Asian Football: AFC Asian Cup 2007
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Thank you NinjaOriginally posted by Short Ninja:Congratulations to Korea and bye-bye Iran.
. Maybe your support brought us luck.
Dae han min guk fighting!
Pilseung Corea!
Dae Han Min Guk Man Se
Republic of Korea Man Se
(Ninja, Man Se in Korean means Ban Zai in Japanese which in English means Long Live and Wan Shui in Mandarin)
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Saudis down resilient Uzbekistan
Jul 22, 2007
PA Sport
JAKARTA – Saudi Arabia continued to bury the demons of their disappointing AFC Asian Cup showing in China three years ago by progressing to the semi-finals with a 2-1 win over Uzbekistan on Sunday evening.
Helio AnjosÂ’ team will now meet the defending champions in Hanoi in the semi-finals in a repeat of the 2000 final, when Japan secured a second Asian title with a 1-0 in the Lebanese capital Beirut.
Goals from Yasser Al Qahtani – his third of the competition – and substitute Ahmed Al Mousa took the Saudis through, although they had an anxious last 10 minutes when Pavel Solomin pulled one back in the 81st minute.
Alexander Geynrikh hit the post two minutes later as the Saudis survived by the skin of their teeth against an Uzbek side that hit the woodwork on a total of five occasions throughout the 90 minutes.
The Saudis took the lead in only the third minute when Abdulrahman Al Qahtani burst down the left before cutting his cross into the Uzbek penalty area. Goalkeeper Ignatiy Nesterov parried the ball away from goal, but only as far as Yasser Al Qahtani, who slotted home from 12 yards out.
Just two minutes later Uzbekistan almost snatched an equaliser when Server Djeparov smashed his effort from the edge of the penalty area but, with Yasser Al Mosailem well beaten, the ball came back off the Saudi keeperÂ’s left upright.
The brisk opening continued in the 11th minute when Nesterov pulled off a fine save from Saad Khariri, the Al Ittihad midfielder flicking Abdulrahman Al QahtaniÂ’s free kick towards goal with his head.
Uzbekistan captain Maksim Shatskikh caused problems throughout the opening period and 19 minutes into the game he tried his luck from distance, only for Walid Abdrabh Jahdali to deflect the shot wide via the post.
Three minutes later the Uzbeks were to be frustrated again, this time as Aziz Ibragimov steered DjeparovÂ’s corner wide. But in the 28th minute Rauf InileyevÂ’s side thought they had finally pulled level.
DjeparovÂ’s free kick was saved by Al Mosailem, and Shatskikh fired high into the net on the rebound. However, the assistant referee ruled the effort out for offside.
Yasser Al Qahtani almost doubled Saudi Arabia's lead in the 31st minute only to pull his shot wide while Malek MaazÂ’s header was also just off target three minutes later.
An end-to-end half finished with Vitaly Denisov firing a powerful shot from the left across the face of goal, narrowly missing the far post.
The Uzbeks continued their quest for the equaliser within four minutes of the restart when DjeparovÂ’s cross was met by Ibragimov, but his downward header came back off the woodwork.
But as they became increasingly desperate, the gaps started to appear at the back. Inileyev’s side had two warnings – from Taisser Al Jassam and Al Mousa – in the minutes before the Saudis doubled their advantage.
Al Mousa started and finished the move that ultimately won the game for the Saudis, laying the ball off to Khaled Aziz, who found Yasser Al Qahtani and his perfect pass split the Uzbek defence and Al Mousa finished in style with 15 minutes to go.
Solomin, however, finally found the back of the net for the Uzbeks six minutes later when he bundled the ball over the line after Hayrulla Karimov's header had hit the crossbar and Geynrikh thought he had done enough to take the game into extra-time only for his right-foot shot to come back off the frame of the goal. -
Verbeek hails Korean spirit
Jul 23, 2007
PA Sport
KUALA LUMPUR – Korea Republic coach Pim Verbeek spoke glowingly about the spirit of his players on Sunday after they defeated Iran in a penalty shootout to reach the semi-finals of the AFC Asian Cup.
