Iranian young guns seeking U-20 World Cup berth against Iraq
A place at the FIFA U-20 World Cup later this year will be up for grabs when Iran and Iraq square off in Tashkent’s JAR Stadium today.
Amin Hazbavi, Saeed Saharkhizan, and Mohammad-Javad Hosseinnejad were on the scoresheet as Iran beat Vietnam 3-1 last Tuesday to progress to the AFC U20 Asian Cup quarterfinals as the top team in Group B.
Hosseinnejad’s stoppage-time strike meant Samad Marfavi’s side finished above Australia and Vietnam – though all three were level on six points – due to better head-to-head results among the trio, with the young Socceroos also advancing thanks to a 9-1 thrashing of Qatar on the final day of the group fixtures.
Iran began its quest for a fifth continental title, and first since 1976, with a 1-0 victory over Qatar, before falling to a 3-2 defeat against Australia.
“We were in a really tough group but thank God we managed to qualify as the group winner. The three games were truly demanding but helped us improve as a team and gave us confidence for the rest of the way,” Marfavi said in a press conference on Friday.
“Saturday’s match will be also a difficult one for both Iran and Iraq and we’ll have to enter the pitch with high concentration and determination,” added the former Iran and Esteghlal striker.
Marfavi’s opposite number on Iraq bench is a familiar face for Iranian fans.
Emad Mohammed Reza spent the best years of his career as a player in Persian Gulf Pro League outfits Sepahan and Foolad Khuzestan and Marfavi praised the ex-Iraqi international as a “top-quality striker in the Iranian football”, for whom he has “utmost respect.”
“Iraq surely deserves to be in the knockout stage and will be a formidable opponent for us, but we have analyzed them properly,” Marfavi said.
A first-day 2-0 win against Indonesia was followed by a 1-0 loss to Uzbekistan and a 1-1 draw against Syria for Mohammed’s team, which piped Indonesia to the runner-up spot in Group A.
The winner of today’s game will face either Japan or Jordan, which will battle for a semifinal spot on Sunday.
Elsewhere in the last-eight round, Uzbekistan will play Australia today, with the winner taking on South Korea or China in the other semifinal on Wednesday.
The four semifinalists will join host Indonesia at the 2023 U-20 World Cup – starting May 20.