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Rabat – Moroccan Hussein Ammouta, head coach of the Jordanian national football team, described Jordan’s upcoming match against its Iraqi counterpart as “extremely important,” as part of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup being held in Qatar.
“We have entered the knockout stage and the focus must be high. We are facing a fighting and very organized team, but we are looking for a ticket to qualify for the next round,” Ammouta said ahead of the game which is set to take place on January 29.
“The morale of the players is high. Everyone feels responsible. We prepared well and hope to bring joy to our fans,” the coach added.
Regarding strategy for the match against Iraq, Amouta said, “We will not rely on defense. A balance is required between defense and attack, and we must pay attention to details.”
For his part, Jordanian midfielder Nizar Al-Rashdan considered the match to be “life or death” for the team. “Of course, it will not be an easy match, but we hope to win,” he stressed.
Iraq has one of the best attacking lines, having earned eight goals during the group stage matches, boasting one of best strikers Aymen Hussein, who scored five goals in this ongoing tournament.
The two teams met in a friendly match hosted by Jordan last October, where Iraq won 5-3 on penalties.
During the group stage matches, Jordan harnessed four points with the best third place team. The Jordanian squad won over its Malaysian opponent in the first match with a large 4-0 score. It then drew the second game with South Korea 2-2 and lost the last game to Bahrain 0-1.
The upcoming match between Jordan and Iraq will take place at the Khalifa International Stadium at 12:30 p.m. Moroccan Time, and will be streamed on SSC1 and beIN Sports Asian Cup 1.
Read also: AFC Asia Cup 2024: Jordan, South Korea End Match in 2-2 Tie