The two sides battled to a goalless draw in a tense and pulsating quarter-final at a rainy Bukit Jalil National Stadium before the Koreans claimed a 4-2 shootout victory thanks to two penalty saves by goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae.
Verbeek, an assistant coach for Korea at the last two World Cups was delighted that his youthful side were able to overcome an experienced Iranian squad that were considered favourites to lift the Asian Cup.
“It’s clear that I’m very proud of my team tonight. Our selection worked very hard against a strong opponent for 120 minutes to get the result,” the Dutchman said.
“I was there also with the Korean team at the World Cup in 2002 and 2006 and I never have seen a Korean team play without vitality and with spirit.
“That’s one of the great qualities of Korean football and that why it’s very good to be coaching Korean players, especially the young players that we have here.”
Despite neither side being able to find the net in regulation and extra time, the Korea coach felt that his sideÂ’s win was not undeserved.
“We were in control and we didn’t give many chances away,” he explained.
“Organisation-wise I think we did very well defensively and I am just very glad to be going to the semi-final.
“To be honest I don’t think that either team had a better game. But if our players had played a bit more with their head and less of their heart, maybe I thought that we could have made better use of our wide players tonight.”
But despite his delight, Verbeek was keen to stress that his side had not achieved anything yet at the tournament.
“The players have done well but we have still won nothing yet.
“We have reached the semi-final but that is still nothing. We have to go to the final and then try to win the Cup.”
The Koreans will now turn their attention to this WednesdayÂ’s showdown against Iraq in Kuala Lumpur as they seek to reach the Asian Cup final for the first time since 1988.
“I’m more worried by the fact that we have one day less rest and that we played 120 minutes tonight,” Verbeek said.
“I think that we only have three days rest to bring the players physically and mentally back, and there will be no time for training sessions.
“We have played Iraq recently and although it was only a friendly, we scored three goals against them. But that’s history and now it’s a new game and a new challenge.” -
Dae Han Min Guk I know but Korea makan pisang that one I dont know>Originally posted by Jaeyoon:Thank you Ninja . Maybe your support brought us luck.
Dae han min guk fighting!
Pilseung Corea!
Dae Han Min Guk Man Se
Republic of Korea Man Se
(Ninja, Man Se in Korean means Ban Zai in Japanese which in English means Long Live and Wan Shui in Manadarin) 
Yes,Jaeyoon I am happy for you and Korea cuz both countries are one step to settling the final score to see who is Asia's Best.On Paper and on everything I cant say we would be playing as underdogs.I know that Japan didnt want to play the creative Uzbekistan so now we will just roll over Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and hopefully play Iraq in the final......I mean Korea>
.Korea is a worthy team to play with and also at this point I feel we have the same story..veteran goalkeepers,veteran strikers who cant shoot straight ,new players,new ideas from the coaches,penalty shootouts.Brazil have the Samba Nippon only Cha Cha Cha but a final victory dance is all the Japanese supporters need> 
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well well, wat do we know? Korea winning over its nemesis finally, getting revenge for what Iran did to them in the last previous 4 fixtures (Quater-Final) in the Asian Cup. Iran wasnt playing to them usual self, but have to give credit to the Koreans for managing to contain them. And to do this without some of its key players is pretty commendable.
I hope to see a korea vs Japan final since it would be a worthwhile final and its being a while since i've managed to see both of this teams meet up in an international competition.
P.s * i didn;t really like the way AFA handled the refreee roster in some of the matches where a middle east referee was assigned when a match involved between one of a middle east countries.
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Hey guys,
It's nice to see you guys support one another's teams, at least until the final.
