Sports

AMMAN — Jazira, Wihdat and possibly That Ras will represent Jordanian clubs in Asian Club competitions this season.

Jordan Professional League champs Wihdat will play the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League and will face Kuwait’s Qadissieh on February 10 in the preliminary round. If Wihdat wins, they will advance to play Saudi Arabia’s Ahli a week later before advancing to play in the group stages.

After two-time AFC Cup champs and league runner-up Faisali declined, third-place Jazira were nominated to take part for the first time. 

In case Wihdat advance in the Champions League league’s fourth placed team, That Ras, will take their place in the 12th AFC Cup alongside Jazira.

The Cup will have 41 clubs from across the continent competing in eight groups with the top two from each group going on to the Round of 16.

Jazira coach Issa Turk said his team was readying to play in Group 2
alongside Palestine’s Wadi Nays and Iraq’s Shurta with play kicking off on February 24.

“Injuries continue to plague the team so we are focusing on the fitness aspect. One positive side is the return of players from the U-23 to our squad after national duty.”

Wihdat were also preparing for the Asian Champions League, and the team lost 5-2 to the U-23 squad in a friendly as the rest of the line-up was on national duty at the Asian Cup.

Last year, first time AFC Cup competitors Jordan Cup champs That Ras exited the Round of 16 while former AFC Cup champs Shabab Urdun took part exiting in Round 1. Shabab Urdun were also eliminated by Bahrain’s Al Hidd in their preliminary round of the AFC Champions League.

The second-tier Asian club competition was won by Syria’s Jeish in its inaugural edition in 2004. Jordan’s Faisali won in 2005 and 2006, and Shabab Urdun won their first Asian title in 2007.

Australia’s Robbie Kruse (centre) and UAE’s Omar Abdulrahman battle for the ball during their AFC Asian Cup semifinal match in Newcastle, Australia, on Tuesday (AP photo by Rick Rycroft)

NEWCASTLE, Australia — Hosts Australia rode two early strikes to a 2-0 victory over the United Arab Emirates that sent it into the Asian Cup final for a second successive tournament at a rain-soaked Newcastle Stadium on Tuesday.

The Socceroos, who lost to Japan in the final four years ago, will take on another East Asian power in South Korea on Saturday in Sydney looking to seal a first continental title at their third attempt.

Defenders led the way for the goal-happy tournament hosts with Trent Sainsbury heading them in front after three minutes and Jason Davidson doubling the lead 11 minutes later.

The UAE stunned champions Japan in a penalty shoot-out to reach the semifinals for the first time since 1996 but another upset never looked on the cards after Australia’s early salvo.

Attacking midfielder Omar Abdulrahman did nothing to detract from his burgeoning reputation with some delightful touches and striker Ahmed Khalil hit the woodwork in the first half but they were unable to create enough clear-cut chances.

The wet pitch probably did not help but Australia, with Matthew Spiranovic restored to the back four after suspension, also defended well enough to contain Abdulrahman and his teammates.

It was at the other end of the pitch that the Socceroos made the most important early impression to the delight of the majority of the crowd of 21,079.

Winger Robbie Kruse had his cross blocked after a burst down the right in the opening couple of minutes but when the corner came swinging into the box, Sainsbury rose unchallenged to head the ball into the net off the turf.

The UAE had its best chance in the 10th minute when Abdelaziz Sanqour broke down the right flank and crossed for striker Khalil to hit the ball first time against the base of the post.

Australia was straight back on the attack, though, and after another surge down the right the ball was heading towards Tim Cahill in front of goal.

Cahill was dragged back as he was attempting a shot and Mathew Leckie then had an effort blocked but the ball fell to Davidson, who calmly drilled it low and hard into the goal.

The Australians were in no mood to sit back and protect their lead but the UAE kept its shape and gradually worked its way back into the contest.

Khalil let fly with a long-range effort that flew past Mat Ryan and wide of the post in the 51st minute and Abdulrahman continued to probe for weaknesses in the Australian defence.

