Soccer-Physical Arab teams prove they are no pushovers against heavyweights at Asian Cup

Soccer Football - AFC Asian Cup - Group F - Kyrgyzstan v Saudi Arabia - Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar - January 21, 2024 Saudi Arabia's Ahmed Al Kassar, Mohammed Al Burayk, Ali Al Bulayhi, Ali Lajami, Hassan Tambakti and Saud Abdulhamid celebrate after the match REUTERS/Ibraheem Al Omari

DOHA (Reuters) - The second round of Asian Cup group games threw up a few surprises when the pre-tournament favourites were given a reality check as physical Arab teams showed they had closed the gap considerably on their more illustrious opponents.

Japan, four-times champions and the highest-ranked team in the competition, were upset 2-1 by Iraq while South Korea nearly lost to Jordan for the first time before an injury-time own goal spared their blushes.