Jordan footballers fail to get past quarters

AMMAN — Thailand ended the Kingdom's U23 football team's unbeaten run when they won their quarter-final match 2-0 on Sunday at 17th Asian Games currently under way in Incheon, South Korea. The Kingdom's squad went into the match with two players injured and a third booked. Despite a bumpy preparation period, Jordan had an impressive run scoring three wins: In Round 2, they beat Kyrgyzstan 2-0 in extra time. In Round 1, Jordan topped Group G following a 1-0 win over the UAE and 2-0 over India. Despite their exit, the competition has boosted their morale and confidence ahead of the 2016 Olympic qualifiers set for March 2015. In other quarter-final matches, North Korea edged the UAE 1-0, Iraq beat Saudi Arabia 3-0 and South Korea squeezed past Japan 1-0. In the semis, South Korea plays Thailand and Iraq takes on North Korea. But looking ahead, there are still medal chances for Jordan in a number of sports including boxing, taekwondo, wrestling and karate in the coming days. In boxing’s lightweight division, Obadeh Al Kasbeh will meet Korea’s Han Soonchul for a place in the semifinals, while teammate Odai Al Hindawi faces Nepal’s Ujjar Thapa in the last 16 of the middleweight division. In cycling, Razan Soboh represents Jordan in the 126km road race event.