FOOTBALL – Arwa Amer Batayneh’s brace steered Jordan to a 6-0 win over Bahrain in Group G of the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup Thailand 2026 Qualifiers yesterday.
The win kept Jordan on course for a place in the finals, with the West Asian side to face Uzbekistan tomorrow.
Bahrain were aiming for their first win after falling 8-0 to Uzbekistan but their plan came undone as early as the seventh minute with Batayneh surging into the box after pouncing on a poor pass from keeper Dhuwa Alfaihani to slot home.
Deanna Hani Alkhawaja widened the lead in the 24th minute with a curling free-kick before Kinda Yahya Altiti outfoxed her markers, surged into the box and scored past Alfaihani three minutes later.
Jordan continued to apply pressure in the second half and furthered their advantage through Janna Naser Ma’touq, who finished off Rama Moayad Alkhashook’s cutback in the 74th minute.
Yasmeen Al Zurikat in the 81st and a powerful strike from Batayneh in the 90th capped victory for Jordan.
Meanwhile, North Korea and Nepal will square off tomorrow to decide who progresses after both registered wins in Group A yesterday.
Defending champions DPR Korea hit 10 unanswered goals against Bhutan while Sukriya Miya came off the bench to score in the 90th minute to give Nepal a 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia.
Both sides came into the tie in search of a win but it was Nepal who enjoyed the lion’s share of possession with Saudi keeper Fajar Sakkaf kept on her toes.
The West Asian side played in patches and came close at the half-hour mark with Maram Alyahya almost finding the target from distance.
Nepal’s aggression came to fruition after they were awarded a penalty only for Meena Deuba to be denied by the woodwork in the 38th minute.
Saudi Arabia almost found the back of the net four minutes from half-time after Lama Alshathry weaved her way into the box before shooting the ball over the bar from close range.
Saudi Arabia kept Nepal at bay for the most of the second half before Sakkaf was finally beaten in the 90th minute.
Deuba’s cutback into the box found an unmarked Miya, who converted coolly past the Saudi Arabia custodian to earn Nepal their first win.
Bhutan tried their best to contain North Korea but their efforts fell short again just after the half hour mark with Kang Ryu Mi weaving her way inside a tight box slotting past Rai.
It was then Ho Kyong’s turn to shine as she struck North Korea’s fifth in the 34th minute, finishing off her surging run with a powerful finish.
The second half saw another flurry of goals with North Korea extending their lead in the 49th minute through Jon Il Chong before So Ryu Gyong curled in a stunning free-kick six minutes later.
Jon Il Chong doubled her tally in the 58th minute after converting Choe Yon A’s cutback from inside the box, while Ho Kyong scored twice in four minutes to seal an empathic victory for the two-time winners, who only need to avoid defeat tomorrow to advance.
China and Lebanon set up a final day showdown in Group E after picking up their second wins yesterday.
China were at their best in beating Cambodia 7-0 while Lebanon edged Syria 2-1.
Syria went into the game looking to bounce back from a disappointing opening day when they lost 7-0 to China but were up against a confident Lebanon side who had secured a 1-0 win over Cambodia on Wednesday.
Lebanon struck first with Sherin Hasno scoring for the second game running, nodding home an inch perfect corner delivery from Kristen Hanouch in the 19th minute.
A resurgent Syria emerged for the second half with Nivin Baddour netting in the 57th minute to level the tie.
Their comeback, however, was short-lived as Lebanon passed their way around Syria with Hasno’s low cross turned into her own net by Dlnai Isamil seven minutes later.
Lebanon will next take on China tomorrow in a tie that will potentially decide the group winners while Syria will complete their campaign against Cambodia.
China seized control of the match from the opening whistle as they looked to utilise their physical advantage over Cambodia, particularly through their towering forward Liu Jiayu.
Liu powered a header past Cambodia custodian Chorn Chita to give China the lead in the seventh minute before grabbing her second in the 14th with a stooping header.
China kept peppering Cambodia’s goal with attempts with only the heroics of Chita preventing the East Asian side from taking an even bigger lead into the break.
The second half saw Cambodia pinned in their own half with midfielder Wang Aifang adding a sumptuous third goal in the 54th minute with a free-kick from near the sideline that caught Chita out.
China kept up the pressure to add to their advantage with two goals in as many minutes with Zheng Lu’s strike (60th) followed by Huang Weiwei’s powerful shot from the edge of the box.
Capping off another emphatic victory was arguably the pick of the bunch when Zhang Yiqian curled home a spectacular free-kick before Xiao Yafei made it 7-0 in stoppage time to take Colin Bell’s side to the top of standings. Japan will square off against Islamic Republic of Iran after both stayed perfect in Group F yesterday.
Japan cruised to a 16-0 win against hosts Malaysia while Iran defeated Guam 2-0.
Iran went into the tie in a better position, having opened their campaign with a 3-0 win over Malaysia while Guam – defeated 5-0 by Japan – needed victory to stay in the running.
However, the Central Asian side were quicker to get into stride and went ahead in the 15th minute through Maryam Dini, with the forward netting her third goal of the campaign.
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