Abdi Laments Dropped Points against Qatar in AFC U-17 Asian Cup
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran head coach Hossein Abdi lamented his team’s missed opportunity to collect three points after they were held to a 0-0 draw by Qatar in the 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup Group B tie on Monday.
Following an impressive 6-1 triumph over Afghanistan on Matchday One, a second win would have sealed Iran a place in the knockout stage but they now need to avoid defeat against already-qualified Korea Republic on Thursday to advance.
“I think the team worked really hard, but Qatar put a lot of pressure on our defense and pressed very well,” said Abdi.
“We were forced to play a lot of direct balls in the first 45 minutes. But in the second half, when we saw the Qatari players getting tired, we tried to take advantage of the situation and created several scoring opportunities but unfortunately couldn’t convert them,” he added.
With the cloud of being held to a stalemate looming over the squad, Abdi’s focus now lies on motivating his players to regain their winning mentality ahead of their final group stage tie.
“This was one of those matches where you do everything correctly and yet things don’t go your way. So right now, it is important that I keep the boys motivated and inspire them to work hard for the next match.
“Moreover, the fact that our opponent was so happy to secure a point against us will surely play a huge role in helping the team feel good,” said the Iranian.