 AEDT (UTC+11) OMA 1–0 Report KUW Al-Muqbali 69 Newcastle Stadium, Newcastle 7,499 Fahad Al-Mirdasi (Saudi Arabia) _omn19h _Oman19h _omn19h _oma19h _oma19h FF0000 FF0000 FF0000 FF0000 FF0000 Oman _kuwait15h _kuwait15h _kuwait15h _kuwait15h 0000FF 0000FF 0000FF 0000FF 0000FF Kuwait GK 1 Ali Al-Habsi (c)RB 15Ali Salim Al-NaharCB 13Abdulsalam Al-Mukhaini 66CB 3 Jaber Al-OwaisiLB 16Ali Al-BusaidiCM 12Ahmed Mubarak Al-MahaijriCM 8 Eid Al-FarsiRW 6 Raed Ibrahim Saleh 90+2AM 23Said Al-Ruzaiqi 58LW 10Qasim Said 82CF 9 Abdulaziz Al-MuqbaliSubstitutions:FW 7 Mohammed Al-Siyabi 58MF 4 Ali Al-Jabri 82DF 5 Nasser Al-Shimli 90+2Manager:FRA Paul Le Guen300px GK 22Sulaiman AbdulghafourRB 2 Amer Al FadhelCB 5 Fahed Al HajriCB 13Musaed Neda (c)LB 3 Fahad AwadhRM 9 Abdullah Al BuraikiCM 11Fahad Al Ansari 24 74LM 21Ali MaqseedAM 16Faisal Zaid 68AM 10Abdulaziz Al Masha'an 60 74CF 20Yousef NasserSubstitutions:FW 17Bader Al-Mutawa 68MF 14Talal Al Amer 74FW 15Faisal Al Enezi 74Manager:TUN Nabil Maâloul Man of the Match: Abdulaziz Al-Muqbali (Oman)Le Guen delighted with Oman's victory over Kuwait http://www.timesofoman.com/News/45896/Article-Football-Le-Guen-delighted-with-Oman%27s-victory-over-Kuwait Times of Oman 17 January 2015 17 January 2015 September 2019 InternetArchiveBot yes Assistant referees: Badr Al-Shumrani (Saudi Arabia) Abdulla Al Shalwai (Saudi Arabia) Fourth official: Yudai Yamamoto (Japan) Fifth official: Azman Ismail (Malaysia) References External links http://www.afcasiancup.com/ AFC Asian Cup (Official website) en AFC Asian Cup, the-AFC.com Group A Group Group Category:2014–15 in Kuwaiti football Category:2014–15 in Omani football