# 2023 AFC Asian Cup Group C

Group C of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup took place from 14 to 23 January 2024. The group consisted of Iran, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and Palestine. The top two teams, Iran and the United Arab Emirates, along with third-placed Palestine (as one of the four best third-placed teams), advanced to the round of 16.

## 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 2023 | December 2023 |
| C1 | Iran | CAFA | Second round Group C winners | 15 June 2021 | 15th | 2019 | Winners (1968, 1972, 1976) | 24 | 21 |
| C2 | United Arab Emirates | WAFF | Second round Group G winners | 15 June 2021 | 11th | 2019 | Runners-up (1996) | 72 | 64 |
| C3 | Hong Kong | EAFF | Third round Group D runners-up | 14 June 2022 | 4th | 1968 | Third place (1956) | 147 | 150 |
| C4 | Palestine | WAFF | Third round Group B winners | 14 June 2022 | 3rd | 2019 | Group stage (2015, 2019) | 93 | 99 |
Notes
* ↑ The rankings of April 2023 were used for seeding for the final draw.

## Standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Iran | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | United Arab Emirates | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 3 | Palestine | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 4 | Hong Kong | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 0 | |

## Matches
### United Arab Emirates vs Hong Kong

This was the first time the sides met in the group stage of an Asian Cup. They had previously met three times in the past, with a draw in 2000 and two 4–0 wins for the Emiratis as part of 2015 AFC Asian Cup qualification.
In the 30th minute, Sultan Adil shot his ball to the hand of Hong Kong defender Oliver Gerbig, with the referee deciding to give a penalty after consulting VAR due to Gerbig's hand movement being deemed abnormal. Adil then converted the penalty himself to give the Emiratis the lead. Early in the second half, Everton Camargo delivered a brilliant pass from the right flank to Chan Siu Kwan, who then equalised with what was Hong Kong's first goal since Li Kwok Keung on 15 May 1968, and the 1,000th goal in Asian Cup history. However, Zayed Sultan soon reclaimed the lead for the Emiratis after two earlier shots from Abdullah Ramadan and Adil were denied by keeper Yapp Hung Fai, when Sultan was quick to seize the opportunity over the ball's deflection to his position. In the first minute of second-half stoppage time, Yahya Al-Ghassani was deemed to have been fouled by Shinichi Chan while dribbling in Hong Kong's penalty area after another VAR consultation, going on to become a controversial penalty decision, during which Al-Ghassani would again successfully convert in the sixth minute of added time. Minutes later, Michael Udebuluzor scored a second goal for Hong Kong which was ruled out by VAR again, as the United Arab Emirates triumphed 3–1.
| United Arab Emirates | Hong Kong |
| GK | 17 | Khalid Eisa (c) |
| RB | 3 | Zayed Sultan | | 88' |
| CB | 12 | Khalifa Al Hammadi |
| CB | 26 | Bader Nasser |
| LB | 2 | Abdulla Idrees | 23' |
| CM | 8 | Tahnoon Al-Zaabi | | 68' |
| CM | 15 | Yahia Nader | | 81' |
| CM | 18 | Abdullah Ramadan | | 88' |
| RF | 11 | Caio Canedo |
| CF | 23 | Sultan Adil |
| LF | 10 | Fábio Lima | | 68' |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 14 | Abdulla Hamad | | 68' |
| FW | 20 | Yahya Al-Ghassani | | 68' |
| MF | 5 | Ali Salmeen | | 81' |
| DF | 24 | Ahmed Jamil | | 88' |
| DF | 4 | Khalid Al-Hashemi | | 88' |
| Manager: ||
| Paulo Bento ||
| GK | 1 | Yapp Hung Fai (c) |
| RB | 21 | Yue Tze Nam | 27' | 67' |
| CB | 3 | Oliver Gerbig | 33' |
| CB | 13 | Li Ngai Hoi | | 90+1' |
| LB | 17 | Shinichi Chan |
| CM | 6 | Wu Chun Ming |
| CM | 8 | Tan Chun Lok | | 90+1' |
| CM | 16 | Chan Siu Kwan | | 78' |
| RF | 11 | Everton Camargo |
| CF | 9 | Matt Orr |
| LF | 14 | Poon Pui Hin | | 66' |
| Substitutions: ||
| FW | 25 | Stefan Pereira | | 66' |
| FW | 20 | Michael Udebuluzor | | 67' |
| MF | 10 | Wong Wai | | 78' |
| DF | 4 | Vas Nuñez | | 90+1' |
| MF | 22 | Yu Joy Yin | | 90+1' |
| Manager: ||
| Jørn Andersen ||
* Man of the Match:
* Yahya Al-Ghassani (United Arab Emirates)
* Assistant referees:
* Ronnie Goh Min Kiat (Singapore)
* Abdul Hannan Bin Abdul Hasim (Singapore)
* Fourth official:
* Ahmad Al-Ali (Kuwait)
* Reserve assistant referee:
* Abdulhadi Al-Enezi (Kuwait)
* Video assistant referee:
* Sivakorn Pu-udom (Thailand)
* Assistant video assistant referees:
* Kate Jacewicz (Australia)

