MEF - Jordan
manager Mahmoud El-Gohary stressed his satisfaction towards the Asian Cup
qualifying draw, the Egyptian coach having his side being paired in Group
4 against giants Iran, Lebanon and either North Korea and India who are
expected to battle out for one ticket in the preliminary round.
“Frankly speaking, I see no reason not to make advantage over a rather
very balanced group,” said the manager who guided Egypt to the 1990
World up finals in Italy.
“We must play the full 180 minutes over two legs in Iran the way it
should be, showing endurance and commitment and am sure we can achieve
success over the recent Asian Games gold medallists.
“About Lebanon, they are a side capable of the best and the worst,”
added El-Gohary. “We should take care of them the way we emerged
victorious against our neighbors in the last couple of years and through
various competitions in West Asia,” he added.
“About the other opponents, I believe North Korea will have the edge
over India, usually they are relying on fitness and individual skills like
South Korea, but we cannot compare them with their southern neighbors,
generally speaking.”
Jordan, who never made it to the finals stages of the Asian Cup before,
are boasting what the local observers label as their all-time best side,
reaching the West Asian Football Federation finals showdown last September
before being floored 3-2 by Iraq, after beating Iran and Lebanon 1-0 in
the first round, before dispatching neighboring Syria 2-1 in the
semi-finals stage of the competition.
Jordan have recorded two successive victories over Malaysia 1-0 and
Singapore 3-1 last week during their training camp currently held in Abu
Dhabi, having also defeated hosts Bahrain 3-0 on Saturday in the opening
fixture of the Bahrain International Tournament in Manama, and are
scheduled to face China today and Syria on Thursday. |