Iraq's captain, Jalal Hassan, praised the Vietnamese national team as they prepare for the 2023 Asian Cup, which kicks off next week in Qatar.
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| The 2023 Asian Cup finals were held in Qatar. (Source: VFF) |
Before officially entering the 2023 Asian Cup finals in Qatar, Jalal Hassan - the goalkeeper and captain of Iraq - commented on the teams in Group D.
Jalal Hassan highly regards the Japanese national team, the strongest contender for the Asian Football Championship title.
Hassan also praised the Vietnamese team, while he did not consider Indonesia a rival.
Having just narrowly defeated Vietnam in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Hassan understands quite a bit about coach Philippe Troussier's team.
According to Hassan, this is the opponent Iraq must be wary of in the race to qualify for the Round of 16 of the 2023 Asian Cup.
"Iraq is in a relatively tough group, as the top contender for the tournament title is Japan," Hassan said. "I think Japan will go very far in this tournament thanks to the strength of their players who play in Europe."
The 32-year-old goalkeeper continued, "In addition, the group also includes the very developed Vietnamese national team."
Having just thrashed Indonesia 5-1, Hassan didn't consider coach Shin Tae Yong's team a formidable opponent.
When asked about the possibility of reaching the Round of 16 at the 2023 Asian Cup, Hassan was optimistic: "As for Iraq, I also believe that we will qualify for the next round, although the chances are equal for all teams."
Iraq will play a friendly match against South Korea on January 6th. The "Lions of Mesopotamia" will play their first Asian Cup match against Indonesia on January 15th.
( according to Vietnamnet )
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