### Iran vs Palestine

The sides had faced each other six times prior, with Iran undefeated in all matches; their most recent meeting was a friendly in 2018, which ended with a 1–1 draw.
Iran got off to a dream start after a fast attack saw Mehdi Ghayedi seize the opportunity from a throw-in, passing to Saman Ghoddos who sent the ball to Karim Ansarifard, putting Iran in front after just two minutes. Iran doubled their lead ten minutes later after Ghoddos delivered a set-piece which Shojae Khalilzadeh quickly got on the end of to strike the ball into the net. In the 38th minute, a failed clearance from Palestine's Mohammed Rashid was intercepted by Ansarifard, who then passed to Alireza Jahanbakhsh and then Ghayedi, striking a low shot to give Iran a three-goal lead. In the sixth minute of first half stoppage time, a clever set-piece from Palestine's Zaid Qunbar caught Iranian defender Saeid Ezatolahi by surprise, as he headed the ball directly to his opponent Tamer Seyam, whose subsequent converted header was thus onside and reduced Iran's lead back to a two-goal margin. Iran then buried any Palestinian hope of a comeback in the 55th minute when Sadegh Moharrami, receiving the ball from Majid Hosseini, delivered a decisive pass for Sardar Azmoun, who then struck the net after clumsy attempts by the Palestinians to clear the ball.
| Iran | Palestine |
| GK | 1 | Alireza Beiranvand |
| RB | 2 | Sadegh Moharrami | | 81' |
| CB | 13 | Hossein Kanaanizadegan | 17' |
| CB | 4 | Shojae Khalilzadeh | | 44' |
| LB | 3 | Ehsan Hajsafi (c) |
| CM | 14 | Saman Ghoddos | | 90' |
| CM | 6 | Saeid Ezatolahi |
| RW | 7 | Alireza Jahanbakhsh |
| AM | 9 | Mehdi Taremi |
| LW | 18 | Mehdi Ghayedi | | 46' |
| CF | 10 | Karim Ansarifard | | 46' |
| Substitutions: ||
| DF | 19 | Majid Hosseini | | 44' |
| FW | 20 | Sardar Azmoun | | 46' |
| MF | 21 | Mohammad Mohebi | | 46' |
| DF | 23 | Ramin Rezaeian | | 81' |
| MF | 8 | Omid Ebrahimi | | 90' |
| Manager: ||
| Amir Ghalenoei ||
| GK | 22 | Rami Hamadeh |
| RB | 7 | Musab Al-Battat (c) |
| CB | 15 | Michel Termanini | 10' |
| CB | 4 | Yaser Hamed | | 46' |
| LB | 12 | Camilo Saldaña | 40' | 46' |
| RM | 9 | Tamer Seyam | 42' | 84' |
| CM | 6 | Oday Kharoub |
| CM | 3 | Mohammed Rashid |
| LM | 10 | Mahmoud Abu Warda |
| CF | 20 | Zaid Qunbar | 51' | 65' |
| CF | 13 | Shehab Qunbar | | 65' |
| Substitutions: ||
| DF | 2 | Mohammed Khalil | 80' | 46' |
| DF | 5 | Mohammed Saleh | 90+5' | 46' |
| FW | 8 | Hassan Alaa Aldeen | | 65' |
| FW | 11 | Oday Dabbagh | | 65' |
| MF | 14 | Samer Zubaida | | 84' |
| Manager: ||
| Makram Daboub ||
* Man of the Match:
* Saman Ghoddos (Iran)
* Assistant referees:
* Taleb Al-Marri (Qatar)
* Saoud Al-Maqaleh (Qatar)
* Fourth official:
* Hanna Hattab (Syria)
* Reserve assistant referee:
* Ali Ahmad (Syria)
* Video assistant referee:
* Abdulla Al-Marri (Qatar)
* Assistant video assistant referees:
* Khamis Al-Marri (Qatar)