Massimo Luongo, Australia’s find of the tournament, had another impressive game in midfield and his curling effort came close to the target after 72 minutes.

The Socceroos continued to press forward and Leckie forced a save out of Majed Naser in the 75th minute, although the referee failed to see it and awarded a goal kick.

The UAE probably deserved a goal but Ali Ahmed Mabkhout had his shot smothered by Sainsbury in the dying minutes to leave his tally for the tournament at four.

AMMAN — Voting gets under way on Tuesday in the Best Young Achiever – Male category for the 2014 Black Iris Sports Awards, according to a statement from the Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC) News Service. The nominees are Obadah Al Kisbeh (Boxing), Hamzeh Qattan (Taekwondo) and Zaid Al Halawani (Taekwondo) with voting via the JOC Facebook page or www.joc.jo. Voting for the Best Sportsman Award concluded Monday night. The JOC is closely monitoring the process to ensure that the validity of the votes is fair, and with the number of votes showing an increase from last year’s awards, it signifies the popularity of those shortlisted. The five winners of the Black Iris Awards will be revealed in March at a gala dinner, and the voting for the other categories will take place over the coming weeks.

SYDNEY — South Korea moved a step closer to burying its 55-year Asian Cup hoodoo when it grabbed a goal in each half to beat Iraq 2-0 on Monday and set up a final against Australia or the United Arab Emirates.

Lee Jeong-hyeop gave the Taegeuk Warriors the lead with a 20th minute header and defender Kim Young-gwon lashed the second into the net five minutes after the break as the South Koreans reached the final for the first time since 1988.

Iraq, perhaps emotionally and physically drained by its dramatic quarter-final victory over Iran last week, played with plenty of passion but were unable to become the first side to breach the Korean defence in five matches in Australia.

“I think first of all it’s the discipline of the players, if you know the Korean mentality, the education, this is what makes this team strong,” South Korea’s German coach coach Uli Stielike told reporters, as if searching his mind for some kind of explanation.

“In the first half, we had a lot of technical problems, we gave too many balls away. We see also there are a lot of players without the big match experience. We have to improve a lot if we want to win the final.”

Iraq’s hopes of another fairytale run to the title to match its 2007 triumph were washed away in the Sydney rain and it is twice champions South Korea who will return to Stadium Australia next Saturday in search of a first Asian Cup crown since 1960.

South Korea had looked the most likely to score in a cagey opening to the match with Son Heung-min, the two-goal hero of South Korea’s quarter-final victory over Uzbekistan, drawing a fingertip save out of Jalal Hassan with a long-range effort.

A minute later and the Koreans were in front, Kim Jin-su curling a free kick into the box and Lee rising above the Iraqi defence to head down and into the net.

Iraq skipper Younis Mahmoud was making his presence felt up front but the Koreans are not a side to be bullied at the back and he was more often than not battling alone in the first half.

Even the persistent rain that fell on Sydney all day was not able to dampen the spirits of a noisy crowd of just over 36,000, the South Koreans at one end with inflatable batons and the band of Iraqis at the other accompanied by drums and whistles.

The Koreans had more to shout about but Iraq gave its supporters a lift with a flurry of attacks just before the break when winger Amjed Kalaf’s raking drive forced Kim Jin-hyeon to get down low to push the ball across his goal.

The South Korea goalkeeper gave the Iraqis the sniff of an equaliser when he rashly charged out of his area three minutes after the break but another two minutes on and his team’s lead had been doubled.

The ball bounced around the area in an extended bout of aerial ping-pong from a Son corner before Lee Jeong-hyeop chested the ball down for Kim Young-gwon to hit it first time from the edge of the box past the despairing dive of Hassan.

Iraq was forced to press forward but clear-cut opportunities were still few and far between for it while Hassan had to be at his sharpest to deny long-range efforts from South Korean skipper Ki Sung-yueng and Son inside a minute.

