Round of 16 Asian Cup 2019: Identifying opponents Jordan
(Baonghean.vn) - Winning the right to enter the round of 16 with a ticket as one of the 4 teams finishing the group stage in 3rd place with the best results, the Vietnam National Team will face an opponent that was in the same group in the qualifying round.
Before the tournament, Jordan ranked 109th in the FIFA rankings. Meanwhile, Vietnam, with impressive achievements in 2018 in official tournaments as well as in international friendly matches, entered the world's top 100.
Because the Asian Cup is an official tournament with points, after the group stage, with the results of both teams, the rankings may have changed. Even though they face Jordan, which is considered the most equal opponent among the 16 teams that have entered the group stage, Coach Park Hang-seo and his team will still face many difficulties if they want to qualify for the quarter-finals.
Achievements from qualifying round to group stage
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| Jordan ranks behind Vietnam on FIFA rankings. Photo: AFC |
Like Vietnam, Jordan also did not have to compete in the first qualifying round as they were in the top 34 strongest teams based on the FIFA rankings. In the second qualifying round in Group B, Jordan, Australia and Kyrgyzstan defeated Tjikistan and Bangladesh to gain the right to enter the next qualifying round.
The third qualifying round in Group C with the participation of Jordan includes Vietnam, Afghanistan and Cambodia. After the matches, Jordan with 3 wins, 3 draws, has 12 points, ranked first in the group and entered the final round with Vietnam ranked second in the group.
In the final round, Jordan was in Group B with Palestine and stronger opponents Australia and Syria. However, Jordan played brilliantly when they continuously defeated defending champions Australia and Syria before being held to a draw by Palestine and finished the group stage in first place. This achievement meant that Jordan would only have to face the team ranked 3rd in Group D, fate had chosen Vietnam as their opponent in the round of 16.
Featured star
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| Musa Al-Taamari is the most dangerous striker of the Jordan national team. Photo: AFC |
First, let's look at star Musa Al-Taamari. This is the player with the highest transfer value in the Jordan squad, valued by Transfermarkt at 1.35 million pounds. Playing as a winger, Musa Al-Taamari is the heavyweight drill of the West Asian team in counter-attacks. Al-Taamari contributed to all of Jordan's goals in this tournament.
But the most notable name of Jordan with Park Hang-seo and his team must be number 13, Khalil Baniateyah. This player playing in the right midfield position is Jordan's endless source of energy in midfield. Only 1.75m tall, Khalil can attack and defend rhythmically throughout the 90 minutes and is the factor that helps Jordan always have the initiative both with and without the ball.
Record against Vietnam National Team
At the national team level, Jordan and Vietnam have met twice. And coincidentally, both encounters took place in the 2019 Asian Cup Qualifiers not long ago.
In the first leg match at Thong Nhat Stadium, the Vietnam national team under the leadership of coach Huu Thang held Jordan to a 0-0 draw. Meanwhile, in the second leg match on March 27, 2018 away, the Vietnam national team under the leadership of coach Park Hang-seo continued to have an impressive performance when holding this opponent to a 1-1 draw. In that match, the Vietnam national team even scored the opening goal thanks to striker Anh Duc.