### Palestine vs United Arab Emirates

This was the sides' first meeting since 2016, when the two faced as part of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, with the United Arab Emirates winning 2–0 at home.
The UAE had the better start, and in the 23rd minute, from a contested ball in the midfield won by Ali Saleh, he provided a perfect cross for Sultan Adil, who then headed into the Palestinian net to give the Emiratis the lead. However, the match changed direction significantly after a pulling foul in the area from Emirati defender Khalifa Al Hammadi on Oday Dabbagh in the 34th minute, which resulted in Al Hammadi's dismissal after VAR intervention; despite this, Tamer Seyam failed to convert from the resulting penalty with goalkeeper Khalid Eisa keeping his effort out. Nonetheless, Palestine's persistent pressure paid off in the 50th minute when, from a long-range delivery, Seyam redeemed himself with a tricky cross into the penalty area, which Bader Nasser's header turned into an own goal to level the match. In spite of this goal and persistent continued Palestinian pressure, the United Arab Emirates held firm as the contest ended in a draw, denying the Palestinians a first-ever win at the Asian Cup.
| Palestine | United Arab Emirates |
| GK | 22 | Rami Hamadeh |
| RB | 7 | Musab Al-Battat (c) |
| CB | 15 | Michel Termanini |
| CB | 5 | Mohammed Saleh |
| LB | 12 | Camilo Saldaña | | 90' |
| RM | 9 | Tamer Seyam |
| CM | 6 | Oday Kharoub | | 90' |
| CM | 3 | Mohammed Rashid | | 63' |
| LM | 10 | Mahmoud Abu Warda | | 80' |
| CF | 20 | Zaid Qunbar | | 80' |
| CF | 11 | Oday Dabbagh |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 23 | Ataa Jaber | 90+9' | 63' |
| FW | 13 | Shehab Qunbar | | 80' |
| MF | 21 | Islam Batran | | 80' |
| MF | 14 | Samer Zubaida | | 90' |
| DF | 25 | Samer Jundi | | 90' |
| Manager: ||
| Makram Daboub ||
| GK | 17 | Khalid Eisa (c) |
| RB | 19 | Khaled Ibrahim | | 65' |
| CB | 12 | Khalifa Al Hammadi | 37' |
| CB | 26 | Bader Nasser |
| LB | 2 | Abdulla Idrees |
| CM | 6 | Majid Rashid |
| CM | 18 | Abdullah Ramadan | | 65' |
| RW | 11 | Caio Canedo | | 55' |
| AM | 9 | Ali Saleh | | 66' |
| LW | 10 | Fábio Lima | | 40' |
| CF | 23 | Sultan Adil | 16' |
| Substitutions: ||
| DF | 4 | Khalid Al-Hashemi | | 40' |
| FW | 20 | Yahya Al-Ghassani | | 55' |
| DF | 3 | Zayed Sultan | | 65' |
| MF | 5 | Ali Salmeen | | 65' |
| MF | 21 | Harib Abdalla | | 66' |
| Manager: ||
| Paulo Bento | 45+1' 90+9' |
* Man of the Match:
* Khalid Eisa (United Arab Emirates)
* Assistant referees:
* Abdulhadi Al-Anezi (Kuwait)
* Ahmad Abbas (Kuwait)
* Fourth official:
* Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)
* Reserve assistant referee:
* Abu Bakar Al-Amri (Oman)
* Video assistant referee:
* Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)
* Assistant video assistant referees:
* Abdullah Jamali (Kuwait)

