# 2019 AFC Asian Cup Group D

Group D of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup took place from 7 to 16 January 2019. The group consisted of Iran, Iraq, Vietnam and Yemen. The top two teams, Iran and Iraq, along with third-placed Vietnam (as one of the four best third-placed teams), advanced to the round of 16.
The group contained two former champions, Iran (3 titles) and Iraq (1 title). Yemen made their debut at the tournament.

## Teams

| Draw position | Team | Zone | Method of qualification | Date of qualification | Finals appearance | Last appearance | Previous best performance | FIFA Rankings | FIFA Rankings |
| Draw position | Team | Zone | Method of qualification | Date of qualification | Finals appearance | Last appearance | Previous best performance | April 2018 | December 2018 |
| D1 | Iran | CAFA | Second round group D winners | 29 March 2016 | 14th | 2015 (quarter-finals) | Winners (1968, 1972, 1976) | 36 | 29 |
| D2 | Iraq | WAFF | Second round 1st best runners-up | 29 March 2016 | 10th | 2015 (fourth place) | Winners (2007) | 88 | 88 |
| D3 | Vietnam | AFF | Third Round Group C runners-up | 14 November 2017 | 4th | 2007 (quarter-finals) | Fourth place (1956, 1960) | 103 | 100 |
| D4 | Yemen | WAFF | Third Round Group F runners-up | 27 March 2018 | 1st | — | Debut | 125 | 135 |

### Notes

* ↑ The rankings of April 2018 were used for seeding for the final draw.
* ↑ From 1956 to 1960, Vietnam competed as South Vietnam until 1975.
* ↑ South Yemen qualified in 1976, but this is not counted due to FIFA and AFC categorising the participation as a distinct record from Yemen, who succeeded North Yemen after 1990.

## Standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Iran | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | +7 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Iraq | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | Vietnam | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 4 | Yemen | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | −10 | 0 | |
In the round of 16:
* The winners of Group D, Iran, advanced to play the third-placed team of Group F, Oman.
* The runners-up of Group D, Iraq, advanced to play the winners of Group E, Qatar.
* The third-placed team of Group D, Vietnam, advanced to play the winners of Group B, Jordan (as one of the four best third-placed teams).

## Matches

All times listed are GST (UTC+4).

### Iran vs Yemen

Yemen had the first chance of the match in the seventh minute when Ahmed Al-Sarori ran into the penalty area and flashed a shot narrowly over the bar. Mehdi Taremi opened the scoring in the 12th minute when he converted the rebound after Yemeni goalkeeper Saoud Al-Sowadi pushed Sardar Azmoun's long-range effort back into his path. At 23 minutes, Ashkan Dejagah's free kick found the back of the net via a combination of both the woodwork and Al-Sowadi, before Taremi bagged his second of the night by heading home Ramin Rezaeian's cross moments later. In the second half, after Al-Sowadi had repelled two Azmoun headers, the forward finished from close-range on 53 minutes to further extend Iran's lead. Azmoun was later denied by Mudir Al-Radaei's challenge when through on goal and his shot struck the bar with 14 minutes remaining. Substitute Saman Ghoddos added a fifth from the edge of the area shortly after, while Mehdi Torabi's drive struck the post in added time.
| Iran | Yemen |
| GK | 1 | Alireza Beiranvand |
| RB | 23 | Ramin Rezaeian | 39' |
| CB | 19 | Majid Hosseini | | 46' |
| CB | 8 | Morteza Pouraliganji |
| LB | 3 | Ehsan Hajsafi |
| DM | 9 | Omid Ebrahimi |
| RM | 21 | Ashkan Dejagah (c) |
| LM | 11 | Vahid Amiri | | 60' |
| AM | 16 | Mehdi Torabi |
| CF | 17 | Mehdi Taremi | | 71' |
| CF | 20 | Sardar Azmoun |
| Substitutions: ||
| DF | 15 | Pejman Montazeri | | 46' |
| MF | 14 | Saman Ghoddos | | 60' |
| FW | 10 | Karim Ansarifard | | 71' |
| Manager: ||
| Carlos Queiroz ||
| GK | 23 | Saoud Al-Sowadi |
| RB | 21 | Mohammed Ba Rowis |
| CB | 3 | Mohammed Fuad Omar | | 57' |
| CB | 4 | Mudir Al-Radaei | 83' |
| LB | 13 | Ala Addin Mahdi | 90' |
| DM | 12 | Ahmed Al-Haifi | 80' |
| RM | 11 | Abdulwasea Al-Matari | 77' | 87' |
| CM | 8 | Wahid Al Khyat | | 64' |
| CM | 9 | Ala Al-Sasi (c) |
| LM | 7 | Ahmed Al-Sarori |
| CF | 20 | Emad Mansoor |
| Substitutions: ||
| DF | 15 | Ammar Hamsan | | 57' |
| MF | 6 | Ahmed Abdulrab | | 64' |
| FW | 10 | Ahmed Dhabaan | | 87' |
| Manager: ||
| Ján Kocian ||
* Man of the Match:
* Ashkan Dejagah (Iran)
* Assistant referees:
* Hiroshi Yamauchi (Japan)
* Jun Mihara (Japan)
* Fourth official:
* Palitha Hemathunga (Sri Lanka)
* Additional assistant referees:
* Jumpei Iida (Japan)
* Hiroyuki Kimura (Japan)

