Jesus Casas, the coach of Iraq, stated that his team, despite advancing to the Asian Cup knockout stage after winning all of their group games, is not the favorite for the title. While Iraq was one of three teams to finish the group stage with maximum points, they were not seen as the top contender for the championship, according to Casas.
In an unexpected upset, Iraq defeated Asia’s top-ranked side Japan. Their next match is against Jordan in the last 16 round. Casas mentioned that the team drew confidence from their victory over Japan but understands that there is a long way to go in the tournament. The Spaniard expressed his happiness with their performance so far and mentioned that the Iraqi people are proud of the players and their performances.
Casas emphasized, “We aren’t favorites. I repeat, we’re very happy with our tournament until now. The Iraqi people are very proud of the players and their performances” and continued by saying that “But tomorrow we have a very hard match against a very good team. In one match, all is possible — one red card, one penalty, one mistake or nerves. So we aren’t favorites for sure.”
He also mentioned that Jordan, their upcoming opponent, impressed in the group stage with a 4-0 win over Malaysia and a 2-2 draw with South Korea. He praised the Jordanian team for their style and the danger posed by their three strikers.
“Obviously we have confidence after three matches but it’s not enough. It was amazing when we beat Japan but it was only one match. To win the Asian Cup we have to win four more matches; we have possibilities but it’s not easy,” Casas concluded.
Reporting by Rohith Nair in Doha; editing by Clare Fallon
