AFC
Doha
Radhi Shenaishil will make victory the priority as his Iraq side take on Japan in the semi-finals of the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024 at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Monday, when one of Asia’s three guaranteed berths at the Olympic Games will also be on the line.
The Iraqis have bounced back with three wins in a row after losing their opening match of the tournament against Thailand to reach the semi-finals, and Shenaishil admitted results have taken precedence over playing style since that surprise first day defeat.
“When we lost against Thailand there was a lot of pressure on our players, so we tried to think about the positives rather than the performances,” he said. “We had a lot of pressure after the first game of the group.
“We are working on winning and not having a beautiful game. The players did what we asked them to do. They had a lot of defensive and offensive plans and we were looking for results rather than performances.
“Yes, it’s good to have a beautiful performance but we need to win tomorrow.”
Iraq have ground out victories over Tajikistan and Saudi Arabia before seeing off Vietnam in the quarter-finals through Ali Jasim’s second half penalty and now stand one win away from the final and booking their spot at the Olympic Games.
The Iraqis have qualified twice for the Olympics, reaching the semi-finals in 2004 while their most recent appearance was in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
Their quest for victory today will have to be conducted without captain Muntadher Mohamed, who is suspended after picking up his second yellow card of the tournament against the Vietnamese.
“He’s the captain of our team and we have some players who have important roles in the team, but I trust all the players,” Shenaishil said.
“We have had stability in the line-up since the beginning. There’s harmony between the players who have started the competition. It will be tough to find someone to replace him but I’m sure whoever substitutes him will do his best.”
The Japanese, who are aiming to reach the final for the first time since winning the title in 2016, will welcome back central defender Ryuya Nishio after he completed his three-match suspension for his red card offence in the country’s opening 1-0 win over China.
“Our previous match with Qatar was a very tough match and I’m sure the next match will be the same, but we have planned and simulated how we will play and we are prepared,” said coach Go Oiwa, whose team needed extra-time to defeat the hosts in the quarter-finals.
“The way we perform and the way we train is the same. We will try to defend with our entire team. There is never an easy game. Every match is tough and challenging and the game against Iraq will certainly be that. But we’ll be well prepared and we’ll do our best.”
Indonesia set for
Uzbekistan challenge
Indonesia are determined to extend their involvement in the championship, with the Southeast Asian side aiming to create more history when they face Uzbekistan in the semi-finals at the Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium on Monday.
The debutants have been a revelation, advancing to the knockout stage at Australia and Jordan’s expense before stunning Korea Republic in the quarter-finals. In Uzbekistan, however, they will face their biggest challenge yet.
Head coach Shin Tae-yong expressed his awe at Uzbekistan’s quality, having witnessed first-hand how Timur Kapadze’s side plays but remained confident that his Indonesian side will pass another tough test.
“I went to the stadium for the Uzbekistan-Saudi Arabia match and saw for myself that Uzbekistan are a very good team - stable, organised and well disciplined,” said Shin.
“After watching them, I saw why they can score 12 goals and concede none. The main thing is their fast transitions - both attacking and defending, making them one of the strongest teams in the competition.
“It will not be easy in the semi-final but we are in good shape, so hopefully we can get a good result.”
Despite having an additional day to recover after the quarter-final win against Korea Republic, Shin did not see it as a significant advantage in terms of fitness and recovery due to Indonesia’s match going to a marathon penalty shootout.
In fact, the former Korea Republic FIFA World Cup 2018 head coach felt that mental strength could have a more significant impact.
“Before we started against Korea, I thought that if we managed to reach the next stage, we would have an advantage because we had one extra day of rest.
“However, because we went all the way in that game, we cannot say the one day extra makes a big difference and we also cannot discount Uzbekistan’s fitness level. But at this stage of the competition, the mental side plays a big part as well.”
As for Uzbekistan, they go into the semi-final as the only team with a perfect record of four wins at Qatar 2024.
With as many as 10 different players having scored, Kapadze possesses a variety of attacking options that makes them strong favourites to reach their third final in four editions.
“We’re happy to have reached this round, we will have a tough game tomorrow but we will be ready,” said Kapadze.
“Each game was difficult for us, especially the last one against Saudi Arabia. Tomorrow is another game and we work as usual. We have our strategy for Indonesia and we will look to implement it in the game.
“It (the stadium filled with Indonesian fans) will not have an impact on us because we have the experience of playing in front of big crowds.”