Kalaf continued to cause problems with his pace but there always seemed to be a South Korean foot or head to cut out the final ball and prevent a scoring chance.

Iraqi player Alaa Abdul-Zahra stretches before training for his AFC Asian Cup semifinal match in Sydney on Sunday (AFP photo by Peter Parks)

SYDNEY — Asked on Thursday whether he would prefer to play Iran or Iraq in the last four of the Asian Cup, South Korea coach Uli Stielike said only that he hoped their quarter-final would go to extra time.

The German’s wish was granted, and Iraq will take on the South Koreans in the Sydney semifinal on Monday having prevailed on penalties after 120 minutes of tense, emotional and draining drama in Canberra.

In such a condensed tournament, where the eventual champions will have played six matches in as little as 19 days, an extra 24 hours here and there to prepare for a match can be vital.

Iraq coach Radhi Shenaishil said he was racing against time to get his players back into game shape.

“Our main goal now is recovery,” Shenaishil said after Friday’s victory over neighbours Iran. “We played four halves in this game and the main thing now is recovery ahead of the semifinal.

“I think teams like Korea Republic and Australia are teams that are here to win the Asian Cup. But the four teams in the semi-finals all have the same chance to get to the final.

“There is a lot of history with Korea and there are a lot of positive results for Iraq against Korea.”

Most prominent in that history is their 2007 semifinal, which Iraq won 4-3 on penalties to continue its fairytale ride to the Asian Cup final.

Four days later in Jakarta, Younus Mahmood headed the winner against Saudi Arabia to give the Iraq its first Asian title.

Elder statesman

Mahmood is now the elder statesman of a side that seemingly does not know how to give up.

He scored Iraq’s second goal against Iran before coolly chipping his spot kick over the Iranian goalkeeper as the Iraqis won the shoot-out 7-6.

“We have a young squad and we need a leader,” said Shenaishil. “He’s the type of player that opponents hate to play against and teammates love to play with.

“There was some doubt in the media about whether he should play or not, but I don’t listen to them.”

Stielike’s ‘Taegeuk Warriors’ also needed extra time to get past Uzbekistan in their quarter-final but his concern is not so much about his team’s physical conditioning, more their ability to deal with the pressure.

The prize at stake in Monday’s match is a final against hosts Australia or surprise package the United Arab Emirates and a chance to give South Korea a first Asian Cup title in 55 years.

“The important thing is we have to get over the mental hump. There will be a lot of pressure in the semifinals,” Stielike said.

“We just have to find a way to come out and play without this big pressure. Just have fun.”

The South Koreans have yet to concede a goal in four matches and the extra day’s rest will give Son Heung-min, who scored both of his team’s extra time goals in the quarter-final, more time to recover from a bug that laid him low in the group stage.

The 22-year-old Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder broke a 10-game international goalscoring drought with his goals in Melbourne and Stielike is convinced he can still improve.

“I don’t think we have seen the right Son in these four games because of his sickness,” he said. “He can play better.”

AMMAN  — The Kingdom’s U-23 football team played four friendlies over the past week as they near the start of the Olympic qualifying journey on March 25.

With the Jordan Professional League on break to accommodate the national team’s participation at the Asian Cup, the U-23 team lost to Manshieh 2-1, beat Wihdat 5-2, held 0-0 by Faisali before beating Jazira 2-1 over the weekend.

As officials try to arrange friendlies with Asian teams, head coach Jamal Abu Abed said these friendlies were important as “younger players were given a chance to play and prove they were on par with their teammates who were on national team duty”.

In the U-23 qualifiers, a total of 43 teams entered the qualification tournament and will play in 10 groups of five or four teams. Jordan will play in Group B
alongside hosts Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kuwait hoping to qualify for the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship which will take place in Qatar. The top team from each of the groups in addition to the top second placed team from groups that have five teams will move to the AFC U-23 Championship from which the top three advance to the 2016 Summer Olympics football tournament.