### Hong Kong vs Iran

This was the sides' first meeting in an Asian Cup since 1968. Iran had previously faced Hong Kong seven times, all competitive fixtures, with Hong Kong recording one win and Iran six, including their most recent encounter as part of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification, which Iran won 4–0.
Hong Kong surprised Iran with some long-range efforts and duels won over Iranian players, particularly when a poor attempt to kick the ball away by the Iranians ended up hitting Everton Camargo as he put his shot wide. In the 24th minute, however, Mehdi Taremi would provide a clinical pass for Mehdi Ghayedi from a breakthrough the defence, before Ghayedi finished in the bottom left of Hong Kong's net to score Iran's only goal, and also the only goal of the match to secure Iran's win.
| Hong Kong | Iran |
| GK | 1 | Yapp Hung Fai (c) |
| RB | 21 | Yue Tze Nam |
| CB | 3 | Oliver Gerbig |
| CB | 4 | Vas Nuñez | 47' |
| LB | 17 | Shinichi Chan | | 90' |
| CM | 6 | Wu Chun Ming | 37' | 90' |
| CM | 8 | Tan Chun Lok |
| RW | 11 | Everton Camargo |
| AM | 16 | Chan Siu Kwan | | 73' |
| LW | 23 | Sun Ming Him | | 73' |
| CF | 9 | Matt Orr | | 73' |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 10 | Wong Wai | | 73' |
| FW | 20 | Michael Udebuluzor | | 73' |
| FW | 25 | Stefan Pereira | | 73' |
| MF | 15 | Chang Hei Yin | | 90' |
| FW | 14 | Poon Pui Hin | | 90' |
| Manager: ||
| Jørn Andersen ||
| GK | 1 | Alireza Beiranvand |
| RB | 23 | Ramin Rezaeian |
| CB | 13 | Hossein Kanaanizadegan |
| CB | 19 | Majid Hosseini | 65' |
| LB | 5 | Milad Mohammadi |
| CM | 14 | Saman Ghoddos |
| CM | 15 | Rouzbeh Cheshmi |
| RW | 7 | Alireza Jahanbakhsh (c) | 81' |
| AM | 9 | Mehdi Taremi | 77' |
| LW | 18 | Mehdi Ghayedi | 65' |
| CF | 26 | Shahriyar Moghanlou | 65' |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 6 | Saeid Ezatolahi | 65' |
| FW | 10 | Karim Ansarifard | 65' |
| MF | 21 | Mohammad Mohebi | 65' |
| MF | 8 | Omid Ebrahimi | 77' |
| DF | 3 | Ehsan Hajsafi | 81' |
| Manager: ||
| Amir Ghalenoei ||
* Man of the Match:
* Milad Mohammadi (Iran)
* Assistant referees:
* Ali Ahmad (Syria)
* Mohamad Kazzaz (Syria)
* Fourth official:
* Ko Hyung-jin (South Korea)
* Reserve assistant referee:
* Park Sang-jun (South Korea)
* Video assistant referee:
* Hiroyuki Kimura (Japan)
* Assistant video assistant referees:
* Kate Jacewicz (Australia)

