India’s hopes of progressing to the knockout stages of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 are hanging by a thread after two consecutive defeats in Group B. The Blue Tigers suffered disappointing losses to both Australia and Uzbekistan, leaving them at the bottom of the table with a mountain to climb.
AFC ASIAN CUP 2023 | India vs Syria LIVE SCORE
Its most recent outing saw it concede three goals to Uzbekistan, ending the match with a demoralising 0-3 scoreline. While the chances seem bleak, a slim path to qualification remains open.
Of the 24 teams participating in this edition of the tournament, the top two teams from each group and the four best third-placed teams will qualify for the round of 16.
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Victory against Syria in the final group game today is a must, and preferably with a substantial margin to potentially leapfrog it in the standings. However, its fate ultimately rests on other results too.
On the other hand, Syria will have a chance to qualify directly as a second-placed team if it beats India and Australia beats Uzbekistan in their respective games.
With China ending its AFC Asian Cup 2023 campaign with two points after all its games, India needs a win and hope one of Oman or Palestine to draw its final group game to qualify
However, in case of any other combinations except the ones involving a victory over Syria, India will be knocked out from the group stage.
Both the Group B games on the final matchday will be played at the same time (5 pm IST), with India playing Syria at the Al Bayt Stadium while Australia faces Uzbekistan at the Al Janoub Stadium, on January 23.
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