With only two months remaining ahead of the qualifiers, observers are worried that the team’s agenda will further be hampered by the restart of the local league next week, when players will join their respective clubs in Leg 2.

Last year, the U-23 team faced the same dilemma when it represented Jordan at the Asian Games. Despite a bumpy preparation period with the busy agenda of the national team and local clubs, the squad was impressive and reached the quarters.

Similarly, the team won bronze at the inaugural AFC U-22 Championship after beating South Korea. The event, which has now been renamed the AFC U-23 Championship, saw Iraq beat Saudi Arabia to take the title last season.

Before the latest local matches, the squad hosted Oman losing the first match 2-1 and jumped back to win the second encounter 1-0. In previous friendlies last season, the team lost to Wihdat 2-0, tied Jazira 1-1 and beat Shabab Urdun 2-1. In regional friendlies the team beat Uzbekistan 2-1, held Iran, 2-2 and 1-1, and Kuwait, 1-1 twice, and drew with Qatar 0-0. The team  finished second at the Palestine International Championship and hosted the England C
squad in a historic match, losing 1-0.

The United Arab Emirates knocked out defending champion Japan and Iraq outlasted a short-handed Iran in penalty shoot-outs to end thrilling Asian Cup quarter-finals on Friday.

Japan star Shinji Kagawa hit the left upright with his spot kick, allowing the UAE defender Ismail Ahmed to blast in the winning penalty and earn the UAE its first semifinal appearance since 1996.

After 1-1 in extra time, the UAE won 5-4 on penalties at Sydney’s Olympic Stadium.

“I told the players, ‘You don’t always have to play nice football to win the game. Sometimes you have to play with your heart, with your spirit’,” said the UAE coach Mahdi Ali Hassan.

At Canberra, Iraq beat fierce rival Iran 7-6 in a penalty shoot-out after a remarkable 3-3 draw, when four goals were scored in extra time.

“We worked hard, me and my teammates, to give something to our country,” Iraq defender Dhurgham Ismail said. “Every respect to the Iran team who are not an easy team [to beat].”

Iraq booked a semifinal against South Korea, the only group winner to make the last four, on Monday, and the UAE moved on to face Australia on Tuesday.

Iraq and South Korea are the only surviving former champions; Iraq in 2007, and South Korea last in 1960.

Japan didn’t concede a goal in three group matches, then was shockingly behind after only seven minutes on Friday.

Ali Mabkhout ran on to Amer Abdulrahman’s chipped pass and shot a powerful volley past Japan goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima from a tight angle, for his fourth goal of the tournament.

Japan soon dominated possession and territory but countless raids unravelled on the decisive final pass.

The goal from an increasingly desperate Japan finally arrived when Gaku Shibasaki — Japan’s third and final substitute — took a cushioned pass from Keisuke Honda and curled his effort beyond the UAE keeper Majed Naser to the relief of the Japanese fans among the crowd of 19,094.

Shibasaki came within inches of scoring his second goal late in extra time but his free kick was wide with Naser well beaten.

In the shoot-out, Honda shot over the crossbar, and Kagawa also missed for the tournament favourite, giving Ahmed the chance to secure victory, which he did by burying his shot out of Kawashima’s reach.

“The [UAE] played the match of their life,” Japan coach Javier Aguirre said.

“But we played better football and had a more attacking mentality than them. We did not enough care at the start of the game which caused us to concede a goal. Then we had to fight for goals.”

Iran, which played with 10 men after halftime, twice equalised in extra time to send the match to a lengthy penalty shoot-out, which ended when Iraq defender Salam Shakir converted after Iran’s Vahid Amiri hit the post.

Iraq captain Younis Mahmoud and Ismail scored in extra time, but Morteza Pouraliganji and Reza Ghoochannejhad, in the 119th minute, levelled the contest for the three-time champion.

