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The competition, however, arguably
represented just as great a victory for the gallant Iraqis, who swept past
many of the continent's big boys en route to the final. Iran, though
disappointed at missing out on their third consecutive Asian Games title,
could also leave with heads held high after edging out Korea Republic 1-0 to
pick up the bronze.
While all competed fiercely for the coveted gold, the 24 participants also
utilised the tournament as an opportunity to assess many of their young
players eligible for the Olympics Games - now less than 600 days away.
Troussier's legacy
The tiny Emirate of Qatar, where the expatriate workforce outnumber the
indigenous population, represented worthy and remarkable winners of the
Games' football tournament.
Worth noting was that five of the winning team, including the impressive
20-year-old Bilal Mohammed, featured in the team that represented Qatar in
the 2004 AFC Asian Cup under Philippe Troussier. The French coach, whose
role in harnessing Japan's 'golden generation' had already earned him renown
for his ability to spot burgeoning talents, made a point of injecting some
fresh, young blood into the Qatari team when he took over following the 2002
FIFA World Cup™.
Although this was followed by short-term pain, as an inexperienced Qatar
team failed to progress beyond group stage in China, the long-term gain can
be seen in the invaluable international experience gained by players who
have since developed into backbone of the national team.
Bilal Mahammed, who showed a glimpse of his defensive talents in two of
Qatar three matches in that Asian Cup campaign, proved to be the prime
example, bossing the team's defence and scoring the gold-winning goal in
their 1-0 victory over Iraq.
The new revelation, meanwhile, was teenage striker Sebastian Quintana, who
topped the team's scoring chart with four goals. The 18-year-old opened his
account in Qatar's opening 3-0 victory against Jordan and despite failing to
find the net in their 1-0 defeat against Uzbekistan, he was back on target
in the last group match against United Arab Emirates with a brace as Qatar
won 4-1. Then, in the crucial semi-final clash against much-fancied Iran,
Quintana opened the scoring in front of an adoring Qatari public unable to
contain their glee as their team won 2-0 to book their place in the final.
 
Senior talismen
While the games witnessed the emergence of a host of young talents, they
also saw a clutch of veterans proved highly influential in their teams'
campaigns.
Younis Mahmoud, for example, the Iraqi forward who scored a memorable goal
in the 4-2 win against Portugal at Athens two years ago, was one of three
overage players that formed the team's experienced core and proved a potent
weapon in Iraq's run to the final.
Arash Borhani, meanwhile, was undoubtedly the driving force behind Iran. The
25-year-old scored his and his team's first goal in the 3-1 against Maldives
and a second came when he scored the winner against a resilient Hong Kong.
The Al Nasr striker continued his prolific form against India by sealing a
2-0 victory for Iran and in the quarter-final meeting with China, he was the
man to break India's early resistance.
Dujkovic spies improvement
China may have disappointed by failing to reach the last four, a target
they have set for themselves for the Beijing-held Olympic Games.
However, it was far from a disastrous start for newly-appointed coach
Ratomir Dujkovic given that they won all three group games, including the
1-0 opening win against Iraq and a hard-fought 2-1 triumph over the
ever-improving Oman.
"I was satisfied with the team's performance at the Asian Games as they
showed some improvements," said Dujkovic, the man who led Ghana to the
second round of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™. "But we need to work
harder."
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