Jordan keeps its Group D quarter-finals chances alive

AMMAN  — Jordan avoided an early Asian Cup exit at the 16th Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup currently under way in Australia when substitute striker Hamza Dardour helped “Al Nashama” finally win, scoring four goals in Jordan’s 5-1 win over Palestine on Friday.

Dardour, who ended Jordan’s miserable run of 11 games without a win, became only the fourth player in AFC Asian Cup history to score four goals in a single game as two-time quarter-finalists Jordan kept its knockout stage hopes alive after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Iraq in Group D.

Jordan’s hopes of advancing to the quarters this time still hang in the balance. The team will play Japan on Tuesday, while Iraq plays Palestine. Japan leads the group after it beat first time qualifiers Palestine 4-0 and Iraq 1-0. 

Coach Ray Wilkins acknowledged Dardour was his third choice striker, after Ahmad Hayel, who was given a rest after a botched doping test, and Oday Saifi. Hayel will most likely be ready to go back to the pitch by the next match, and Wilkins will need to decide his line-up. 

“He’s got blistering pace and when he’s in front of goal he’ll stick it in the back of the net. He’s very composed in front of goal. His pace will scare people,” Wilkins said of the new star.

Dardour, who is on loan to Saudi Arabia’s Al Khaleej from Jordan’s Ramtha, credited former coach Adnan Hamad for shifting him from wing to striker.

Australia’s Herald Sun quoted Dardour as saying: “Jordan will draw inspiration from their World Cup qualifying win over Japan in March 2013 ahead of their crucial clash. Nothing is impossible, Japan is big team, but we can beat them and qualify.”

“We beat them in World Cup qualifiers so we can do it. This will be a final for us. It feels great, really fortunate to score a super hat-trick,” Dardour added.

Jordan opened scoring with Yousef Ahmad’s strike 12 minutes before half-time at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium. Dardour, who did not play in the first match, went on to score two more before half-time and netted in two more aided by teammate Abdullah Theeb to end the winless streak for Jordan.

There was, though, still time for AFC Challenge Cup 2014 winners Palestine to net its first AFC Asian Cup goal to end the match 5-1. 

Dardour tops the scorers list for now and joined Iranian duo Behtash Fariba and Ali Daei, and Bahrain’s Ismail Abdullatif on the list of players to score four goals at the AFC Asian Cup.

Group D standings