### Iran vs United Arab Emirates

This was the sides' first meeting in the Asian Cup since 2015, which Iran won 1–0. Iran also won by the same scoreline when the sides met during 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, both home and away.
Iran quickly proved their dominance in the match, and it paid off in the 26th minute when a clinical one-touch play from Sardar Azmoun met Mehdi Taremi in the right position, as he overcame two remaining Emirati defenders to open the scoring, before Ali Gholizadeh had another header in the 36th minute ruled out for offside. Iran's rampant pressure consistently pushed the Emiratis to the brink, but as Iran poured everything into a second goal, an Emirati counterattack saw Yahya Al-Ghassani sneak into the Iranian penalty area before being fouled by Hossein Kanaanizadegan, which resulted in a yellow card for Kanaani and a penalty for the UAE. However, Al-Ghassani then squandered the 63rd minute spot kick, and his team was made to pay the price two minutes later, when a misjudged pass by Khalid Ibrahim was intercepted by Azmoun, whose backheel pass for Taremi allowed the latter to strike Iran's second goal. Iran had two more goals ruled out by VAR, first for an offside from Azmoun and then a second from Mohammad Mohebi due to his earlier foul on Emirati midfielder Majid Rashid. As the match drew to a close, in the third minute of stoppage time, Al-Ghassani redeemed himself when he got on the end of a rebound from Abdullah Ramadan's long-ranged shot, which he was able to head home; while it did not alter the match's outcome, Al-Ghassani's goal secured the Emiratis second place and progression from the group.
| Iran | United Arab Emirates |
| GK | 1 | Alireza Beiranvand |
| RB | 2 | Sadegh Moharrami | 41' | 45' |
| CB | 13 | Hossein Kanaanizadegan | 62' |
| CB | 4 | Shojae Khalilzadeh |
| LB | 3 | Ehsan Hajsafi (c) |
| CM | 6 | Saeid Ezatolahi |
| CM | 14 | Saman Ghoddos | | 67' |
| RW | 17 | Ali Gholizadeh | | 67' |
| AM | 9 | Mehdi Taremi |
| LW | 18 | Mehdi Ghayedi | | 67' |
| CF | 20 | Sardar Azmoun | | 87' |
| Substitutions: ||
| DF | 23 | Ramin Rezaeian | | 45' |
| MF | 8 | Omid Ebrahimi | | 67' |
| MF | 21 | Mohammad Mohebi | | 67' |
| MF | 7 | Alireza Jahanbakhsh | | 67' |
| FW | 11 | Reza Asadi | | 87' |
| Manager: ||
| Amir Ghalenoei ||
| GK | 17 | Khalid Eisa (c) |
| RB | 19 | Khalid Ibrahim | 72' | 74' |
| CB | 4 | Khalid Al-Hashemi |
| CB | 26 | Bader Nasser |
| LB | 3 | Zayed Sultan |
| CM | 6 | Majid Rashid | | 85' |
| CM | 18 | Abdullah Ramadan |
| RW | 21 | Harib Abdalla |
| AM | 8 | Tahnoon Al-Zaabi | 54' | 57' |
| LW | 20 | Yahya Al-Ghassani |
| CF | 9 | Ali Saleh | | 85' |
| Substitutions: ||
| FW | 11 | Caio | | 57' |
| DF | 2 | Abdulla Idrees | | 74' |
| MF | 14 | Abdulla Hamad | | 85' |
| FW | 10 | Fábio Lima | | 85' |
| Manager: ||
| Sérgio Costa ||
* Man of the Match:
* Mehdi Taremi (Iran)
* Assistant referees:
* Andrey Tsapenko (Uzbekistan)
* Timur Gaynullin (Uzbekistan)
* Fourth official:
* Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)
* Reserve assistant referee:
* Ahmad Al-Roalle (Jordan)
* Video assistant referee:
* Mohammed Al Hoish (Saudi Arabia)
* Assistant video assistant referees:
* Abdullah Jamali (Kuwait)