I'm glad Japan made it, and I'm happy for Korea too. -
I agree with you that the refereeing can be bias like the Saudi Arabia Vs Indonesia game but maybe these referees from Middle East are one grade up in qualification leaving the linesmen job to a South East Asian.The botak referee from UAE is one of them however last night you could see that he didnt really favor the Iranians because they were not Arabs.last night lack lustre game was pretty even except when Karimi suddenly came to life with some of his dazzling skills just minutes before the final whistle.To be frank the two teams shouldnt have played 120 minutes of tick tock soccer and just get to the penalty part>Originally posted by 4getmenot:well well, wat do we know? Korea winning over its nemesis finally, getting revenge for what Iran did to them in the last previous 4 fixtures (Quater-Final) in the Asian Cup. Iran wasnt playing to them usual self, but have to give credit to the Koreans for managing to contain them. And to do this without some of its key players is pretty commendable.
I hope to see a korea vs Japan final since it would be a worthwhile final and its being a while since i've managed to see both of this teams meet up in an international competition.
P.s * i didn;t really like the way AFA handled the refreee roster in some of the matches where a middle east referee was assigned when a match involved between one of a middle east countries. I am happy for the Koreans but I expect them to play a better game against Iraq. -
Korea has more speed than Japan and the back 4 is outstanding making the keeper feel safe and relax.Were they playing 4-3-3 formation last night? Still the offensive lack punch.Japan on the other hand is comfortable with the J-league 3-5-2 formation.The weakness I see in Japanese players will be their indiviidual playing style which is so predictable but we are never short when it comes to set plays and quick one -two passes.I hope to see clear victory from these two teams in the semifinals.After that Kimchi or Sushi I let you decide>Originally posted by ordinaryguy32:Hey guys,
It's nice to see you guys support one another's teams, at least until the final.
I'm glad Japan made it, and I'm happy for Korea too. -
tmd linesman kayu. Its a UZB's goal but he said its offside. NB made me lose money. Luckily i win in the Korea match and still win a bit overall.
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Style vs Speed.
Japan vs Korea. -
[quote]Originally posted by HyuugaNeji:
tmd linesman kayu. Its a UZB's goal but he said its offside. NB made me lose money. Luckily i win in the Korea match and still win a bit overall.[/quote
Maybe because you lost money and so the linesman became a product of the rain forest.I felt he was just a fraction offside.Do you really want to know what is Kayu? It was in the other game when the coach brought in a new keeper for the shootout
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Thanks ordinaryguy32.Originally posted by ordinaryguy32:Hey guys,
It's nice to see you guys support one another's teams, at least until the final.
I'm glad Japan made it, and I'm happy for Korea too.
I appreciate your support and contribution to this friendly forum too. -
Actually, I think that Uzbekistan were unlucky. Actually they played well and missed several chances. Otherwise they might be able to beat the Saudis.Originally posted by HyuugaNeji:tmd linesman kayu. Its a UZB's goal but he said its offside. NB made me lose money. Luckily i win in the Korea match and still win a bit overall.
Credit to Uzbekistan. I respect them. They're back to the best. Only luck was not with them.
PS: do you guys know that Uzbekistan was once a force in Asian Football? They won the Asian Games gold medal in 1994, beating China 4-2 in the final and Korea in the Semi final 1-0. I remember the star player like Azamat in those days. Then the late 90s and early 2000s saw their football slumped to a new low. Well, they might be back to their best again.
We'll see more of them in the coming years. So the force is not only from the over-rated Australia but also the Uzbeks who are coming back strong. -
Uzbekistan is easily one of the top four teams in the competition but also one of the top four teams to exit after China ,Australia and Iran.Good soccer track record and at first I mistook them for Kazakhstan which is also a good team from the former soviet bloc.Talking about asian soccer we could also go way back to the days when Burma had a formidable team.One thing I noticed is that the bigger they are in size the easier they are physically and mentally drained in the extra time / penalty shootout.Originally posted by Jaeyoon:Actually, I think that Uzbekistan were unlucky. Actually they played well and missed several chances. Otherwise they might be able to beat the Saudis.
