AFC U17 Asian Cup:
Iran coach Abdi remains positive despite last-four heartbreak
AFC – Head coach Hossein Abdi was far from dismayed despite Iran’s 3-0 defeat to Japan in the AFC U17 Asian Cup semifinals in Thailand on Thursday.
Iran had to concede to Japan’s superiority at the Thammasat Stadium with Abdi admitting some of his players were unable to focus after finding themselves 2-0 down going into the break but said the experience gained in the tournament would not only help them in this year’s FIFA U17 World Cup in Indonesia but also in the progress of their careers.
“We prepared as well as we could in three days (since the quarterfinal win against Yemen) but my players were taken aback by Japan’s first goal. We then conceded a second and I could see that some of my players were a little down.
“I tried to rally them at half-time, telling them we had to play for the entire 90 minutes. The fact that we were also missing two key players made it difficult for us to fight back against a very good Japanese team,” said Abdi.
The Iranian head coach felt the outcome could have been different had they been able to finish their chances, especially when Japan were 1-0 up.
Kasra Taheri was presented with a gift in the 21st minute when goalkeeper Wataru Endo scuffed a clearance but the forward fired wide from close range.
“We should have scored that and we thought we had also earned a penalty only for the referee to overturn his initial decision.
“The weather also made it very difficult for us. It was strange game but we will learn.
“We have the World Cup to look forward to and I am sure my federation will ensure we prepare well for it. We will be representing not just Iran but the whole of Asia and we must do our best.”