### Hong Kong vs Palestine

This marked the sides' first meeting in 23 years, a 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification fixture won 1–0 by Palestine.
The Palestinians got off to a dream start when, after opening the match aggressively, Musab Al-Battat received a pass before sneaking into Hong Kong's left flank, providing a clinical aerial delivery to Oday Dabbagh, whose header hit the ground and then went into the net to open the score in the 12th minute. Al-Battat then repeated the same trick in the 48th minute, when his clinical delivery reached Zaid Qunbar, who capitalised with another header for the second Palestine goal. In the 60th minute, from a failed attempt to score from Hong Kong, the Palestinians provided a quick counterattack, with Tamer Seyam striking the crossbar before the ball rebounded to Dabbagh once again, who didn't miss the opportunity to score his side's third goal. Hong Kong had a final chance to get on the scoresheet at the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time, when Al-Battat let his hand touch the ball from an effort by Everton Camargo, but Camargo himself then failed to convert the penalty which ensured the final scoreline.
This was Palestine's first-ever victory in Asian Cup history, and with four points, they managed to advance past the group stage for the first time ever.
| Hong Kong | Palestine |
| GK | 19 | Tse Ka Wing |
| RB | 21 | Yue Tze Nam |
| CB | 4 | Vas Nuñez (c) | | 28' |
| CB | 3 | Oliver Gerbig |
| LB | 17 | Shinichi Chan | | 70' |
| CM | 6 | Wu Chun Ming | | 56' |
| CM | 8 | Tan Chun Lok | 76' |
| RW | 11 | Everton Camargo |
| AM | 16 | Chan Siu Kwan | | 56' |
| LW | 20 | Michael Udebuluzor | | 70' |
| CF | 9 | Matt Orr | 86' |
| Substitutions: ||
| DF | 13 | Li Ngai Hoi | | 28' |
| MF | 10 | Wong Wai | | 56' |
| FW | 26 | Juninho | | 56' |
| FW | 25 | Stefan Pereira | | 70' |
| DF | 23 | Sun Ming Him | | 70' |
| Manager: ||
| Jørn Andersen ||
| GK | 22 | Rami Hamadeh |
| RB | 7 | Musab Al-Battat (c) |
| CB | 15 | Michel Termanini |
| CB | 5 | Mohammed Saleh |
| LB | 2 | Mohammed Khalil |
| RM | 9 | Tamer Seyam | 82' |
| CM | 6 | Oday Kharoub |
| CM | 18 | Amid Mahajna | 82' |
| LM | 10 | Mahmoud Abu Warda | 69' |
| CF | 20 | Zaid Qunbar | 69' |
| CF | 11 | Oday Dabbagh | 85' |
| Substitutions: ||
| MF | 3 | Mohammed Rashid | 69' |
| FW | 8 | Hassan Alaa Aldeen | 69' |
| MF | 21 | Islam Batran | 82' |
| MF | 14 | Samer Zubaida | 82' |
| FW | 19 | Mahmoud Wadi | 85' |
| Manager: ||
| Makram Daboub ||
* Man of the Match:
* Musab Al-Battat (Palestine)
* Assistant referees:
* Anton Shchetinin (Australia)
* Ashley Beecham (Australia)
* Fourth official:
* Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)
* Reserve assistant referee:
* Taleb Al-Marri (Qatar)
* Video assistant referee:
* Abdulla Al-Marri (Qatar)
* Assistant video assistant referees:
* Ko Hyung-jin (South Korea)

## Discipline

Fair play points would have been used as tiebreakers if the overall and head-to-head records of teams were tied. These were calculated based on yellow and red cards received in all group matches as follows:
* first yellow card: −1 point;
* indirect red card (second yellow card): −3 points;
* direct red card: −3 points;
* yellow card and 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 2 | Match 3 | Points |
| Iran | 1 | | | 2 | –3 |
| Hong Kong | 2 | 2 | | 2 | –6 |
| Palestine | 6 | 1 | | | –7 |
| United Arab Emirates | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | –7 |