Earlier, Azmoun Sardar opened the scoring in the first half for Iran, before the contentious sending off of teammate Mehrdad Pooladi just before halftime for his second yellow card. Ahmed Yasin equalised for Iraq in the 56th minute.

“We go home now and it hurts a lot, because the players worked hard and committed themselves,” Iran coach Carlos Quieroz said. “They deserve something more and they deserve respect from the fans.”

Australian referee Ben Williams was the centre of the match’s most contentious incident when he gave Pooladi a yellow card shortly before halftime for an innocuous incident with Hassan. Williams then walked away, seemingly unaware he was issuing Pooladi a second yellow.

The Iraqi players quickly surrounded the referee to alert him of the error, and Willams then brandished a red card to the left back, much to the displeasure of Quieroz, who gesticulated wildly for several minutes. At halftime, Quieroz needed to be restrained by Iranian team officials, and was led to the dressing rooms before he could confront the referee.

But a gallant 10-man Iran again showed resolve; Ghoochannejhad scored his second late goal in as many matches, showing good instinct to get to the bouncing ball and head in the equaliser during a goalmouth scramble, following Andranik Teymourian’s corner.

Both teams missed their first penalties in the shoot-out before the next 12 attempts were all successful. After Amiri missed, Shakir calmly placed his shot past Haghighi to give Iraq just its second win in seven Asian Cup matches against its great rival.

CANBERRA — Emotions are always high when Iran and Iraq meet on the football pitch. The political history between the two Middle Eastern neighbours always provides both teams with added motivation.

On Friday, the rivals will clash in the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup in Canberra and the stakes could not be higher but bragging rights are only part of the equation.

The Iraqi coach Radhi Shenaishil has warned his players to forget about who they’re playing, telling them that cool heads are needed with the bigger carrot of a semifinal against South Korea in Sydney awaiting the winner.

“There’s history between the two teams,” he said. “[But] I want to see a quality match. We are in the quarter-finals and we want to give the right impression of football in Asia.

“Both Iran and Iraq will be telling their players to have a quality game and forget their emotions. On the day, the players are there to do their duty.”

Both teams go into the match full of confidence and harbouring greater ambitions of winning the title.

Iraq defied the odds and the troubles in its war-torn homeland to win the 2007 Asian Cup and are hoping to repeat the fairytale run this time.

Iraq was expected to struggle in the pool stage but beat Jordan and Palestine and lost narrowly to Japan to finish runner-up in Group D.

Iraq’s driving force remains Younis Mahmoud, its talismanic striker who scored the winner in the 2007 Asian Cup final against Saudi Arabia.

Mahmoud missed a penalty when Iran beat Iraq 1-0 in a warm-up played in Wollongong a week before the Asian Cup started and Shenaishil said he was expecting another tight battle.

“It’s not going to be an easy match between the two teams but hopefully we can produce something,” he said.

“They are a strong team. We’ve played them previously in a friendly. It’s good to play against a strong team before competitions, to see your advantages and disadvantages.”

Iran has won the Asian Cup three times but not since 1976. It has been a long and frustrating run for Team Melli but things are starting to fall into place.

Iran is currently the highest ranked team in Asia and sailed through the pool phase without giving up a goal, although they needed a stoppage-time winner to beat the  United Arab Emirates to ensure it finished top of Group C.

“This is exactly where everything starts,” Iran coach Carlos Queiroz said.

“We played against them in a friendly before the tournament started and I saw them play against Jordan and Japan.

“We are sure that we don’t underestimate the Iraqi team. They are a good team.”

The heartbeat of Iran’s team is veteran captain Javad Nekounam, who will reach a special milestone against Iraq.

Nekounam will become the first Iranian to make 150 international appearances, surpassing the previous record of 149 caps held by Ali Daei, the world record holder for international goals.

But, like all the players on both teams, the 34-year-old midfielder’s only real goal is to win the match.

