Yemen National Team: Desire to rise in war
(Baonghean.vn) - Yemen will be the last opponent in the group stage of the Vietnam national football team. This country is struggling with civil war but still won the right to play in a continental tournament and is looking forward to the next historical moment if they overcome Vietnam.
Inspired by Middle Eastern friends
Yemenis witness bombings that take the lives of their loved ones every day. Yet, they live, contribute, and hope for a bright future for their country.
Football is the number one sport in this country. The Yemen national team still participates in international tournaments as an affirmation that, despite facing countless difficulties, Yemeni football still has a strong vitality.
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| Yemeni football is eager to prove itself in the Asian arena. Photo: AFC |
For the Syrians, even though their country is being torn apart by bombs and bullets, they still pursue their dream of participating in the World Cup. Or like Iraq, whose football team made a miracle when they won the 2007 Asian Cup. Iraqi fans rushed into the streets to celebrate in extreme joy despite the daily bombings and shelling of the long and disastrous war that still exists today.
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Iraq also once aspired and succeeded despite the hardships of war. Photo: AFC |
Things seem to be no different for Yemenis now. The fact is that Yemeni football has long been underrated compared to Iraq and Syria. Recently at the 23rd Arabian Cup in Qatar, Yemen did not make any special impression.
They lost to Qatar and Iraq. However, it is still considered an achievement for the Yemeni national team. The Yemeni national championship was suspended due to the bombing campaign, most clubs did not have enough finance to maintain operations. Many capable players had to go abroad to participate in tournaments in Qatar, UAE...
Desire to excel at Asian Cup 2019
For Yemeni football fans, the national team's qualification for the 2019 Asian Cup is truly an unimaginable feat.
Yemen finished bottom of the group in the first round with only 3 points after 8 matches. However, in the final qualifying round, they played well to finish 2nd in Group F, thereby qualifying for the final round held in the UAE.
Yemen could not create a surprise against the giant Iran. They lost 5-0. However, for Yemen fans, that did not make them less proud of Mr. Jan Kocian's army.
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| Can Yemen make history? Photo: AFC |
Before the match with Iraq, Yemeni fans in their homeland gathered at football venues. Yemeni TV could not buy the rights to the tournament, so those who wanted to watch their home teams had to find a place with an Internet connection.
Once again, their team continued to lose and lost heavily by 3 goals to Iraq. However, like our Vietnam team, losing to strong teams like Iran or Iraq is really inevitable.
They are looking forward to the final match with the Vietnamese national team with the desire to win a historic victory in the tournament they are participating in for the first time. Who knows, maybe, with more luck, they will make another miracle if they overcome the representative from Southeast Asia.
“Yemen is in a difficult group at the 2019 Asian Cup. Both Iraq and Iran are opponents of a higher level and class. We come to this tournament with the main strength being the fighting spirit to assert ourselves. Yemen is going through a civil war, so having players who are qualified to play football regularly is a luxury,” Mr. Jan Kocian shared with the press.
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| Mr. Jan Kocian has great respect for his Vietnamese opponent. Photo: AFC |
Talking about the specific preparation of the team he is leading, the coach from Europe cannot help but be jealous of what the Vietnamese national team has achieved: "I know that the Vietnamese players have had good preparation, they have played friendly training matches before the tournament but we have not, our team only had 10 days to prepare for this tournament".
A football team that is still struggling in the midst of a storm of bombs and bullets cannot hope for anything more than winning the right to compete in the final round of the Asian Cup. However, if the minimum target is to be achieved, the determination to score points against Mr. Park Hang-seo's team is not beyond reach. If successful and winning the right to continue, this will certainly be the next great miracle for this football team that is facing many difficulties.