Originally posted by aenima_8
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John Duerdens 5 cents:
"AFC U23 CHAMPIONSHIP: GROUP-BY-GROUP LOOK
There are two aspects to the 2016 AFC Under-23 tournament that starts on Tuesday in Qatar. The first is that this is a fine competition to win in its own right. This is not the Under 16s or 19s, but 16 teams full of players who are already full of international and professional players. They have already "made it" and this is a chance to win a major trophy and get some excellent tournament experience. Winning this bodes very well for a country and its near future.
And then there is the small matter of the Olympics. There is no specific qualification tournament for Rio as happened in 2012. To reach Rio this time, you have to finish in the top three in this competition, which means that the two finalists as well as the winner of the third and fourth playoff match will be booking tickets for Brazil.
Compared to some European nations, most Asian teams take Olympic soccer very seriously indeed, but there is plenty of play ahead before thoughts can turn to South America. ONE World Sports takes a look at the four groups of four teams each. The top two teams advance to the quarterfinal stage where anything can happen.
Group A: Qatar, Syria, Iran and China
Qatar and China's senior teams have been fighting it out in World Cup qualification with the West Asian team getting the upper hand and something similar is likely here. Iran would be the traditional favorites, but this version of Team Melli has been hit by the absence of some if its best players. Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Sardar Azmoun are seriously talented, so much that their European clubs refused to release them. There have been other withdrawals too.
Qatar could be the one to take top spot. As host nation, it has certain advantages and the desire is massive. This competition is part of the whole 2022 project and it is expected/hoped that the star performers this time around will be at the peak by the time the World Cup comes to Doha. The team's Spanish coach Feliz Sanchez has called upon proven internationals such as Abdelkarim Hassan, Ali Asad, Ahmed Yasser and Mohammed Muntari. Qatar is the team to beat.
Winner: Qatar"
https://www.oneworldsports.com/stori...3-championship
"AFC U23 CHAMPIONSHIP: GROUP-BY-GROUP LOOK
There are two aspects to the 2016 AFC Under-23 tournament that starts on Tuesday in Qatar. The first is that this is a fine competition to win in its own right. This is not the Under 16s or 19s, but 16 teams full of players who are already full of international and professional players. They have already "made it" and this is a chance to win a major trophy and get some excellent tournament experience. Winning this bodes very well for a country and its near future.
And then there is the small matter of the Olympics. There is no specific qualification tournament for Rio as happened in 2012. To reach Rio this time, you have to finish in the top three in this competition, which means that the two finalists as well as the winner of the third and fourth playoff match will be booking tickets for Brazil.
Compared to some European nations, most Asian teams take Olympic soccer very seriously indeed, but there is plenty of play ahead before thoughts can turn to South America. ONE World Sports takes a look at the four groups of four teams each. The top two teams advance to the quarterfinal stage where anything can happen.
Group A: Qatar, Syria, Iran and China
Qatar and China's senior teams have been fighting it out in World Cup qualification with the West Asian team getting the upper hand and something similar is likely here. Iran would be the traditional favorites, but this version of Team Melli has been hit by the absence of some if its best players. Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Sardar Azmoun are seriously talented, so much that their European clubs refused to release them. There have been other withdrawals too.
Qatar could be the one to take top spot. As host nation, it has certain advantages and the desire is massive. This competition is part of the whole 2022 project and it is expected/hoped that the star performers this time around will be at the peak by the time the World Cup comes to Doha. The team's Spanish coach Feliz Sanchez has called upon proven internationals such as Abdelkarim Hassan, Ali Asad, Ahmed Yasser and Mohammed Muntari. Qatar is the team to beat.
Winner: Qatar"
https://www.oneworldsports.com/stori...3-championship
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