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7th AFC Championship in Vietnam.
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AFCIran oust Uzbekistan to set up Japan final clash2 June 2005HO CHI MINH CITY: Futsal powerhouse Iran blasted their way into their seventh consecutive AFC Futsal Championship final on Thursday with a 4-1 defeat of Uzbekistan.
Iran have imperiously kept the title under lock and key since the tournament started in 1999 and will have to get past archrivals Japan in the final on Saturday for a record seventh crown.
Japan have suffered the agony of being tripped up by Team Melli in the last three finals and would be relishing the opportunity of extracting revenge this time round since the Iranians are not at their arrogant best.
Iran had defeated Uzbekistan in the 2001 final and yesterday rammed down all opposition with goals from Raise Maged in the third minute and five minutes later through Mohammad Hashemzadeh, who lobbed the ball behind Uzbek goalkeeper Rustam Umarov to make it 2-0. Then Vahid Shamsaee unleashed a brace in the 13th and 15th minutes and underlined the Iranians' supremacy. Uzbekistan managed to pull one back through Aleksandr Korolev only in the second half, four minutes from time.
"Today my players understood the strategy and were more confident," said Iran coach Jurandir Azeredo. "They know how important this tournament is."
About the final against Japan, Jurandir said that his boys' vast experience would be the deciding factor. "We are experienced enough and if we keep the mistakes to a minimum in the final we will win."
"We are disappointed with the way we played today," said Oleg Ivanov, coach of Uzbekistan. "We had some problems with our co-ordination."
Japan overcome scare, move into final of AFC Futsal Championship2 June 2005HO CHI MINH CITY: Japan overcame a big scare in the semi-finals to edge past Kyrgyzstan 4-3 into the final of the AFC Futsal Championship on Thursday.
Japan, who have lost thrice to Iran in the final of this event, dug deep into their vast reservoir of experience at the Phu Tho Stadium to overturn a two-goal first half deficit against the impressive Kyrgyz.
Nurjan Djetybaev showed the way for the Kyrgyz with a fine hat-trick in the fifth, 13th and 19th minutes while Japan could score just one goal in the first period through Takahashi Kensuke in the 20th minute.
The Japanese got going in the second half after some tough talking from coach Sapo. Kogure Kenichiro started reducing the margin a minute into the restart from the right flank and then added his second two minutes later to tie the score.
With the match evenly poised, Sapo's boys made their big match temperament count and Suzumura Takuya let loose a thunderbolt in the 27th minute after some excellent co-ordination to make it 4-3.
With the advantage, however slim, in their favour, Japan battened down the hatches. Kyrgyzstan's Emil Kenjisariev and Daniar Abdyraimov tried hard to breach their rivals' defence but failed.
"Kyrgyzstan knew well what we were going to do in the first half," said Sapo after the match. "We changed our strategy in the second half and this reinvigorated our players."
"Before this match we had a very tough game against Thailand and we were under a lot of pressure going into this match. So I told the players to put their heart into it and move faster."
Kyrgyz coach Nurtaziv Djetybaev was not surprised with the result. "I am not surprised because our players are young and inexperienced," said Djetybaev. "Our defence and tactical play was very good in the first half but the Japanese are very strong and good movers."
"We could not score in the second half because we were unlucky."
Japan will now meet six-time champions Iran in the final on Saturday.
Lebanon, Hong Kong complete Plate semi-final line-up1 June 2005HO CHI MINH CITY: Lebanon and Hong Kong completed the semi-final line-up of the AFC Futsal Championship's Plate competition on Wednesday after contrasting wins.
Lebanon walloped Macau 10-1 while Hong Kong struggled hard for their 1-0 win over Chinese Taipei. Lebanon will face off against Palestine in the semi-finals on Friday and Hong Kong will take on Iraq. Both Palestine and Iraq booked their berths in the last four on Tuesday.
A series of doubles from Ibrahim Hammoud, Abbas Fadallah, Hayssam Atwi and Khaled Takaji combined with individual efforts by Ahmed Daher and Serge Said helped Lebanon punish Macau in Group K who could score just one goal through Chan Tsi Yeung. The win gave Lebanon nine points, while Indonesia finished second with four points after a 4-4 draw with Malaysia in the other group match. ASEAN futsal runners-up Malaysia also finished on four points but were pushed to third because of inferior goal difference.
