DOHA, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia showed gritty quality and courage to draw with South Korea 3-3 in Group E actions at the AFC Asian Cup on Thursday.
South Korea, ranking second in Group E with five points, avoided an early meeting with Japan, runner-up of Group D, in the round of 16 as the two traditional powerhouses are both favorites to win the tournament.
Also on Thursday, Bahrain beat Jordan 1-0 to top Group E with six points. Both teams and South Korea entered the knock-out stage.
On a cool afternoon at Al Janoub Stadium, South Korea, the two-time winners of this continental tournament, started the match with intensity and pace, pressing Malaysia deep in its own half.
Jeong Woo-yeong, the attacking midfielder for Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart, rose high in the area to head the ball into the net following a corner kick about 20 minutes after the opening whistle.
After the restart, Malaysia showed resilience to score their first goal in this tournament.
Faisal Halim, a winger for the Malaysian Super League club Selangor, rounded off Bayern Munich's defender Kim Min-jae to curl the ball to the net from close range to make it 1-1.
In front of the cheering home crowds in yellow shirts, Malaysia delivered another counter-attack and won a penalty chance after VAR reviewing a tackle from the opponent in the area.
Arif Aiman Hanapi converted the penalty to help his side overtake the lead at 2-1.
Kim Pan-gon, Malaysia's Korean coach, stayed clam after the thrilling goal, while fans of his side in the stands roared into celebrations, many of whom came to tears for excitement.
South Korea surged forward and pressed even higher after the setback but could not break through the resolute defense from the opponents until the 83rd minute.
Lee Kang-in, an attacking midfielder for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain, struck a powerful free-kick into the top corner to level the score at 2-2.
Son Heung-min scored a penalty in the stoppage time to regain the lead for South Korea at 3-2.
However, Malaysia didn't step back. Romel Morales, a Colombian-born Malaysian forward, struck home from outside the box to help Malaysia draw at 3-3.
A total of 24 teams are competing in six groups at the Asian Cup, which runs from January 12 to February 10. Group winners and runners-up will advance to the knockout stage, along with the four best third-placed teams. ■