Credit to Uzbekistan. I respect them. They're back to the best. Only luck was not with them.
PS: do you guys know that Uzbekistan was once a force in Asian Football? They won the Asian Games gold medal in 1994, beating China 4-2 in the final and Korea in the Semi final 1-0. I remember the star player like Azamat in those days. Then the late 90s and early 2000s saw their football slumped to a new low. Well, they might be back to their best again.
We'll see more of them in the coming years. So the force is not only from the over-rated Australia but also the Uzbeks who are coming back strong. -
AFC responds to Vieira comments
Jul 25, 2007
PA Sport
KUALA LUMPUR – The AFC have admitted that there was a problem with the allocation of rooms at the official team hotel in Kuala Lumpur on Monday which led to Iraq players and officials waiting for several hours in the hotel lobby but stated that no official complaint had been lodged.
Iraqi preparations for their semi-final against Korea Republic at Bukit Jalil National Stadium on Wednesday were hampered by the logistical problems that resulted in some players only getting their rooms at 8:30 pm, several hours after the team had arrived in the Malaysian capital from Bangkok.
They eventually left for training at 9:00 pm and returned to the hotel after midnight before taking their dinner at 1:30 am in the morning.
“When we were in Thailand, we were told that if we went to Kuala Lumpur the day after our game against Vietnam (Sunday), we would not have rooms at the team hotel and we would have to stay in another hotel and then switch the following day,” said Iraq coach Jorvan Vieira.
“So we agreed to stay an extra day in Thailand and travelled on Monday because we thought we could get here and check into our rooms with no problem, but instead we arrived here and we had to wait around for six hours.
“I think that this is considered a high level competition so these sorts of mistakes should not happen because this is a football team playing in an important tournament, not a tourist group.”
The problem with the allocation of rooms was later verified by the AFC, who also clarified the timing of some of the events referred to by Vieira.
"With regard to Mr. Vieira's remarks concerning the unavailability of hotel rooms in Malaysia, it is a fact that the rooms were not ready on the team's arrival,” said AFC director of communications Clare Kenny Tipton.
“However, AFC officials in Kuala Lumpur have confirmed that the rooms were available for the players by 8.30pm.
“On arrival, the team requested to take dinner, and also requested AFC to organise an un-scheduled training session which was also done.
“The players rested in the available rooms before training.”
Tipton added that no official complaint had been lodged by the Iraqis about the incident.
“At no time did the Iraqi Team Delegation complain to the AFC officials at the hotel, and no official complaint has been received to date,” she said.
“The problem was resolved, and the Iraq Team set their own schedule for the evening.
“AFC always strives to provide the best facilities and organisation for the teams, and fully respects their preparation requirements." -
Forget the past, Anjos tells players
Jul 24, 2007
PA Sport
HANOI – Saudi Arabia head coach Helio Anjos has told his players to consign their poor record against Japan to the history books as the Green Falcons take on the defending champions in the 2007 AFC Asian Cup semi-finals on Wednesday.
The Japanese have downed Saudi Arabia in the final of the Asian Cup twice, a 1-0 win handing Japan their first title in Hiroshima in 1992 before a win by the same scoreline saw the trophy return to Tokyo in 2000.
As a result, Anjos is focusing his attention on wiping his playersÂ’ minds of any potential inferiority complex ahead of WednesdayÂ’s meeting at the My Dinh Stadium
“I have been trying to get it into the heads of the players that all the other results against Japan don’t matter and it is up to them to take their chance tomorrow, said Anjos.
“This is our chance to go to the final and we want to take it.”
In addition to the two losses in the final, Japan handed the Saudis one of their most humiliating results against Asian opposition in recent times when Philippe TroussierÂ’s team hammered them 4-1 in the group stage of the 2000 Asian Cup, with one of the four goals coming from current squad member Naohiro Takahara.