"Our goal is to win and we spent all our efforts towards this goal," said Lebanese coach Dory Zakhour. "We will change our strategy in the next match against Palestine."
For Malaysia, Mohammad Faizul Bin Abdul Gaffar, Mohamed Ruzaley Bin Abdul Aziz, Ahmad Rizal Bin Abdul Rahim and Ng Boon Leong were on target while Indonesia leveled the score through Ricardo Vernes (a brace), Victor Vennard and Jaelani Ladjanabi.
"We had a lot of opportunities but both the teams have improved," said Malaysia coach Sergio Machado. "Our players have got a lot of experience from this tournament and I am happy with that."
"I think a draw is fair today," said Indonesian coach Justin Lhaksana.
The other semi-finalist Hong Kong's match winner came in the 27th minute through Szefo Man Chuan. The encounter was evenly poised at times but Chinese Taipei began to tire towards the end and allowed Hong Kong to make inroads.
Meanwhile, Korea Republic took it out on Maldives 13-3 for their poor run throughout the event in their last Group L match. Li Xyung Min scored five goals while Lee Sang Keun added four more. Oh Su Taek, Cho Jae Suk, Cho Il Nam, and Jung Jin Hang scored one each. A brace by Mohamed Mahzoom and a goal from Nasser Abdulla was all Maldives could manage in reply. But the victory was small consolation for the Koreans who finished third in the group, just ahead of the team they beat today. Hong Kong topped the group with nine points, leaving Chinese Taipei stranded on six.
Japan do Iran a favour, both enter semis of AFC Futsal Championship31 May 2005HO CHI MINH CITY: Iran’s fading dream of a consecutive seventh Asian futsal title was rekindled on Tuesday after archrivals Japan did them a favour by defeating Thailand 4-2, following Team Melli’s earlier 10-3 demolition of China in the AFC Futsal Championship.
Iran went into their match against the Chinese gunning for a big victory which alone, however, wouldn’t have been enough. To stay alive in the tournament, Iran needed the Japanese to beat ASEAN futsal champions Thailand in the other group encounter.
Only two teams advance from the two groups to the semi-final stage of the tournament and had Japan drawn with Thailand both would have gone into the last four, leaving Iran out.
Today’s win against China, however, hauled Iran to four points - equal with the Thais – and their massive victory margin enabled them to squeeze through to the semi-finals on superior goal difference.
Iran went on the offensive against China at the Phu Tho Stadium from the start, keen to score as many goals as possible. Mohsen Zarei’s hat-trick (third, seventh and 15th minutes) and braces from Hossein Soltani (12th, 40th minutes) and Vahid Shamsaee (20th, 24th minutes) were instrumental in increasing the Iranians’ goal tally. Also among the contributors were Seyedamin Hashemian (13th minute), Mohammad Hashemzadeh (29th minute) and Mohammad Reza Heidarian (22nd minute).
China managed to reduce the deficit through Zhang Jiong (22nd minute), Li Jian (35th minute) and Yan Fei (40th minute).
“We changed our strategy in this match,” said Iran coach Jurandir Azeredo. “We had a plan for our opponents. We don’t think we were lucky today as all our players performed well.”
In their match at the Army Zone Stadium, three-time finalists Japan never allowed Thailand to find their rhythm and went into the break 2-0 ahead. Suzumura Takuya opened the scoring in the first minute and Kogure Kenichiro doubled the advantage four minutes from the break.
But Thailand equalised 2-2 in the second period with goals from Panuwat Janta (35th minute) and Anucha Manjaren (40th minute).
With the score tied, Ono Daisuke and Kenichiro fired two quick goals in the last minute of furious action to give the Japanese victory.
“We used the same power and energy as in the previous matches,” said Japan coach Sapo. “We won because we tried our best.”
“We have won three matches now but if we don’t win the championship all our efforts will come to nought,” added the coach. “So we have to win the title this time.”
Japan finished on top of the group with nine points. Both Iran and Thailand collected four points each, but the former finished ahead on goal difference, while China were last with no points. Iran will clash against Uzbekistan while Japan will play Kyrgyzstan in the semi-finals on Thursday.
Iran’s Shamsaee is leading the list of goalscorers with 20 goals while Kenichiro is one behind as the tournament enters the knockout stage.
Palestine, Iraq enter Plate semi-finals31 May 2005HO CHI MINH CITY: Palestine and Iraq became the first teams to book their berths in the Plate competition semi-finals of the AFC Futsal Championship on Tuesday.
