U23 Iraq prepares additional penalty shootout option with U23 Vietnam
Coach Abdul Ghani Shahad wants his team to win the U23 Asia quarter-final match in 90 minutes but does not rule out the possibility of a penalty shootout.
*The Vietnam - Iraq match takes place at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 20, Hanoi time.
"Our goal is to win against Vietnam to enter the semi-finals," coachAbdul Ghani Shahad said before the match: "This is a very important match for both teams. We want to win in 90 minutes, but we have prepared all options, including extra time and penalties."
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Coaches of the two teams held a press conference on the morning of January 19 in Changshu, China. Photo:Mr. Khoa |
Iraq was the U23 champion in 2013. In 2016, this team also reached the semi-finals and only lost to Japan, the team that later won the championship. In the bronze medal match, Iraq defeated the host Qatar 2-1 after 120 minutes. In the group stage of this tournament, coach Abdul Ghani Shahad and his team were undefeated. In which, they had a big 4-1 victory over Malaysia, a team with a similar playing style to Vietnam.
"We have reached the knockout stage, all teams are strong. Therefore, we have to play with concentration until the last minutes," said Mr. Abdul Ghani Shahad. "We know the importance of matches like this."
In tomorrow's quarter-final, both teams will have no players absent due to yellow cards. Because according to the tournament's regulations, after the group stage, players who receive a yellow card will have their cards cleared. Duy Manh, Van Hau, Xuan Truong and goalkeeper Tien Dung along with Ibrahim Bayesh, Safaa Hadi, Amjed Attwan, Alaa Mhawi are all card-free.