More recently, the two sides met in the qualification tournament for the 2007 tournament with Saleh Bashir giving the Saudis a narrow win in Jeddah before a Kazuaki Ganaha double following Marcus Tulio TanakaÂ’s opener gave Japan a more convincing 3-1 success in Sapporo.
Neither Anjos nor his counterpart Ivica Osim where in charge of their respective sides and while the Brazilian sees little difference in the quality of the two semi-finalists he does feel that the Saudis long trip from Jakarta - where they defeated Uzbekistan 2-1 in the quarters - could give Japan a slight edge.
“Tomorrow will be a very big game as both Japan and Saudi Arabia have similar schools of football and they are both powerhouses of Asian football,” said the 49-year-old.
“It will be a very interesting game between two strong teams tomorrow but we have had much less rest than Japan.
“They were training when we were doing a 12-hour marathon journey from Jakarta.
“It is a problem that we have had to travel when our opponent has had more time to rest and train but we will not use this as an excuse. Our players know exactly what they have to do.” -
Our mission is already accomplished - Vieira
Jul 24, 2007
PA Sport
KUALA LUMPUR – Iraq coach Jorvan Vieira believes that his team have already surpassed expectations by reaching the semi-finals of the AFC Asian Cup but the Brazilian wants his players to aim higher in order to bring greater happiness to the people of the war-torn nation.
Speaking in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, a day ahead of his sideÂ’s last four showdown with Korea Republic at Bukit Jalil National Stadium, Vieira spoke of how the teamÂ’s Asian Cup mission had already been accomplished by reaching the last four for the first time in 31 years.
“Our mission here is already accomplished in one sense because all my expectations here have been fulfilled by reaching the semi-finals,” said the 54-year-old, who only assumed the position in May.
“It’s good for the players, it’s good for the country and it’s good for the people that we have be able show the good play of Iraq.
“I have learnt a lot about this team in the last 48 days, but I know that Iraq is like Brazil because everyone there loves football.
“I know that the situation in Iraq is critical and complicated, and from the beginning, I have tried to keep my players under pressure to do the best for their country to try to give more happiness to the people after each game.”
However, Vieira is firmly committed to helping Iraq to improve upon their previous best Asian Cup performance, a fourth place finish in Iran in 1976.
“The important thing now is to try and do my best for the team. Now is not the time to discuss money and contracts because we are still in the competition and nothing is finished.
“I am not satisfied yet and I am looking for more because I still have two games to go to finalise my work.”
It will be the first ever meeting between Korea and Iraq at the Asian Cup although the two teams met less than a month ago in a friendly on Jeju Island on June 29, a match won 3-0 by the east Asian side.
Vieira doesnÂ’t want to read too much into that result though.
“It was our ‘makhtub’ (fate) that we went to Korea to prepare our team for the Asian Cup and they smashed us, although that game was played in very different circumstances because we had travelled for 36 hours to get to Korea,” he said.
“I have some information about them but I will keep my opinions about their team and their strengths and weaknesses to myself.
“What I will say is that they have a good team and we know of their quality because they played well at the World Cup in 2002 and 2006.
“But they also have to respect us because the field that we will play on tomorrow is very different from the one that we played on at Jeju in a friendly game.”
The Iraqi preparations have not been helped though by logistical problems on Monday when they travelled from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur for the semi-final.
Due to overbooking at the official team hotel, Vieira and his players were forced to wait for several hours in the lobby before finally being given rooms.
They only left for training at 9:00 pm and returned to the hotel after midnight before taking their dinner at 1:30 am in the morning.
The situation left Vieira fuming.
“When we were in Thailand, we were told that if we went to Kuala Lumpur the day after our game against Vietnam (Sunday), we would not have rooms at the team hotel and we would have to stay in another hotel and then switch the following day,” he said.