Palestine defeated Qatar 12-4 in Group I and Turkmenistan thrashed Guam 8-1 in the other inconsequential group encounter. In Group J, Iraq maintained their perfect record with their third consecutive win 10-4 over Bhutan. Hosts Vietnam defeated the Philippines 4-2.
Two hat-tricks flowed from Palestinians Refat Rabee and Mohammed Hassnain and combined with a brace from Hassan Hutut buried Qatar. Other contributors to the winning scoreline were Mustafa Yasin, Ahmed Abdalhadi, Nader Al Hajjar and Hazem Al Hajjar.
Qatar lost Rashid Al Dosari to a red card in the 31st minute but not before he had scored a goal. Aziz Al Kuwari’s brace and Khalifa Hilal’s solitary effort also reduced the margin.
“My boys played unselfishly and showed team spirit,” said Palestine coach Jamal Harb. “Our improvement is there for all to see.”
Palestine ended their group campaign on top of the heap with nine points. Turkmenistan’s Agajan Resulov scored five goals and Yilham Ilmuradov scored a brace while Tumur Husainov scored one goal in their win over Guam who pulled one back through Elias Merfalen.
Bhutan tied the score 3-3 in their match against Iraq but had no answer when their rivals clicked up a gear and fired in seven more. For Iraq, Abdul Karim Radi scored a hat-trick while Yasir Jabir and Wameeth Kamil hit a brace each with individual goals coming from Zaid Naji, Waleed Mohammed and Zaman Safi.
Sonam Tenzin netted a double for Bhutan and Passang Tshering and Perna scored one each.
“We got a scare in the first half but we played really well in the second,” said Iraq coach Kadhem Khamas. “I am really pleased with this win and we hope to do well in the semi-finals.”
Uzbekistan to clash with Iran, Kyrgyzstan to take on Japan in semis31 May 2005HO CHI MINH CITY: Uzbekistan beat Kyrgyzstan 6-2 to top Group H on Tuesday and set up a mouthwatering semi-final clash against Iran in the AFC Futsal Championship.
Both teams had claimed their tickets for the semi-finals on Monday itself and were waiting for their challengers to be pencilled in. Kyrgyzstan will now play Japan in the other last four encounter on Thursday.
In another group match which had no bearing on the leaders, Kuwait beat Tajikistan 8-5 to finish third with three points.
Uzbekistan were bent on keeping a clean record and two second half braces each from Nikolay Odushev (29th, 39th minutes) and Abdulla Buriev (25th, 37th minutes) set them rolling against their Kyrgyz rivals after Sahodir Ahmedov had put them ahead in the second minute. Anvar Mamedov added one more goal in the 18th minute.
Kyrgyzstan wilted against the Uzbek firepower and could pull just two goals back through Kanat Sardarov (34th minute) and, two minutes later, Daniar Abdyraimov.
“We have won all the three matches in the second stage but our movement and tactics are still not perfect,” felt Uzbek assistant coach Pavel Donchenko. “We will improve.”
Kyrgyzstan coach Nurtazin Djetybaev said his team’s strategy failed. “We lost our plan. We let two of our main players rest and Emil Kenjisariev also didn’t play.”
“In the semi-final against Japan we will change our strategy.”
Kuwait, meanwhile, had to fire three second half goals to break a 5-5 deadlock against Tajikistan. The Kuwaiti scorers in the first half were Nawaf Al Otaibi (sixth minute), Ahmad Al Asfour (ninth minute), Raed Khalf (18th minute) and Mohammad Al Naqi (20th minute). Tajikistan equalised through Rustam Khojaev (fifth and 14th minutes), Khurshed Mahmudov (sixth minute), Alicher Oulmassov (11th minute) and Uvaydo Davlatbekov, a minute before the break.
However, after the restart, Al Otaibi scored two more in the 23rd and 30th minutes while Al Asfour completed his hat-trick five minutes from time to seal victory for Kuwait.
“We had a good match today and I am satisfied,” said Kuwait coach Hossein Shams. “Our team has been able to finish in the top eight and this is a good sign that futsal is developing in our country.”
Qatar, Vietnam, Iraq, Malaysia win Plate encounters30 May 2005HO CHI MINH CITY: Qatar thrashed Guam 14-4 while Palestine defeated Turkmenistan 8-4 in the Plate competition of the AFC Futsal Championship on Monday.
