Theoretically, all teams, players and athletes in any sport would want to win in the competitions. However, it may not be the case under certain circumstances. During the last round of men’s soccer tournament group stage at the 2018 Asian Games, multiple teams have surprisingly ended their games.
On Monday in Group F, both Iran and Saudi Arabia did not want to rank No.1 when they make it to the next round and therefore decided to go for No.2 in the group because that team will meet Bangladesh, a relatively easy rival, at the knockout stage.
Saudi Arabia took the “leading advantage” by trailing behind 0-2 in less than 30 minutes. Though Iran lost two goals to Myanmar in the second half, Saudi Arabia then already captured a 0-3 loss. If Iran kept losing goals, the team could put themselves in the danger of being eliminated.
Saudi Arabia's players (white) go up against the DPRK during the 2018 Asian Games. /VCG Photo
After two confusing games, all of the four teams in Group F had four points in total and had to look at other data to decide their final rankings. In the end, Iran became No.1 while Saudi Arabia became No.3. The two teams both managed to lose the game but only to see the DPRK take the No.2 position that they wanted.
In Group E, Malaysia has already bagged No.1 ranking in their pocket and had no reason to give everything for their last game against Bahrain. With no surprise, Malaysia lost 1-3, leaving South Korea no other choice but to focus on “not losing to” Kyrgyzstan. Finally, South Korea entered the next stage as No.2 of their group.
China will meet Saudi Arabia as the first rival in the knockout stage. /VCG Photo
Malaysia’s loss has thrown the match-ups of the best 16 to turmoil. China did not meet their expected China’s Hong Kong but had to play against much stronger Saudi Arabia. South Korea failed to find Vietnam but had to take the uphill battle against Iran. Even if ROK beat Iran, they will probably play against Uzbekistan, one of the biggest candidates for the champion in the quarter-finals.
Thanks to the match-ups above, the first division of the knockout stage has already become the real “hellish division.” By contrast, though China in the second division had to fight Saudi Arabia first, other teams in this division were not threatening enough, leaving a relatively easy path for China before the final.
(Top picture: Iranian players at the 2018 Asian Games)