Alou Kuol’s quest for glory continues as group stage ends

By Daniel Webb

Jun 9, 2022

Up and about: Alou Kuol started all three group stage games in the under-23 Asian Cup. Photo by AAP

Former Goulburn Valley Sun Alou Kuol is one step closer to continental glory, with his Australian under-23 side progressing to the next round of the AFC U23 Asian Cup.

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The Australians secured a spot on top of Group B on Tuesday night with a 1-0 victory against Jordan, enough to lock in a quarter-final berth.

It has been an entertaining tournament so far for the young green and gold outfit, with a 2-0 victory over Kuwait on match-day one and a 1-1 draw with Iraq on match-day two combining with the Jordan result for an undefeated start to the campaign.

For Kuol, it has been an up-and-down start to the tournament, with the attacker only finding the back of the net once, albeit in spectacular fashion.

Kuol’s ‘scorpion’ goal on the cusp of half-time against Iraq will be hard to top as a highlight for the tournament and is sure to inspire the young star to further success as the competition roles on.

The Shepparton talent started up front for all three of the group stage games and will be hoping to find the back of the net more frequently as the side moves on to the knockout stages.

Up next Australia will take on Group A runner-up Turkmenistan in a quarter-final showdown on Saturday night at 11pm, with the do or die clash to provide another opportunity for the young side to impress.

If they make it through the quarter-final stage they will face a semi-final clash before the tournament final, meaning the side is just three wins away from lifting the trophy.

With teams such as South Korea, Iraq and hosts Uzbekistan still in the mix there is no easy path to the final, however, if the Australians can continue their upwards trajectory, they are sure to be in with a real shot.