Also among the winners were Iraq, Malaysia, Vietnam, Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong.
The top teams from the four Plate competition groups will advance to the semi-finals.
Qatar’s win was enabled by some quality futsal by Aziz Al Kuwari (five goals), Rashid Al Dosari (three), Mohsin Al Ahraq and Khalid Al Naimi (two each), Abdulla Alefaifa and Khalifa Hilal (one each). Guam scored four goals through Pela Torres, Nicholas Pioppi, Wenioson Landstorm and James Gavel.
“I think we played much better today than in the earlier matches,” said Qatar coach Faraj Al Nubi. “But we still have so many more things to work on.”
In the other Group I encounter, Palestine had to fight hard to tame the Turkmen who were however reduced to four men in the 39th minute. Ahmed Abdalhadi, Mohammed Hassnain, Naser Al Hajar, Hazam Al Hajar (a goal each), Hashem Al Shurafa and Hassan Huttut (a brace each) did the hard work for the Palestinians.
Turkmenistan’s Yilham Ilmuradov scored a hat-trick while Taji Abdullayev added one.
“We don’t think we can make it to the next round,” said Turkmenistan coach Eldar Ramazanov. “Our purpose of playing in this tournament was to gain experience and we have succeeded in that.”
The win left Palestine eyeing the next round. “Today we had a great start and the players are in a good mood,” said coach Jamal Harb. “I think our game against Qatar will not be tough and we have a good chance for the next round.”
In Group J, hosts Vietnam registered their first win against fellow newcomers Bhutan 6-3. Nguyen Tuan Thanh bagged a treble and the Vietnamese score was further beefed up by Le Quoc Khuong’s brace and Nguyen Hong Son (one goal).
Bhutan lost Nawang Dhendup in the 24th minute after he collected his second yellow card for rough play but managed to pull three goals back through Passang Tshering, Pema and Bikhash Pradhan.
“Our team work was good today,” said Vietnam coach Nguyen Van Long. “But we have to improve our finishing.”
In the other group match, Abdul Karim Radi scored a brace to help Iraq defeat the Philippines 3-1. Another goal for the Iraqis was chalked up by Zaman Safi. Alexander Borromeo reduced the margin for the losers.
“This was an excellent game because our rivals are not so easy to play against,” said Iraq coach Kadhem Khamas. “This win means we have an 80 per cent chance of winning the Cup.”
Hong Kong, who a day earlier had shocked the Korea Republic, notched their second win 6-1 over Maldives in Group L. Leung Chi Kui scored three goals while Li Hang Wui fired a brace and So Sheung Kwai contributed one goal for Hong Kong. Maldives got a consolation goal through Nasser Abdulla.
Hong Kong coach Tsang Wai Chung was not satisfied with the win. “We won the game which is the most important thing. But our players didn’t play upto the standard.”
“They could have done better. We shouldn’t have conceded that one goal. I think we have a good chance of going to the semi-finals.”
In the second group match, Chinese Taipei edged past the out-of-form Korea Republic 4-3. The goalscorers for Chinese Taipei were Chang Chien-ying, Ho Kou-chen, Chu Chia-wei and Hsueh Ming-wen. The Koreans who found the net were Oh Su Taek and Lee Sang Keun (a brace).
ASEAN futsal runners-up Malaysia showed no mercy to Macau in their 9-0 win in Group K while Lebanon defeated Indonesia 5-3 in the other match.
Braces from Malaysia’s Mohamed Faizul Bin Abdul Gaffar, Ahmad Rizal Bin Abdul Rahim, Muhammad Fadhil Bin Yusuf and one goal each from Addie Azwan Bin Zainal, Mohamed Saiful Bin Mohamed Noor and Ng Boon Leong completed Guam’s rout.
The win boosted Malaysian coach Silvio Sergio Machado’s hopes of entering the next round. “We enjoyed the game today and our confidence has grown by the day,” said Machado. “We hope to get into the second round.”
Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan in semi-finals of AFC Futsal Championship30 May 2005HO CHI MINH CITY: Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan assured themselves of semi-final berths in the AFC Futsal Championship on Monday after convincing victories in Group H encounters.
Uzbekistan, finalists in 2001, defeated Kuwait 6-2 while Kyrgyzstan made it to the last four stage for the first time by beating Tajikistan 3-0 at the Phu Tho Stadium.
