DUBAI (Dispatches) - Iran national football team has sealed top spot in Group D of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 after playing to a 0-0 draw with Iraq at a packed Maktoum Stadium in Dubai.
As group winner, Iran will play Oman in Abu Dhabi’s Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium on Sunday, while runner-up Iraq will face Qatar - in Al Nahyan Stadium on Tuesday.
Oman finished third with three points after beating Turkmenistan 3-1 to secure a spot in the knockout stage for the first time.
Iran national football team head coach Carlos Queiroz says the 2019 AFC Asian Cup will start for Team Melli from now on.
The three-time champion sealed top spot in Group D following a 0-0 draw with Iraq on Wednesday, edging the West Asian on goal difference after both team finished on seven points.
Queiroz said he has to get his players ready for the business end of the competition.
"From now on, it’s a game which is everything for the winner and nothing to the loser. All the profile of the games have changed, so we can say that the Asian Cup starts for us in the next game," Queiroz.
"Now we need to rest. After these three games, it’s important to have a good rest, and start to be mentally fresh for the (next) games."
After having defeated Yemen and Vietnam with relative ease, Iran faced more formidable opponent in Iraq and Queiroz commended the 2007 champion.

Qatar, Japan Advance in Asian Cup With Perfect Record
Qatar finished the group stage of the Asian Cup with a third straight win, beating three-time champion Saudi Arabia 2-0 on Thursday in a highly charged game amid the political tensions between the two nations.
Saudi Arabia engineered the regional boycott of Qatar along with the host United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt.
Forward Almoez Ali scored both goals, netting the opener at the Zayed Sports City Stadium with a low shot in first-half injury time and heading home the second 10 minutes from time to help his country beat Saudi Arabia at the Asian Cup for the first time and win Group E with nine points.
Just minutes before the first goal, Hasan Al Haydos missed a penalty for Qatar.
Ali, 22, is the top scorer at the tournament with seven goals and will look to extend his tally in the round of 16 against Iraq on Tuesday.


Japan Defeat Uzbekistan 2-1
Earlier in Al Ain, four-time champion Japan rallied from a goal down to also finish the group stage with a perfect record after a 2-1 victory over Uzbekistan.
With both teams already qualified, Japan topped Group F with nine points after winning all three games to set up a knockout-stage meeting with Saudi Arabia on Monday.
Uzbekistan finished second with six points and will open the round of 16 against defending champion Australia.
In Group E in Sharjah, Lebanon got its first win, 4-0 against North Korea and both teams are eliminated.
*******Qatar's forward Hasan Al Haydos kicks a penalty shot during the AFC Asian Cup group E soccer match between Saudi Arabia and Qatar at Zayed Sport City Stadium in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Jan 17, 2018.