“So we agreed to stay an extra day in Thailand and travelled on Monday because we thought we could get here and check into our rooms with no problem, but instead we arrived here and we had to wait around for six hours.
“I think that this is considered a high level competition so these sorts of mistakes should not happen because this is a football team playing in an important tournament, not a tourist group.” -
Japan maintain respect for dangerous Saudis
Jul 24, 2007
PA Sport
HANOI – Despite their impressive record against Saudi Arabia at the AFC Asian Cup, defending champions Japan are taking nothing for granted for their semi-final clash at My Dinh National Stadium on Wednesday night.
The Japanese have twice defeated the Saudis in the Asian Cup final, winning 1-0 in Hiroshima in 1992 and again in Beirut in 2000, while also trouncing the Middle Eastern side 4-1 during the group stage of the latter tournament.
However, Japan coach Ivica Osim does not want his players to reach too much into those past results.
“Saudi Arabia are a very good side,” said the former Yugoslavia coach, who was in charge of Japan during the Asian Cup qualifiers last year when they lost 1-0 to the Saudis in Jeddah in September before gaining revenge with a 3-1 win in Sapporo in November.
“They were strong last year, but they are now different, a new team under a new coach,” added the Bosnian of the team now led by Brazilian Helio dos Anjos.
“They play a more aggressive and modern style of football and also have a few players who are difficult to deal with.”
Japan midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura admits to being impressed by the attack of the three-time winners, who began the tournament with a 1-1 draw with Korea Republic before recording three straight wins, defeating co-hosts Indonesia 2-1 and Gulf counterparts Bahrain 4-0 during the group stage, and Uzbekistan 2-1 in the quarter-finals.
“I’ve seen their games on television and I know they have a few good players, especially Yasser Al Qahtani, who is a dangerous player,” said the Celtic player.
“But we also have Bomber [Yuji Nakazawa] in our backline, too,” Nakamura added.
“It’s going to be a tough game, for sure. It’s going to be hot too.
“It’s important to have technique but you’ve got to be tough mentally as well.”
While there are doubts over the fitness of right back Akira Kaji, who hurt his ankle during the quarter-final victory against Australia and had trained separately from the rest of the squad for the last two days, Osim is hoping to name an unchanged squad for the last four clash.
“Any team has a speedy forward and the Saudi forwards are good. But that doesn’t mean that you have to change your backline. I don’t believe it is necessary to change our defenders as they have abilities,” the 66-year-old said.
“If I keep the same team or change the team around, I will get criticized if we fail anyway. But I as coach will take all the responsibilities if we lose tomorrow,” he added. -
Verbeek cautious ahead of semi
Jul 24, 2007
PA Sport
KUALA LUMPUR – Korea Republic coach Pim Verbeek is refusing to underestimate the challenge facing his team when they take on Iraq in the AFC Asian Cup semi-finals on Wednesday.
The Koreans registered a 3-0 win over the Iraqis in a friendly match in Korea as part of a three-team tournament that also featured Uzbekistan on the eve of the continental championship.
But after a win over Australia and draws with Thailand and Oman in the group stages before a comfortable victory over Vietnam in the quarter-finals, the Dutchman is fully aware of the task facing his side.
“Iraq is a strong team and we know them very well,” he said. “They have good strikers, they have individual skill and are dangerous.
“They have a tough defence, good balance and are well organised and it is also very difficult to defend their set plays. It’s not an easy game.
“They have good players so we have to play our best football to get to the final and that’s what we are going to do.”
The Koreans, who finished second in Jakarta-based Group D, are chasing their first Asian Cup title since 1960 and a place in the final for the first time since 1988, when they lost to Saudi Arabia.
A rematch of that final 19 years ago is on the cards should VerbeekÂ’s team dispose of Iraq and the Saudis overcome defending champions Japan in Hanoi, although the 51-year-old is not looking beyond his teamÂ’s next opponent.