This is the first time two Central Asian countries have qualified for the semi-final stage of the tournament.
The Uzbeks, who reached the semi-finals last year, took the lead through the dependable Bahodir Ahmedov in the third minute and Nikolay Odushev doubled the advantage four minutes before half-time. Saidolimhon Sharafutdinov made it 3-0 in the 18th minute and Uzbekistan went into the break with a healthy lead.
Anwar Mamedov got into the act for the Uzbeks after the restart but Fawzi Al Mass (36th minute) and Raed Khalf (38th minute) pulled two goals back for Kuwait. Then Aleksandr Korolev unleashed a brace in the death to put Uzbekistan in the semi-finals.
“We wanted to win because Kuwait is the strongest team in this group,” said Uzbekistan coach Oleg Ivanov. “We succeeded because we moved very fast throughout the game.’
Kuwait coach Hossein Shams felt the refereeing was not upto the mark in the game. “The refereeing was very bad. But Uzbekistan is a good team.”
The other semi-finalists, Kyrgyzstan, were pegged back doggedly by their Tajik rivals in the first period. But a change in tack after the restart saw three goals tallied by Andrey Pestrayakov, Daniar Abdyraimov and Emil Kenjisariev.
This was all the lead the Kyrgyz needed and they preserved it till the end by marking their opponents closely.
“The match was not so easy as it looked because my players were tired,” said Kyrgyzstan assistant coach Arkady Mahmutov. “We will have to change our strategy in the semi-finals against Thailand or Japan.’
The two remaining last four berths will be filled by teams from Group G in which a draw on Tuesday between second-placed Thailand and leaders Japan will see champions Iran exit the tournament which they have won consecutively for the last six years.
Iran held by Thailand as Japanese juggernaut rolls on29 May 2005HO CHI MINH CITY: A day after ending Iran's six-year-long win streak in Asian futsal, Japan underlined their title aspirations with a smooth 5-1 demolition of China in the AFC Futsal Championship on Sunday at the Phu Tho Stadium.
Iran, meanwhile, had no time to recover from Saturday's shock defeat at the hands of Japan as they had to fight tooth and nail to eke out a 3-3 draw against ASEAN futsal champions Thailand in the other Group G match.
This was six-time champions Iran's first ever draw in the tournament's history. Panuwat Janta and Pattaya Piemkum pushed Iran on the backfoot with well taken shots in the second and third minutes. Zarei Mohsen pulled one back six minutes before half time and the Iranians walked out for the breather 1-2.
The second half saw Janta grab his double in the 26th minute but Vahid Shamsaee (34th minute) made it 2-3 for Iran. Three minutes from time Mohamed Hashemzadeh struck to help the defending champions share the spoils.
Iran coach Jurandir Azeredo said team morale had slumped. "Our team spirit was not very good and we did not follow the strategy successfully," said the coach. "Besides, the team is very young."
"I think Thailand or Japan have the potential to become the champions this year."
Thailand coach Glaucio De Oliviera Castro put in his boys with a chance. "We focused on defence in the second half of the match because our rivals started attacking. But I feel we are much stronger now."
Meanwhile, the in-form Japanese brooked no opposition after some cautious play in the beginning. Ono Daisuke started the scoring in the seventh minute and Suzumura Takuya doubled the advantage just on the stroke of half time.
After the restart, Fuji Kenta, Kogure Kenichiro and Kanayama Yuki put the result beyond doubt with superb goals. China's only goal was scored by Wang Xiao Yu in the 21st minute.
"We are very satisfied with the two victories in the second round," said Japan coach Sapo. "We are aiming for the title now."
Chinese coach Xu Jian drew the positives. "We are satisfied as we have learnt a lot from strong teams such as Iran, Japan and Thailand."
"I think Japan are much stronger this year when compared to the previous tournaments."
Japan lead the standings with six points while the Thais are two behind and third-placed Iran have just one point.
Korea Republic derailed by Hong Kong express
29 May 2005HO CHI MINH CITY: Hong Kong shocked the Korea Republic 4-2 in the Plate competition of the AFC Futsal Championship on Sunday while the Chinese Taipei thrashed Maldives 4-1.
