Football teams to play Japan, UAE

AMMAN  — Jordan’s women’s football teams has a tough task when they play Japan on Thursday in their second match at the 17th Asian Games football competition which got under way in Incheon, South Korea, this week.

Jordan came from 2-0 down to tie Taiwan in their first Group B match. They will play China in their third match on
September 22.

Jordan is the only Arab team among 11 competing teams. Group A includes South Korea, Thailand, India and the Maldives. Group C includes North Korea, Vietnam and Hong Kong. The top two from each group and the top two third-placed team will advance to the quarters.

Jordan had moved to the Asian Cup finals for the first time after a three-game winning streak in Group A qualifiers — beating Uzbekistan 4-0, Lebanon 5-0 and Kuwait 21-0.

The senior women’s team is hoping to bounce back after an early elimination from the 2014 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Asian Cup where Jordan lost to world champs Japan 7-0, and 3-1 to Australia and Vietnam in Group A. The top two teams from each group and the best third-placed team qualified to the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada.

The Kingdom was the only Arab team to have ever qualified to the premier women’s football competition in the AFC region, and was one of eight qualifying teams playing in two groups. 

This year, Jordan regained the West Asian Football Championship title with an unbeaten streak. With Iran, Lebanon as well as two-time champs and holders UAE missing the event, Jordan beat Bahrain 5-0, Qatar 7-0 and Palestine 10-0. Jordan, now 52nd in FIFA rankings and the 12th ranked Asian team and the best Arab team on the list, had won the West Asian title twice in 2005 an 2007 but lost the title in 2010 and 2012 to the UAE.

Meanwhile, the men’s Olympic football team will play the UAE in their first Group G match on Thursday before facing India on September 22. The UAE beat India 5-0 in the opening match. 

Jordan’s squad, which is also set to play in the 2016 Olympic qualifiers on March 2015, has struggled to regroup with national team as well as club agendas hampering coach Jamal Abu Abed’s plans. 

Before departure, they played three local matches losing to Wihdat 2-0, tying Jazira 1-1 and beating Shabab Urdun 2-1. In friendlies they beat Uzbekistan 2-1, held Iran 2-2 and 1-1, held Kuwait 1-1 twice and had a goalless draw with Qatar. They finished second at the Palestine International Championship and earlier this year the team hosted the England C squad in a historic match, losing 1-0. 

The 17th Asian Games opens on September 19 and concludes on October 4. Jordan will compete in 12 sports: football, basketball, taekwondo, karate, boxing, triathlon, cycling, judo, wrestling, squash, wushu, and weightlifting.