BEIJING, July 19: South Korea had to settle for a point when they were held to a goalless draw by stubborn Jordan in their opening Asian Cup match on Monday.
Kuwait took full advantage, beating the United Arab Emirates 3-1 to go top of Group 'B' on three points.
Both games were played against the backdrop of a row caused after a top Asian Football Confederation (AFC) official launched a scathing attack on Beijing at the weekend. AFC general secretary Peter Velappan sought to defuse a potentially explosive situation by apologising for his remarks following a backlash from fans and Chinese media.
South Korea, World Cup semi-finalists two years ago, dominated against Jordan but could not find a way past goalkeeper Amer Sabbah. Striker Ahn Jung-hwan, whose goal knocked Italy out of the 2002 World Cup, was twice denied by brilliant saves from Sabbah while Lee Dong-gook and Seol Ki-hyeon also went close.
Jordan rarely threatened on their Asian Cup debut, pulling all 11 men behind the ball to frustrate the group favourites. Kuwait captain Bashar Abdullah gave the 1980 winners the lead after 25 minutes in their win over UAE.
A penalty from Bader Al Mutwa and an own goal from Basheer Saeed in first-half stoppage time put Kuwait 3-0 up at the break. Striker Mohamed Rashid pulled one back for UAE two minutes after the restart but Kuwait held on thanks largely to goalkeeper Shehab Kankone.
Off the pitch, Velappan had stirred anger by accusing fans in Beijing of being rude for booing during Saturday's opening ceremony. He also voiced doubts that the Chinese capital could host a successful Olympics in 2008. But in a face-saving move, Velappan backtracked.
Velappan had complained bitterly about the swathes of empty seats visible during the opening game between China and Bahrain, which ended in a 2-2 draw. A crowd of 30,000 turned up to watch the first two Group 'B' games in Jinan, calming the tournament organisers' nerves. -Reuters
