World Cup qualification can push Pas on, says Nekounam

AFC – Influential midfielder Javad Nekounam believes that Pas can cash in on the ‘feel good factor’ surrounding Iranian football after the national team’s qualification to the 2006 World Cup finals as they gear up for September’s AFC Champions League quarter-finals.

“This honourable progression has created a general confidence boost in Iran’s football and all the players of Pas will do our best to go further in the AFC Champions League,” said the 25-year-old, who has been an ever-present in Team Melli’s Germany 2006 qualification campaign and played in all but one of Pas’ surge to the last eight of the ACL as Group A winners.

Nekounam has been one of the stars of the AFC Champions League thus far, displaying nerves of steel to convert last minute penalties in two matches, Pas’ 2-1 home victory over Al Rayyan in the opening round and the winner away to Al Salmiya on Matchday 4.

“These scorings are routine events in football although if I hadn’t converted them then Pas might not have qualified to the quarter-finals.

“We have a ninety minute plan for every match and we go out to put pressure on our opponents to achieve a favourable result.”

Having netted both goals in the opening day win over Al Rayyan, it is not surprising that Nekounam lists the match against the seven-time Qatar champions as one of his personal highlights of the group stage.

“Our confrontation against Al Rayyan was one of the most memorable matches in the Group Stage for me as I was able to find the net twice as we won this difficult match. The Qatari side and Al Salmiya of Kuwait can be considered tough sides but we were able to beat them both home and away.”

Pas’ reward for doing the double over both these sides and taking four points from a possible six against Iraqi outfit Al Shorta, is a place in the last eight against some of Asia’s finest club sides.

Nekounam and Pas will know who stands between them and a place in the semis after the quarter-final draw is held at AFC House in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday and the set-piece specialist has revealed he has no real preference as to who is pulled out of the hat alongside the 1992 Asian Club Championship winners.

“There is no team I would especially like to face because we must prepare well for any team if we want to achieve our goal of winning the AFC Champions League.

“For those of us in the national team we haven’t had a lot of time to rest but these conditions force us to keep our bodies physically prepared,” continued Nekounam.