FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers:
Iran captain Kazemi hails Syria win, confident ahead of Jordan clash
Iran captain Arsalan Kazemi praised the national basketball team for overcoming a series of setbacks to secure a hard-fought victory over Syria in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, while expressing confidence ahead of today’s top-of-the-table Group C clash against Jordan in Amman.
In a rescheduled meeting from the second qualifying window, Iran survived a third-quarter scare to beat Syria 72-68 in the Jordanian capital on Monday, improving to 3-1 and joining Jordan, which routed Iraq 108-59 to maintain its perfect record, in advancing to the second round.
Iran led by 11 points in the first half before the tables turned after the break, as Syria outscored the Iranians 25-12 in the third quarter. Iran responded by finishing strongly in the final 10 minutes to stave off a major upset.
Shooting guard Piter Girgoorian led Iran with 18 points, while Matin Aqajanpour added 17. Syria’s American-born guard Donte McGill led all scorers with 19.
“It was a very tough game. Many of our national team players had not played a competitive match for nearly four months, and that made our preparations difficult,” Kazemi, who finished with three points and 12 rebounds, said, describing Iran’s disrupted buildup amid the wartime conditions at home.
“When we reached Jordan, a number of players came down with food poisoning,” said the 36-year-old power forward, adding: “At one point, we were worried we might not even have 12 players available for the game against Syria, but thanks to the efforts of the players and the medical staff, we managed to field a full roster.”
He added that Syria had strengthened its squad by naturalizing a foreign-born player, while lamenting Iran’s poor start to the third quarter, which made the contest even more challenging.
“The players’ efforts ultimately paid off in the closing stages and we managed to come away with the victory. Every World Cup qualifying game is extremely important.”
Looking ahead to the meeting with Jordan, Kazemi acknowledged the hosts’ quality but backed Iran to emerge victorious and make amends for the 73-60 defeat when the two sides met in February.
“Jordan has some very good players, but we have a strong team as well. If our players perform anywhere near their true level, we can beat them,” Kazemi said.
“The last time we played them, the players were on the court, but because of the situation in our country, their minds were elsewhere. I hope we can execute the coaching staff’s game plan perfectly on Thursday and make our people happy by beating Jordan in front of its home fans.”
Under the qualification format, the top three teams from each of the four first-round groups will progress to the second round. The 12 advancing teams will be divided into two groups – with Group A paired with Group C, and Group B with Group D – carrying forward results against fellow qualifiers. The top three teams from each second-round group, along with the best fourth-placed side, will secure spots at the 2027 World Cup in Qatar.