“I have never thought about any records throughout my career, from the very first day when I was invited to play for the national team until now,” he said.

“I have the same desire and motivation. I have never thought about it and tomorrow’s game is no different.”

BRISBANE — Tim Cahill came to Australia’s rescue again on Thursday, scoring two goals, one of them among the most spectacular ever seen at an Asian Cup, to lead the host-nation into the semifinals.

With his teammates all fluffing their chances in front of goal, Cahill took it upon himself to calm Australia’s jitters and secure a 2-0 win over China in the quarter-finals at Brisbane’s Lang Park.

Both goals came in the second half but it was the first, four minutes after the restart, that will be remembered for years to come and go viral on the Internet.

Cahill has made a habit of scoring stunning goals for his country — most memorably his volley against the Netherlands in last year’s World Cup — but Thursday’s eye-popper was perhaps his finest.

When China failed to clear the ball from an Australian corner, Ivan Franjic innocuously headed the ball into the box in the direction of Cahill, who seemingly had nowhere to go with a defender breathing down his neck.

But the 35-year-old, displaying the sort of athleticism of a teenager, leapt into the air and performed a perfect overhead bicycle kick, angling the ball across the six-metre box past the astonished Chinese goalkeeper Wang Dalei.

It was a moment of theatrical magic that not only revived Australia’s title hopes but instantly breathed new life into the tournament.

Sixteen minutes later, Cahill scored again, killing off China’s hopes of going any further in the tournament, when he neatly headed the ball into the corner of the net after a cross from Mathew Leckie, who also had a fine match.

Already Australia’s all-time leading scorer, Cahill’s brace lifted his international tally to 39 goals from 80 appearances and saved his country’s blushes.

In the other match, South Korea’s Son Heung-min scored twice in extra time against Uzbekistan to send his team into the semifinals.

Uzbekistan coach Mirdjadal Kasimov could summon up only one explanation for his side’s exit — dirty, rotten bad luck.

South Korea is something of a bogey team for Uzbekistan, having won eight, drawn two and lost just one of their 11 meetings.

The Australians will play either Japan or the United Arab Emirates in next week’s semifinals. South Korea will face Iran or Iraq in the other semi.

The Australians, beaten 1-0 by South Korea in their last group match, dominated possession against the Chinese but squandered a series of clear chances to score with Cahill the lone exception.

The team also provided its supporters with some heart flutters, carelessly giving the ball away on a handful of occasions and allowing China to threaten on the counter attack.

The Australian captain Mile Jedinak, returning to the side after missing the last two group games with an ankle injury, was among the worst offenders and allowed his frustrations to get the better of him when he was booked for a reckless tackle on Ren Hang.

China spent most of the first half defending deep inside its own territory but pressed forward after falling behind and came close to scoring with Zhang Linpeng unleashing a rocket from long-range that forced Mat Ryan to make a diving save.

Sun Ke and Wu Lei also tested out the Australian keeper but the visitors were unable to respond to Cahill’s brace and bowed out of the competition as the Australians marched on.

AMMAN — Voting for the Black Iris Sports Awards winners got under way on Thursday with the first category going to public voting, according to a statement from the Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC) News Service.

The first shortlist of three athletes are posted on the JOC Facebook page for the public to decide who should win the Best Sportsman Award. For the next five days, sports fans can choose their favourite award by simply liking the picture of the sportsman they feel should win.

They can also vote on www.joc.jo. Voting for the other categories will take place next week. Best Sportsman shortlist: Abdel Rahman Al Masatfeh (Karate): Silver at Asian Games, Odai Al Hindawi (Boxing): Silver at the Asian Games and Mohammad Salameh (Muay Thai): Bronze at Asian Beach Games, Gold in Arab Championship.

The other Black Iris Awards categories are: Best Sportswoman, Best Young Achiever – Male; Best Young Achiever – Female and Best Paralympic Athlete. The winners of all the categories will be announced at a gala dinner in February.