Chasing 215 for victory against Punjab, Hyderabad reached the target with five balls to spare at their home
cricket3 hours ago
The coaches of both teams concede the pressure to win Tuesday at Al Rayyan Stadium is conceivably greater than a final, but Ghotbi and Iraq’s Wolfgang Sidka acknowledged the importance of the Group D game while steering clear of politics and conflicts.
“It’s not a war, it’s just football,” Ghotbi said. “What makes football fascinating is that it brings people together, and I hope the match will mend fences and make us good neighbors and friends.”
Sidka has added pressure in being German and thus an outsider, plus he is also coaching the defending champions.
“I don’t know whether my players are Sunni, Shiite or Kurds,” Sidka said. “I never asked them because what is important for me is good relations within the team.
“We have a huge responsibility. Our job is to deliver a good football performance and make Iraqis happy.”
The war between Iran and Iraq claimed hundreds of thousands of lives on both sides. Since the United States-led invasion in 2003 that overthrew the Sunni-dominated regime of Saddam Hussein, Iran has used its ancient trade and religious ties to influence Iraq.
Iraq’s Shiite-dominated government has close ties with the Shiite Iran, raising suspicions among many Iraqis that Tehran is calling the shots in Baghdad.
Iraq was the feel-good story of the last Asian Cup, surprisingly winning the title for the first time to bring the deeply divided nation together at a time of some of the worst sectarian fighting in centuries between Sunni and Shiite militias.
Since then, Iraq football has fallen victim to political infighting, resulting in the team slipping from 58th to 101st in the world rankings and the national federation being suspended by FIFA.
Sidka took over in August and the team has won eight matches since September, including reaching the Gulf Cup semifinals.
“It was a huge success in 2007 and a big surprise too, but it is a new tournament and we start from zero,” Sidka said. “We are well prepared and I am sure about us. It’s a derby and a very important match. It’s also a very, very tough match.”
The teams first met at the Asian Cup in 1972 in Thailand, with Iran winning 2-0. Four years later, host Iran beat Iraq by the same score. Their next meeting came 20 years later in the United Arab Emirates, with Iraq coming out on top 2-1. In the 2000 tournament in Lebanon, Iran won 1-0.
It has been 35 years since the last of Iran’s three Asian Cup titles, but Ghotbi says that is set to change.
“Iraq has a good team and I have great respect for them, but I believe my team is better,” Ghotbi said. “We have prepared well, we have the quality to win this tournament and we have the luck that is necessary for anyone to become the champion.”
Chasing 215 for victory against Punjab, Hyderabad reached the target with five balls to spare at their home
cricket3 hours ago
The Copernicus Emergency Management Service provides mapping products based on satellite imagery
mena3 hours ago
City beat West Ham 3-1 to become the first team to win four straight Premier League titles
football4 hours ago
Dubai Crown Prince reviews strategic plans for the development and launch of satellites under the UAE Satellite Programme
space4 hours ago
Combs is the target of several civil lawsuits that characterise him as a violent sexual predator who used alcohol and drugs to subdue his victims
entertainment4 hours ago
The young pacer, who was hit by Rinku for five sixes in one over last year, held his nerve to defend 17 runs in the final over against Chennai on Sunday
cricket5 hours ago
Zelensky calls on Western allies to supply Kyiv with additional air defence systems to protect Kharkiv and other cities
europe5 hours ago
The hospital's specialist medical team has performed five delicate surgeries during the past two days
world5 hours ago