Yemen 0 Iraq 3: Mohanad Ali stunner helps seal last 16 place

Iraq cruised into the last 16 of the Asian Cup with a routine 3-0 victory over Yemen.

Srecko Katanec’s men joined neighbours Iran, who eased to a 2-0 win against Vietnam earlier on Saturday, in progressing from Group D.

Mohanad Ali opened the scoring in the 11th minute with a fine individual goal, while an extremely fortuitous second from Bashar Resan eight minutes later doubled Iraq’s advantage.

Yemen, thrashed 5-0 by Iran last time out, never threatened a response thereafter and face Vietnam in their group finale with progression as one of the best third-placed teams still a possibility for the moment. Iraq meet Iran to determine who will top the group.

:stopwatch: FULL-TIME | Yemen 0-3 Iraq

The Lions of Mesopotamia are through to the #AsianCup2019 RO16 thanks to goals from Mohanad Ali, Bashar Resan and Alaa Abbas! pic.twitter.com/NGbr8hvPEj

— #AsianCup2019 (@afcasiancup) January 12, 2019

The game’s opening goal came when Mohanad Ali brilliantly worked his way through the Yemen defence with a sublime run, the forward cutting on to his right foot and firing a superb finish through the legs of a defender and beyond Saoud Al-Sowadi.

Yemen went close to levelling when Abdulwasea Al-Matari looped a header narrowly over the crossbar from a free-kick.

But, after falling behind to a fantastic opener, their hopes were further dented by a bizarre second as Resan’s long-range effort took a huge deflection off Mudir Abdurabu, completely fooling Al-Sowadi and going in off the post.

The frame of the goal worked in Yemen’s favour in the second half as Mohanad Ali hit the left-hand post, but that reprieve never looked like inspiring a turnaround.

And Iraq added late gloss to a one-sided affair as Yemen failed to deal with a cross from the right and Alaa Abbas powered home a stoppage-time third.