January 14 – The United Arab Emirates survived a scare in the opening match of Group C against Hong Kong, courtesy of two match-deciding penalties, as both sides played their part in a thrilling battle for three points.
January 14 – Tournament favourites Japan overcame a scare and a half of topsy-turvy football to defeat Vietnam 4-2 with a brace from Takumi Minamino.
January 13 – Syria opened their Asian Cup account with a point following a goalless draw against a toothless Uzbekistan to throw Group B wide open and cast doubts over the Central Asians’ credentials.
January 13 – China and Tajikistan drew their opening match 0-0 in the Abdullah bin Khalifa stadium in Doha Group A after a late goal by China was ruled out for offside.
By Samindra Kunti in Doha
January 13 – Australia laboured to a 2-0 victory against India with second-half goals from Jackson Irvine and Jordan Bos in their opening match of the Asian Cup to take command of Group B, but will need to improve to leave a mark on the tournament.
By Samindra Kunti in Doha
January 12 – Hosts Qatar kicked off their own party at the Asian Cup with a 3-0 victory over Lebanon with goalscorers Akram Afif and Almoez Ali once again proving their value to the defending champions.