### Iraq vs Vietnam

Iraq and Vietnam have only met once at the Asian Cup back in 2007, when Iraq defeated Vietnam 2–0 on the road to their first Asian title.
After a slow start to the proceedings, Iraq came closest to breaking the deadlock through Hussein Ali's shot from distance which Đặng Văn Lâm tipped around his left-hand post on 14 minutes. Vietnam took the lead 10 minutes later, Nguyễn Quang Hải’s attempted pass saw defender Ali Faez turn the ball past the onrushing Jalal Hassan and into his own net. Iraq scored the equaliser shortly after the half-hour mark when Đỗ Duy Mạnh's defensive lapse saw Mohanad Ali surge into the area and fire home past a diving Văn Lâm. With three minutes of the first period remaining, Vietnam regained the lead as Nguyễn Công Phượng bundled home the rebound after Nguyễn Trọng Hoàng's shot had been parried into his path by Hassan. After the break, Safaa Hadi was denied by Văn Lâm and on the other end, Hassan dived to smother a Công Phượng effort. In the 60th minute, substitute Humam Tariq smashed the ball into the roof of the net after Vietnam had failed to clear Mohanad Ali's close-range effort. Ali Adnan curled home a 90th minute free kick from 20 yards to seal the victory for Iraq.
| Iraq | Vietnam |
| GK | 1 | Jalal Hassan (c) |
| RB | 2 | Ahmad Ibrahim |
| CB | 3 | Frans Dhia Putros | | 37' |
| CB | 7 | Safaa Hadi |
| LB | 5 | Ali Faez |
| CM | 23 | Waleed Salim | | 78' |
| CM | 8 | Osama Rashid | 18' | 58' |
| CM | 6 | Ali Adnan |
| AM | 16 | Hussein Ali |
| SS | 9 | Ahmed Yasin |
| CF | 10 | Mohanad Ali |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 13 | Bashar Resan | | 37' |
| FW | 11 | Humam Tariq | | 58' |
| DF | 17 | Alaa Ali Mhawi | | 78' |
| Manager: ||
| Srečko Katanec ||
| GK | 23 | Đặng Văn Lâm |
| CB | 3 | Quế Ngọc Hải (c) |
| CB | 2 | Đỗ Duy Mạnh | 48' |
| CB | 4 | Bùi Tiến Dũng |
| RM | 8 | Nguyễn Trọng Hoàng | 1' |
| CM | 6 | Lương Xuân Trường | | 65' |
| CM | 16 | Đỗ Hùng Dũng |
| LM | 12 | Nguyễn Phong Hồng Duy |
| RF | 19 | Nguyễn Quang Hải |
| CF | 10 | Nguyễn Công Phượng | | 63' |
| LF | 20 | Phan Văn Đức | | 82' |
| Substitutions: ||
| FW | 18 | Hà Đức Chinh | | 63' |
| MF | 7 | Nguyễn Huy Hùng | | 65' |
| DF | 5 | Đoàn Văn Hậu | | 82' |
| Manager: ||
| Park Hang-seo ||
* Man of the Match:
* Ali Adnan (Iraq)
* Assistant referees:
* Taleb Al-Marri (Qatar)
* Saud Al-Maqaleh (Qatar)
* Fourth official:
* Abu Bakar Al-Amri (Oman)
* Additional assistant referees:
* Khamis Al-Marri (Qatar)
* Khamis Al-Kuwari (Qatar)

