Asian Games football competition kicks off
Kuwait, Uzbekistan, Thailand and Oman emerged victorious on the opening day of the 2010 Asian Games football competition in Guangzhou, China, on Sunday.
Kuwait blanked India 2-0 in their Group D showdown at the Huadu Stadium. Khaled Al Azemi scored two goals to lead the Kuwaitis to an easy victory. The striker broke the goalless deadlock in the sixth minute when he slotted home the ball after it bounced
off an Indian defender after a free kick from outside the box.
India kept pace with their Middle East opponents throughout the first half but failed to net the equaliser.
The Indians, coached by Sukhwinder Singh, dominated the possession in the second half, but still failed to penetrate their opponents' defence. The Indians had at least three scoring chances in the second half.
Al Azemi foiled India's hopes of salvaging a draw when he scored his second goal of the match in injury time. He netted home after seizing the ball from an Indian defender who made a back pass to goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimany.
In the other Group D match, Singapore held defending champions Qatar to a goalless draw. Singaporean goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud made his presence felt between the posts, making several good saves in the latter stages of the match.
The Singaporeans almost pulled off an upset late in the game when substitute Erwan Gurnawan broke away with only the Qatari goalkeeper to beat. But the Qatari custodian was quick to save his attempt.
Uzbekistan also kicked off their campaign on a winning note. The 1994 Asian Games champions demolished Bangladesh 3-0 in their Group E duel at the Yingdong Stadium.
Kenja Turaev and Odil Ahmedov combined for two first-half goals to give the Uzbeks a commanding lead. Ivan Nagaev added a third goal for the Uzbeks nine minutes from time to secure the full three points.
In the other Group E match, the United Arab Emirates drew with Hong Kong 1-1. Abdullah Mousa gave UAE the lead in the 36th minute but Chan Man Fai equalised in the 81st minute.
Thailand and Oman joined the list of early winners as they posted easy wins in Group F.
The Thais whipped Pakistan 6-0 at the Huangpu Sports Centre. Datsakorn Thongla and Teerasil Dangda scored two goals each to power the Southeast Asian powerhouse to an easy win.
Keerati Keawsombat and Anawin Jujeen were the other scorers for Thailand.
Over at the Guangdong People's Stadium, Oman walloped the Maldives 3-0. Al Moatasim Al-Mukhaini opened the scoring in the 21st minute before Abdallah Al-Saadi and Abdulla Saleh Abdulhadi added late goals.
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