BEIJING, July 18: Turkmenistan snatched a dramatic 2-2 draw against three-time champions Saudi Arabia, while Iraq were beaten 1-0 by Uzbekistan at the Asian Cup on Sunday. Qatar were upset 2-1 by Indonesia.
Saudi Arabia were denied three points in Chengdu by a stoppage-time free kick from Begench muhammed Kuliyev. A goal down to a sixth-minute header from Nazar Bayramov, Saudi struck back soon through a Yasser Al Qahtani penalty. When Al Qahtani scored with a looping header soon after it looked as if Saudi Arabia had survived against the former Soviet republic.
But in stoppage time, Kuliyev curled a free kick into the bottom corner to secure a point for debutants Turkmenistan. Uzbekistan's winner came through Mirdjalal Kasimov in the 22nd minute. Indonesian scorers were Budi Sudarsono and Ponaryo Astaman. -Reuters
