Iraq defeats Kuwait 3-0 and tops its group in Asiad
Photo released, AP
The Iraqi national football team defeated the Kuwaiti team with three goals for nothing and leads Group D in the football competition in the 2014 Asian Games held in South Korea.
The player, Hammam Faraj, scored two of Iraq’s three goals.
Iraq won the three matches it played in the group and its score became nine points.
Thus, the Iraqi and Japanese teams nominated to the second round, while the Kuwaiti and Nepalese teams came out of the championship.
The Japanese had beat Nepal 4-0 to ensure their qualification for the second round.
In other groups, the Palestinian team advanced to the second round after Group C top topped, where the Japanese team will meet, while Tajikistan was second in the group.
As for South Korea, Group A ranked after its victory over Laos with two goals for nothing, while Saudi Arabia ranked second after drawing without goals with the Malaysian national team.
The second round matches will start next Thursday.
“I congratulate the Iraqi people and all those who watched the match, and I hope we will continue and achieve more victories,” Iraqi team coach, Hakim Shaker, told reporters after the match.
“The second round will be more difficult, as we will face teams that topped their groups, so we have to prepare the team well for the coming days.”
“In any case, our victory in the group will make the task easier than if we analyze in the second position. We will prepare and improve our performance, and two important players will join us to strengthen the team.”
“I expect, and expectation is different from hope, that the teams of Iraq, Japan, South Korea and Zakistan will reach the final rounds of the tournament,” Shaker said.
For his part, the Iraqi national team captain Bons Mahmoud said, “All our matches are important, but winning the top of the group gives us confidence to play the upcoming matches, especially since our team contains good players. It is true that the team suffers from some gaps, but every match increases the ability of the players to play as a team.”
“Our ambition goes beyond this tournament, as we face important championships in the future, such as the Gulf Cup and the Asian Championship that will be held in Australia,” Yunus said.
For his part, the Kuwaiti national team coach, Ali Al -Shammari, said, “When the draw took place, we discovered that we will play two strong teams with experience and preparedness, the Iraqi and Japanese teams. But we considered our participation an opportunity for our team to gain experiences and prepare for the next championship in May.”
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