AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has congratulated Iraq, Korea Republic and Uzbekistan for making it to the Round of 16 stage in the ongoing FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey.

Asian runners-up Iraq put up another sterling performance to beat Chile 2-1 and top Group E with seven points while Korea Republic and Uzbekistan qualified for the next round despite losing their final group games.

“Three out of four Asian teams have qualified for the next round in the FIFA U-20 World Cup shows the growing stature of Asian football,” Shaikh Salman said.

“Our teams have been a force to reckon with in FIFA age-group competitions and I am confident that the Asian teams will go a long way in the tournament.”

“Iraq’s victory over Egypt and Chile and their come-from-behind draw with England in the opener proved that Asian teams cannot be taken lightly.”

“The journey of Korea Republic and Uzbekistan is also encouraging and I would like to wish all the teams very best for their upcoming fixtures,” he added.

Uzbekistan will meet Greece, Asian champions Korea Republic will take on Colombia and Iraq will face Paraguay in the next round of the competition.

(AFC Press Release)