Hong Kong attacked relentlessly from the start and never allowed their powerful rivals to get back into the match. Three first half goals from So Yiu Man, Lokwan Yee and Sho Sheung Kwai allowed Hong Kong to go into the second period with their nose 1-3 ahead after Cho Il Nam had pulled one back for Korea.
Hong Kong pumped in another goal through Wong Chin Hung after the restart to complete the upset after Korean Oh Su Taek had further reduced the deficit.
"We did a good job today and understood the Korean strategy," said Hong Kong coach Tsang Wai Chung. "Our rivals are the strongest team in our group and we have beaten them."
"I hope we can make the semi-finals," he added.
In the other match between Chinese Taipei and Maldives the first half ended goalless and Hsueh Ming-wan, who pouched a brace, opened the scoring for Chinese Taipei. Chang Fu-hsiang and Ho Kou-chin also got on the scoresheet while Najeeb Mohamed Haishan pulled one back for Maldives.
"I think if we play like today we can qualify for the semi-finals of the Plate competition," said Chinese Taipei coach Chang Chou Lu.
Elsewhere, Indonesia defeated Macau 9-1 in their Group G encounter while Malaysia lost to Lebanon 1-5.
Andi Irawan scored a hat-trick for Indonesia and Wahyu Tryanto and Sayan Karmadi netted a brace each. Ricardo Vernes and Jaalani Ladjanabi tallied with one each for the winners while Ho Wai Tong bagged the consolation goal for Macau.
"The match was so-so, not very good," said Indonesian coach Justin Lhaksana. "We started slowly because we wanted to see how our rivals were."
"We want to win the Plate competition this year."
Malaysia, who are the ASEAN futsal runners-up, managed to get just one goal against their name through Mohamed Saiful Noor. Lebanon made sure of the victory after Mahmoud Hani, Rabih Chaaya (a brace), Hayssam Atwi and Khaled Takaji bulged the net.
Dory Zakhour, the Lebanon coach, rated his team's chances of winning the Plate competition highly. "Some of the teams are not so good in our group and our chances are good."
Malaysia coach Silvio Machado said: "We will try to win the next game. There is still a possibility of our entering the next round."
Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan register wins29 May 2005HO CHI MINH CITY: Kyrgyzstan drubbed Kuwait 4-1 and Uzbekistan beat Tajikistan 5-1 in Group H matches of the AFC Futsal Championship's Cup competition on Sunday at the Army Zone Stadium.
Kuwait strangely caved in without a fight as Kyrgyzstan swept the three points on offer with goals from Kyrgyz national football team player Emil Kenjisariev, who scored twice consecutively in the second half, after a barren first period. The 18-year-old was also Kyrgyzstan's Player of the Year in 2004.
Also on target for the winners were Daniar Abdyraimov and Marat Duvanaev. The Kuwaiti scorer was Meshari Al Nakkas.
In the next match, Uzbekistan's Furkat Kudratov, Aleksandr Korolev, Bahodir Ahmedov (a brace) and Farruh Zakirov entered the scorers' sheet while Eradz Nasikhov pulled one back for the losers.
Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan both have three points but the former lead on better goal difference in the group.
Palestine, Turkmenistan, Iraq, Philippines among Plate winners28 May 2005 HO CHI MINH CITY: Palestine drubbed Guam 14-0 in Group L of the AFC Futsal Championship Plate competition on Saturday while Turkmenistan put down Qatar 8-6.
Two hat-tricks by Hassan Hutut and Naser Al Hajjer combined with braces from Mustafa Yasin, Hashem Al Shurafa and Mohamed Hassnain ensured Guam's defeat. The other Palestinian goalscorers were Rafat Rabee and Hazem Al Hajjar.
In the other encounter, Turkmenistan were reduced to four men after 12 minutes when Agajan Resulov was red-carded but Taji Abdullaev sizzled with seven goals - the last one coming two minutes from time -after Yolbars Jumagekliyen had put the Turkmen ahead in the second minute.
Aziz Al Kuwari fired a hat-trick for the losers, who are making their debut in this tournament, while Khalid Al Naimi, Rashid Al Dosari and Mohsin Al Ahraq scored one each.
Elsewhere in Group J, Iraq edged past hosts Vietnam 1-0 with the winner coming in the first half from Wameeth Kamal. The other group encounter ended with the Philippines defeating Bhutan 3-1. Dave Fegidero, Jeogrey Lobaton and Anton Del Rosario were on target for the winners while Passang Tshering pulled one back for Bhutan.
