ABU DHABI, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Jordan took an impressive 2-0 win over Syria on Thursday, booking the first seat in the round of 16 in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Jordanians played sharply in the counter-attacks from the beginning of the match, despite the 34 percent of ball possession.
Key man Musa Suliman Al-Taamari broke the deadlock when he scored in the 26th minute of the game, then Tareq Khattab scored a couple of minutes before the end of half-time.
Syria's hope for group survival is dim, for their loss to Jordan comes a few days after they were held 0-0 by Palestine on Sunday.
As a result, the Syrian Football Association announced the sacking of German Coach Bernd Stange hours after the defeat to Jordan and appointed Syrian Ayman Hakeem as coach.
In their third appearance in the Asian Cup, Jordan shocked defending champions Australia 1-0 on Sunday in Group B, which also includes Palestine.
On Thursday, hosts UAE tamed India 2-0, getting close to the knockout stage by leading Group A with four points.
The Emirati team dominated the ball 66 percent of the time, during which midfielder Khalfan Mubarak scored the first goal in the 41st minute and striker Ali Mabkhout made his way for the second goal in the 88th.
India, who made a strong opener in Group A with a 4-1 victory over Thailand, now have to do their best in their upcoming confrontation with Bahrain on Monday.
Thailand stunned Bahrain 1-0 on Thursday, leveling on points with India and leaving the Gulf team at the bottom of the group with one point.
Run by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and expanding to feature 24 teams, the 17th edition of the quadrennial AFC Asian Cup is being held in the UAE from January 5 to February 1.