“There are no easy routes to the final,” he said. “This is a tough tournament and people in Jakarta saw how hard it was for us to overcome that group.
“If you play against one of the favourites for the tournament it’s hard and we had a hard game against Iran. The next game is against Iraq and it’s not an easy team. They were in the semi-final of the Olympic Games and the final of the Asian Games.
“This is a very good generation of Iraqi footballers. They beat Australia and we will never underestimate a team like Iraq. It’s not an easy game.”
VerbeekÂ’s team have scored only three goals in their four matches so far, finishing second in Group D after drawing with Saudi Arabia, losing to Bahrain and defeating Indonesia to progress by the slimmest of margins.
The Koreans then held Iran to a goalless draw after 120 minutes in the quarter-final before winning a penalty shootout against the three-time champions.
“I think so far we have had a tough tournament,” said Verbeek. “We had a difficult group with Saudi Arabia, one of the other semi-finalists. We had to overcome 90,000 fantastic fans in Indonesia and we played one of the contenders to win the title in Iran and we had to play 120 minutes.
“We have had one day less rest than Iraq and in the game I saw against Vietnam they had an easier game than us, so it will be a tough game but we will make it a hard game for Iraq. If you get to the semi-final you have to do everything to win the tournament, that’s why we came.” -
Don 'Osim'Quixote VS Speedy Gonzales!Originally posted by LazerLordz:Style vs Speed.
Japan vs Korea. 
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Fingers crossed for tonight semis as anything could happen for the last 4.I hope Japan would take more shots at goal instead of keeping the ball too long in the built up also hoping that the tall blurr like sotong Maki makes himself useful at the front.No point having a steady defence when the forwards dont take their chances.Likewise to Korea and sometimes I wonder what that little fella with the No 10 jersey is for?
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Ninja, who is that little fella you are referring to? Number 10 is Lee Chun Soo.Originally posted by Short Ninja:Fingers crossed for tonight semis as anything could happen for the last 4.I hope Japan would take more shots at goal instead of keeping the ball too long in the built up also hoping that the tall blurr like sotong Maki makes himself useful at the front.No point having a steady defence when the forwards dont take their chances.Likewise to Korea and sometimes I wonder what that little fella with the No 10 jersey is for?
Or do you mean that short guy Choi Sung Kuk? i don't like him. He's not supposed to be in the national team. the shortest guy in the team. (even though not as short as Japan's Komano ) -
Korea & Japan to go through to set up for a dream final showdown
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We in east Asia hope so. But the West Asian fans would like to see all Arab final (Saudi - Iraq).Originally posted by 4getmenot:Korea & Japan to go through to set up for a dream final showdown
Great divide: Arabs vs Orientals in the 2 semi finals.
Anyway, whoever win, we have to support Asian soccer. Most importantly, this is to unite the great Asia, which is what the Asian Cup is all about.
No racism but fair play and peace to Asia
Support Asian football. Weak or strong teams, as long as we keep supporting, there is always hope. i have the confidence that in the next Asian cup in 2011, standard will go up. -
Here, i would like to salute to the Iraqi team.
Tonight, Korea will face Iraq.
Even if the Iraqis win or lose tonight's semi final, they have my respect. We have to understand that their country has been ravaged by years of war and uncertainties. Yet they can still produce a quality team. It's not easy, especially when some players even lost their relatives in the war.
Football gives them renewed confidence. Let's pray for peace in Iraq. They have a great future.
Korea was in similar situation in the 40s and 50s. After the Japanese surrendered in 1945, there was the Korean war (1950-1953) that divided the country. Tens of thousands of people died.
The war-torn Republic of Korea (unofficially known as South Korea) was one of Asia's poorest countries in the 50s and 60s but still managed to produce a team to qualify for the World Cup in 1954 and won the Asian Cup in 1956 and 1960.
Therefore I believe football can also give hope to the Iraqi people as well.
Peace to Iraq. End to war.