Shaikh Salman congratulate Junior White Wolves

Asia’s football supremo Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa has paid tribute to Uzbekistan, South Korea and Iraq after they advanced to the Round of 16 in the Fifa Under-20 World Cup, which is currently being held in Turkey.

Iraq qualified outright as Group E winners on seven points, two ahead of second-placed Chile and will face Paraguay on July 3.

Korea and Uzbekistan continued their journey in the competition as one of the five best third-placed teams from the group stage.

“Three out of four Asian teams have qualified for the next round in the Fifa U-20 World Cup, which 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."

The Koreans finished third in Group B on four points, three points behind group winners Portugal and two points away from second-placed Nigeria.

The Uzbeks were in Group F, winning their match against last-placed New Zealand before earning a crucial point in their 1-1 draw with Croatia, before ending the group stage with a 4-0 loss to Uruguay.

Uzbekistan will next be up against Greece in the Round of 16 while the Koreans will pit their skills against the Colombians.