### Vietnam vs Iran

Iran had the first chance of the game, Vahid Amiri failed to apply a finishing touch at the far post following Ashkan Dejagah’s 11th minute corner. Vietnamese goalkeeper Đặng Văn Lâm then denied Saman Ghoddos before producing another stop to repel a Sardar Azmoun drive shortly before the half-hour mark. The breakthrough came on at 38 minutes when Azmoun headed home a Ghoddos cross, sending his side into the half-time break holding a slender lead. In the 52nd minute, substitute Nguyễn Văn Toàn's pass found Nguyễn Công Phượng, whose shot from 12 yards was parried to safety by the advancing Alireza Beiranvand. Moments later, Azmoun forced Văn Lâm into another save, only to see Mehdi Taremi lash the subsequent rebound wide off the target. At 68 minutes, Azmoun gathered a Mehdi Torabi pass and fired past Văn Lâm to extend his side’s advantage and register his third goal of the tournament. Nguyễn Quang Hải then curled a late effort narrowly off target and Iran held on to register a record ninth successive AFC Asian Cup group stage victory.
| Vietnam | Iran |
| GK | 23 | Đặng Văn Lâm |
| CB | 3 | Quế Ngọc Hải (c) |
| CB | 2 | Đỗ Duy Mạnh | 90+1' |
| CB | 4 | Bùi Tiến Dũng |
| RM | 8 | Nguyễn Trọng Hoàng | | 84' |
| CM | 15 | Phạm Đức Huy | | 59' |
| CM | 16 | Đỗ Hùng Dũng |
| LM | 5 | Đoàn Văn Hậu | 46' |
| RF | 19 | Nguyễn Quang Hải |
| CF | 10 | Nguyễn Công Phượng |
| LF | 20 | Phan Văn Đức | | 46' |
| Substitutions: ||
| FW | 9 | Nguyễn Văn Toàn | | 46' |
| MF | 11 | Ngân Văn Đại | | 59' |
| FW | 22 | Nguyễn Tiến Linh | | 84' |
| Manager: ||
| Park Hang-seo ||
| GK | 1 | Alireza Beiranvand |
| RB | 2 | Voria Ghafouri |
| CB | 8 | Morteza Pouraliganji |
| CB | 13 | Hossein Kanaanizadegan |
| LB | 3 | Ehsan Hajsafi | 75' |
| DM | 9 | Omid Ebrahimi |
| RM | 21 | Ashkan Dejagah (c) |
| LM | 11 | Vahid Amiri | | 64' |
| AM | 14 | Saman Ghoddos |
| CF | 17 | Mehdi Taremi | 19' | 64' |
| CF | 20 | Sardar Azmoun | | 79' |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 6 | Ahmad Nourollahi | | 64' |
| MF | 16 | Mehdi Torabi | | 64' |
| FW | 10 | Karim Ansarifard | | 79' |
| Manager: ||
| Carlos Queiroz ||
* Man of the Match:
* Sardar Azmoun (Iran)
* Assistant referees:
* Ronnie Koh Min Kiat (Singapore)
* Sergei Grishchenko (Kyrgyzstan)
* Fourth official:
* Palitha Hemathunga (Sri Lanka)
* Additional assistant referees:
* César Ramos (Mexico)
* Hettikamkanamge Perera (Sri Lanka)

