FIFA U-17 World Cup: Asian teams must prove themselves in Round of 16
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Loading...The Times of India – PANAJI, Asian teams have been involved in two of the biggest surprises at the Fifa U-17 World Cup in India.
Iran, for one, had everyone rub their eyes in disbelief when they demolished Germany 4-0 with their pace and aggression. In the past too Germany have been at the receiving end of Asian aggression – Oman beat them 3-0 in the 1985 edition in Ecuador – but two of those three goals came in the last 10 minutes and Germany, to be fair, were never really outplayed, or embarrassed, like they were against the sturdy Iranians.
The other big surprise at the tournament also involved an Asian team. Just when everyone believed Japan would steamroll debutants New Caledonia in their concluding league clash, the worst-ranked team in the competition at 142, took a historic point off the Asian powerhouse. Never mind Japan’s wholesale changes, or their statistical domination, giving New Caledonia a point seemed unfathomable.
In Chile two years ago, no Asian team progressed to the quarterfinals; four years ago in UAE, Japan and UAE were outplayed in the round of 16. This time around, while Iran should cruise through, Japan and Iraq can spring a surprise.
So can this be Asia’s breakthrough year?
“The World Cup is a big opportunity for Asian teams to show their quality and merit. But football is continuous; unless you improve constantly, you won’t achieve your goals,” Iran coach Abbas Chamanian told TOI.
Iran remains the most talked about team at the World Cup, thanks to their 4-0 demolition of Germany. Chamanian’s side had shown promise since the AFC U-16s last year in Goa and were unlucky to lose against Iraq in the final on penalties. But since then, Iran have included aggression in their gameplan and have reaped benefits, starting with comprehensive 4-0 and 3-0 victories over France and Mexico during a pre-tournament camp in Spain.
“What we have done in the group stages doesn’t matter. The tournament starts now, from the knock-out stage. These are the most difficult matches,” said Chamanian.
