AFC U20 Asian Cup:
World Cup ticket at stake as Iran, Japan square off in quarters
A place at September’s FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile will be decided when Iran and Japan go head-to-head at the AFC U20 Asian Cup quarterfinals in Shenzhen, China, today.
Wednesday’s 2-1 victory over Uzbekistan saw Iran make a clean sweep of three wins to beat the defending champion to the top spot in Group C.
Yousef Mazraeh gave Iran the lead seven minutes into the second half, before Esmaeil Qoilzadeh found the net from the spot 14 minutes later to join South Korean Kim Tae-won on top of the leading marksmen chart with three strikes, with Brentford loanee Mukhammadali Urinboev pulling one back for Uzbekistan nine minutes from normal time – the first goal conceded by Iran in three matches.
Japan, meanwhile, has had a mixed campaign so far, as the Blue Samurai managed a single victory in the group phase – a 3-0 beating of Thailand in their opener – finishing runner-up to South Korea in Group D after a 1-1 stalemate against their familiar foe on Thursday.
However, Iran head coach Hossein Abdi will still be hoping to see his boys build on their solid defensive performance in China when taking on the 2016 champion and semifinalist in the previous two editions.
“There’s little time left to make major changes or improvements. We’ve already done the work that needed to be done, and now we’re fully focused on fighting through each match,” said the Iranian, whose team began its bid for a first Asian under-20 crown since 1976 with a 3-0 beating of Indonesia before routing Yemen 6-0.
“We’re moving forward, adjusting our approach based on the strengths of our upcoming opponents, and preparing for the quarterfinal. But we’re taking it one step at a time.”
Abdi’s opposite number on the Japanese bench, Yuzo Funakoshi, has full faith in his side despite a shaky group display.
“Iran will be a tough opponent, they are physically imposing, technically strong and dangerous in the air, especially with their long balls,” said Funakoshi.
“It will be a challenging match, but we are focused on playing our way. We believe in our style, and we’ll be aiming for the win.”