### Yemen vs Iraq

Iraq took the lead in the 11th minute when Mohanad Ali beat the Yemen defence before unleashing a shot from outside the box into the bottom right corner. Yemen had their first look at goal from a set-piece five minutes later, but Abdulwasea Al-Matari sent his header just above the bar. Yemen goalkeeper Saoud Al-Sowadi soon conceded the second goal in the 19th minute when Bashar Resan's strike from the top of the box bounced off the right post before settling in the net. In the second half, both teams came close to finding the net with Ahmed Abdulrab's right-footed shot from outside the box just being kept out by Iraq goalkeeper Jalal Hassan in the 59th minute. Iraq responded five minutes later, with Mohanad coming close to getting his second but his lob was denied by the post and Ahmed Yasin missed the chance to tuck the rebound home. Iraq ended proceedings on a high note as Alaa Abbas scored with a left-footed shot from the centre of the box and into the net.
| Yemen | Iraq |
| GK | 23 | Saoud Al-Sowadi |
| RB | 21 | Mohammed Ba Rowis |
| CB | 15 | Ammar Hamsan |
| CB | 4 | Mudir Al-Radaei |
| LB | 13 | Ala Addin Mahdi |
| RM | 11 | Abdulwasea Al-Matari |
| CM | 12 | Ahmed Al-Haifi | | 46' |
| CM | 9 | Ala Al-Sasi (c) | | 83' |
| CM | 17 | Hussein Al-Ghazi | | 30' |
| LM | 7 | Ahmed Al-Sarori |
| CF | 20 | Emad Mansoor |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 8 | Wahid Al Khyat | 52' | 30' |
| MF | 6 | Ahmed Abdulrab | | 46' |
| FW | 10 | Ahmed Dhabaan | | 83' |
| Manager: ||
| Ján Kocian ||
| GK | 1 | Jalal Hassan (c) |
| RB | 17 | Alaa Ali Mhawi |
| CB | 2 | Ahmad Ibrahim |
| CB | 22 | Rebin Sulaka |
| LB | 6 | Ali Adnan |
| DM | 7 | Safaa Hadi |
| RM | 9 | Ahmed Yasin |
| CM | 13 | Bashar Resan |
| CM | 16 | Hussein Ali | 88' |
| LM | 11 | Humam Tariq | 55' |
| CF | 10 | Mohanad Ali | 71' |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 14 | Amjad Attwan | 55' |
| FW | 21 | Alaa Abbas | 71' |
| FW | 19 | Mohammed Dawood | 88' |
| Manager: ||
| Srečko Katanec ||
* Man of the Match:
* Mohanad Ali (Iraq)
* Assistant referees:
* Huo Weiming (China PR)
* Cao Yi (China PR)
* Fourth official:
* Mohamad Zainal Abidin (Malaysia)
* Additional assistant referees:
* Ma Ning (China PR)
* Liu Kwok Man (Hong Kong)

### Vietnam vs Yemen

Mudir Al-Radaei involved himself in an altercation with Nguyễn Công Phượng to concede a free kick, picking up a yellow card from referee Ahmed Al-Kaf and from the resulting free kick, Vietnam took the lead. Nguyễn Quang Hải sent a left-foot strike from 25 yards curling away from Salem Al-Harsh and into the top corner of the goal. Ten minutes into the second half, a move started by Đỗ Hùng Dũng's angled ball down the right allowed Nguyễn Trọng Hoàng to pull his cross back to Công Phượng, only for his shot to be blocked by the Yemeni defence. Seconds later, Hùng Dũng’s shot was collected by Al-Harsh. Ahmed Al-Sarori outpaced Đoàn Văn Hậu before firing a right foot shot that flew across the face of goal. Four minutes after the hour mark, though, Vietnam added the second from the penalty spot. Phan Văn Đức burst past Abdulaziz Al-Gumaei, surging into the box before the Yemeni defender wrestled him to the ground. Quế Ngọc Hải calmly slid the spot kick home to give Vietnam the win. However, as Vietnam was unable to score more than two goals, Vietnam had been forced to wait until the final group stage matches, in which they managed to become the last team to qualify for the knockout stage.
| Vietnam | Yemen |
| GK | 23 | Đặng Văn Lâm |
| RB | 8 | Nguyễn Trọng Hoàng |
| CB | 4 | Bùi Tiến Dũng |
| CB | 3 | Quế Ngọc Hải (c) |
| LB | 5 | Đoàn Văn Hậu |
| DM | 12 | Nguyễn Phong Hồng Duy |
| CM | 6 | Lương Xuân Trường | | 53' |
| CM | 16 | Đỗ Hùng Dũng |
| RW | 19 | Nguyễn Quang Hải |
| LW | 20 | Phan Văn Đức | | 72' |
| CF | 10 | Nguyễn Công Phượng | 78' | 82' |
| Substitutions: ||
| FW | 22 | Nguyễn Tiến Linh | | 53' |
| FW | 9 | Nguyễn Văn Toàn | | 72' |
| MF | 14 | Trần Minh Vương | | 82' |
| Manager: ||
| Park Hang-seo ||
| GK | 22 | Salem Al-Harsh |
| RB | 21 | Mohammed Ba Rowis |
| CB | 15 | Ammar Hamsan | | 57' |
| CB | 4 | Mudir Al-Radaei |
| LB | 13 | Ala Addin Mahdi | 27' |
| DM | 19 | Mohammed Boqshan |
| RM | 11 | Abdulwasea Al-Matari |
| CM | 8 | Wahid Al Khyat | 37' | 76' |
| CM | 9 | Ala Al-Sasi (c) |
| LM | 7 | Ahmed Al-Sarori |
| CF | 20 | Emad Mansoor | | 25' |
| Substitutions: ||
| FW | 10 | Ahmed Dhabaan | | 25' |
| DF | 5 | Abdulaziz Al-Gumaei | 63' | 57' |
| FW | 18 | Ahmed Alos | | 76' |
| Manager: ||
| Ján Kocian ||
* Man of the Match:
* Nguyễn Quang Hải (Vietnam)
* Assistant referees:
* Abu Bakar Al-Amri (Oman)
* Rashid Al-Ghaithi (Oman)
* Fourth official:
* Hiroshi Yamauchi (Japan)
* Additional assistant referees:
* Jumpei Iida (Japan)
* Hiroyuki Kimura (Japan)

