2024-01-24T15:57:30+00:00
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/ Today, Wednesday, the coach of the Iraqi national team, Jesus Casas, described the match against its Vietnamese counterpart as “difficult” despite obtaining the full mark in the group stage of the Asian Championship. He stressed that the round of 16 will be a “dangerous” stage and the team’s match will be analyzed to improve performance in the future without favoring a specific team in the next round.
Casas said in a press conference held after the end of the match against Vietnam, which ended with Iraq winning (3-2) as part of the conclusion of the matches of the third round of the fourth group of the 2023 Asian Cup finals, that “today’s match was not easy for us, and it was difficult despite the fact that we had possession, and in the end we were able to achieve the full mark.”
Regarding the direct competitor in the round of 16, Casas explained: “I do not prefer one competitor over another, and each match has its own circumstances and preparation depending on who we face. We will do everything we can to continue winning. It will be a difficult and dangerous stage, because nine points in the first rounds will not be on our side at that time if we lose one match and exit the tournament, so we have to focus on the knockout rounds.”
Regarding the mistakes made in the defensive third, Casas added: “Football is a game of mistakes, and we will try as much as possible to improve our performance in the defensive aspect,” while the coach did not hide the existence of “some tension for the players who played their first match in the tournament,” stressing that “we are trying to watch all our players and give them a chance to play.”
Casas said: “With every match we learn, and we will analyze the minutes of today’s match with our owners and players in order to understand the aspects that occurred in the match, to correct some of the mistakes that were made during the first rounds.”
Regarding the second penalty kick that Ayman took, Casas explained: “I do not interfere in choosing a player to take a penalty kick, and I do not like to put pressure on any player. It is better for us to let the player who has the confidence to take it do so.”
Casas thanked “the Iraqi fans who are present from different parts of the world,” indicating that “it is a feeling we experience in a positive way, not only in the stadium, so we derive positive energy from our fans.”
In a related context, player Ayman Hussein was chosen as the best player in the match, but he was unable to attend the press conference due to his selection by lottery as part of the doping test.