Haan unfazed by Iran show

ASIANCUP2004 - Hosts China believe they are shaping up nicely for a place in the Asian Cup final and are not letting Iran’s stunning victory over Korea Republic faze them ahead of Tuesday's semi-final in Beijing.

Arie Haan was in Jinan last night to see the three-time Asian Cup champions eventually overcome the World Cup 2002 semi-finalists 4-3 thanks to a hat-trick from Siemens mobile Man of the Match Ali Karimi, who is now the tournament’s joint leading scorer (with Korea Lee Dong-gook).

If the sight of Iran’s much-vaunted attack in full flight alarmed the Dutchman ahead of their clash in the Beijing Workers’ Stadium, the fact that the three-time Asian Cup champions conceded three goals was a little more heartening for Haan.

“I was astonished about the result of the match, especially the tactics Korea used,” said Haan after the game. “They allowed Iran to play and did not put enough pressure on them when.

“We admit Iran are quite strong, which they showed by getting four goals in the match. They have scored nine goals and conceded five in the past four games, while we have scored 11 and conceded just two.

“For that reason, we have real confidence in ourselves.”

After a disappointing draw against fellow semi-finalists Bahrain in their opening draw, Chin have steadily improved, beating Indonesia, Qatar and Iraq 3-0 after a first-half performance Haan described as “brilliant.”

Expectations of a China triumph in the final on August 7 are mounting, but the players are not getting carried away.

“We have won on very few occasions in the previous meetings with Iran over the years," admitted Zheng Zhi, who scored a brace of spot-kicks against Iraq.

“I guess it will be different this time as we are in good form and we have the total support on home soil but they are dangerous for sure.”

China striker Hao Haidong, who scored the opener against Iraq after battling all week with a injured ankle that threatened to put him out of the tournament, knows that stern tests lie ahead but believes China can avenge the 4-0 defeat they suffered the last times the two met, in a friendly in January 2001.

“If you compare how the team performed in the opening match against Bahrain with what we did playing against Iraq, you will see how much we have improved."

The winners of the China/Iran contest will play either Japan or Bahrain, who meet in Jinan on Tuesday night.