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A 24team Asian Cup can dilute the standard of the matches with solely eight groups going dwelling after the group stage, however for a few of the much less illustrious nations it’s a uncommon alternative to indicate they belong at a serious match.
DOHA: A 24-staff Asian Cup can dilute the standard of the matches with solely eight groups going dwelling after the group stage, however for a few of the much less illustrious nations it’s a uncommon alternative to indicate they belong at a serious match.
Tajikistan, Palestine, Syria and Indonesia have all secured historic first knockout stage spots at this 12 months’s version in Qatar, with the latter three all going by means of after ending third of their teams.
Palestine certified for the final 16 at their third try, profitable an Asian Cup sport for the primary time once they beat Hong Kong 3-0 to advance on Tuesday, with the Palestinian gamers sinking to the turf in aid on the remaining whistle.
Despite a raging battle with Israel again dwelling in Gaza the place greater than 25,000 folks have been killed in response to Palestinian well being officers, the staff has remained targeted on the duty at hand.
“This achievement will motivate and bring smiles, both inside and outside of Palestine,” stated Palestine skipper Musab Al-Battat.
“On the pitch, emotions were set aside as we believed in the group and team spirit. Delivering the right message, we showcased ourselves as capable players, proving that we deserve to be here. Our gratitude is extended to all our fans.”
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Tournament debutants Tajikistan have been the shock package deal within the group stage because the central Asian staff robotically certified for the knockouts once they completed second behind defending champions Qatar.
Led by the charismatic and vocal Croatian supervisor Petar Segrt, Tajikistan discovered themselves on the ropes of their remaining group sport in opposition to Lebanon earlier than a rousing comeback noticed them advance with their first targets and first win within the Asian Cup.
“For us, it’s a big dream to go through. The first dream was to qualify and the second dream was to go into second round. Now we dream again,” Segrt stated.
“We will go step by step, we must respect our opponents. Too much dreaming is not so good. I’m realistic and must stay realistic.”
Syria certified for the knockout phases for the primary time since their Asian Cup debut in 1980, resulting in emotional scenes the place even the interpreter for coach Hector Cuper couldn’t maintain again tears of pleasure throughout a submit-match interview.
“We started with the dream of qualifying for the Asian Cup, which was followed by an ambition to make it to the round of 16,” the 68-12 months-outdated Cuper stated.
“We know there are many big teams in this competition for whom that isn’t a big achievement. But for us, it feels great and we will do what it takes to stay here for as long as possible.”
Indonesia needed to wait till Oman did not qualify, with the south-east Asian staff scraping by means of after beforehand exiting within the group stage 4 occasions.
“I coached one of the weakest teams among the 24 here in this tournament. Indonesia are ranked 146 but our performance was not the same as the ranking,” coach Shin Tae-yong stated.
“We were the youngest team in the group and playing the best teams in Asia will help us keep improving.”
(This story has not been edited by News18 workers and is revealed from a syndicated information company feed – Reuters)
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