### Iran vs Iraq

Iran had the first chance at goal in the 12th minute when Vahid Amiri sent a cross into the box but Sardar Azmoun’s header was just off the mark. Three minutes from the half-time whistle, Alireza Jahanbakhsh latched on to Azmoun’s deflected attempt but couldn’t get his left-footed strike on target. Iran, in a bid to break down the Iraq defence, boosted their attacking prowess by bringing on Mehdi Taremi and Mehdi Torabi in the 63rd and 75th minutes respectively. However, it was Iraq who nearly took the lead in the 77th minute when substitute Alaa Abbas’s header was tipped over the bar by Alireza Beiranvand. As the minutes ticked away, neither team was able to make headway as they settled for a share of the spoils.
| Iran | Iraq |
| GK | 1 | Alireza Beiranvand |
| CB | 4 | Rouzbeh Cheshmi | | 80' |
| CB | 13 | Hossein Kanaanizadegan |
| CB | 19 | Majid Hosseini |
| RWB | 2 | Voria Ghafouri |
| LWB | 5 | Milad Mohammadi |
| DM | 9 | Omid Ebrahimi (c) |
| RM | 18 | Alireza Jahanbakhsh | | 63' |
| LM | 11 | Vahid Amiri | 68' |
| AM | 14 | Saman Ghoddos | 39' | 75' |
| CF | 20 | Sardar Azmoun |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 17 | Mehdi Taremi | | 63' |
| MF | 16 | Mehdi Torabi | | 75' |
| MF | 21 | Ashkan Dejagah | | 80' |
| Manager: ||
| Carlos Queiroz ||
| GK | 1 | Jalal Hassan (c) |
| RB | 17 | Alaa Ali Mhawi |
| CB | 2 | Ahmad Ibrahim | 78' |
| CB | 5 | Ali Faez |
| LB | 6 | Ali Adnan | 82' |
| CM | 7 | Safaa Hadi |
| CM | 14 | Amjad Attwan | 34' |
| RW | 9 | Ahmed Yasin | | 46' |
| AM | 16 | Hussein Ali | | 77' |
| LW | 11 | Humam Tariq |
| CF | 10 | Mohanad Ali | | 71' |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 13 | Bashar Resan | | 46' |
| FW | 21 | Alaa Abbas | | 71' |
| FW | 19 | Mohammed Dawood | | 77' |
| Manager: ||
| Srečko Katanec ||
* Man of the Match:
* Alireza Beiranvand (Iran)
* Assistant referees:
* Abdukhamidullo Rasulov (Uzbekistan)
* Jakhongir Saidov (Uzbekistan)
* Fourth official:
* Sergei Grishchenko (Kyrgyzstan)
* Additional assistant referees:
* Valentin Kovalenko (Uzbekistan)
* Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)

## Discipline

Fair play points were used as tiebreakers if the head-to-head and overall records of teams were tied (and if a penalty shoot-out was not applicable as a tiebreaker). These were calculated based on yellow and red cards received in all group matches as follows:
* yellow card = 1 point
* red card as a result of two yellow cards = 3 points
* direct red card = 3 points
* yellow card followed by direct red card = 4 points
Only one of the above deductions was applied to a player in a single match.
| Team | Match 1 | Match 2 | Match 3 | Points |
| Iraq | 1 | | 3 | −4 |
| Iran | 1 | 2 | 2 | −5 |
| Vietnam | 2 | 2 | 1 | −5 |
| Yemen | 4 | 1 | 3 | −8 |