Jordan on brink of last eight in Asian Cup

DOHA: Unfancied Jordan were on the brink of the Asian Cup knockout stages on Friday after they held off regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia 1-0, knocking the three-times champions out of the tournament.

Jordan need just a draw in their final Group B game against Syria on Monday to make it through to the last eight, for what would be a major achievement for the kingdom of 6.5 million people.

Adnan Hamed's men are proving to be one of the surprise-packages of the tournament so far. They were beating Japan, one of the favourites, until they conceded an injury-time equaliser to draw 1-1 in their opening game.

Then they profited from a glaring blunder by Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah on Thursday to squeeze past the Saudis.

Saudi Arabia coach Nasser Al Johar, whose team had the lion's share of possession but created few clear-cut chances, said Jordan had been lucky.

But Hamed, an Iraqi who has fostered a defensive side that plays on the break, disagreed.

Keeper Waleed totally misjudged the flight of the ball and could only look back as it curled into the top corner.

The Jordan team ran to their supporters at the end of the game at the Al-Rayyan Stadium as players and fans wildly celebrated the upset. The players were even chanting on the team bus as they pulled away from the ground.

But Hamed cautioned against complacency.