ABU DHABI, Jan. 14 -- The United Arab Emirates, Thailand and Bahrain advanced to the round of 16 knockouts from Group A of the AFC Asian Cup 2019 on Monday at the expense of India who finished fourth with three points and were sent packed.

In the last round of the Group A competitions which kicked off simoultaneously, hosts UAE tied 1-1 with Thailand to finish first with five points. Bahrain upset India 1-0 with an injury-time penalty to clinch equal four points with Thailand and goal difference advantage.

But according to the tournament's regulations, if teams get the same points in group standings, they will be graded firstly by their head-to-head results in the group. Therefore, Thailand, who beat Bahrain 1-0 in the second round, finished second in Group A and Bahrain third.

As it is the first time for the AFC Asian Cup to feature 24 teams instead of 16 teams, the top two finishers of the six 4-team groups plus the best four third finishers will qualify for the round of 16 knockout stage. So far, the potential third finishers of Group C,D,E,F can collect three points at most. Then Bahrain have already survived as one of the best four third finishers.

At Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Ali Mabkhout put the UAE ahead after seven minutes, but Thitiphan Puangjan struck the equalizer to earn the Thais the crucial point.

The UAE have qualified for the knockout phase for the second tournament in a row, and Thailand will be featuring in the next round for the first time since reaching the semifinals in 1972.

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