Jordan unfazed over Iranian confrontation in Asian Cup qualifiers

MEF - Jordan manager Mahmoud El-Gohary stressed his satisfaction towards the Asian Cup qualifying draw, the Egyptian coach having his side being paired in Group 4 against giants Iran, Lebanon and either North Korea and India who are expected to battle out for one ticket in the preliminary round.

“Frankly speaking, I see no reason not to make advantage over a rather very balanced group,” said the manager who guided Egypt to the 1990 World up finals in Italy.

“We must play the full 180 minutes over two legs in Iran the way it should be, showing endurance and commitment and am sure we can achieve success over the recent Asian Games gold medallists.

“About Lebanon, they are a side capable of the best and the worst,” added El-Gohary. “We should take care of them the way we emerged victorious against our neighbors in the last couple of years and through various competitions in West Asia,” he added.

“About the other opponents, I believe North Korea will have the edge over India, usually they are relying on fitness and individual skills like South Korea, but we cannot compare them with their southern neighbors, generally speaking.”

Jordan, who never made it to the finals stages of the Asian Cup before, are boasting what the local observers label as their all-time best side, reaching the West Asian Football Federation finals showdown last September before being floored 3-2 by Iraq, after beating Iran and Lebanon 1-0 in the first round, before dispatching neighboring Syria 2-1 in the semi-finals stage of the competition.

Jordan have recorded two successive victories over Malaysia 1-0 and Singapore 3-1 last week during their training camp currently held in Abu Dhabi, having also defeated hosts Bahrain 3-0 on Saturday in the opening fixture of the Bahrain International Tournament in Manama, and are scheduled to face China today and Syria on Thursday.