ABU DHABI • Carlos Queiroz has warned that Iran can only get better, after Sardar Azmoun struck twice in the 2-0 win over Vietnam yesterday to ensure they qualified for the last 16 of the Asian Cup.
Iraq joined them in the knockout stages by beating Yemen 3-0 in Sharjah before the two rivals, both on six points, clash on Wednesday to determine the Group D winners.
"The two teams have played very well, fought hard," said coach Queiroz after the match with Asean champions Vietnam, who lost 3-2 to Iraq in their opener.
"However, I believe we can play stronger. We played with only 60 to 70 per cent of our ability.
"But the result is very good. I predicted from the start that Vietnam are a difficult team and it is not easy to score many goals into their net."
Iran, looking for their fourth title and their first since 1976, could have scored four or five but for some poor finishing in Abu Dhabi.
Saman Ghoddos and Mehdi Taremi went close, before Azmoun rose to head home a Ghoddos cross after 38 minutes.
The Rubin Kazan forward then lashed in his third goal of the tournament from the edge of the box 20 minutes from time to give Iran a ninth successive first-round victory dating back to 2007. Iran, joint-favourites with South Korea for the Cup, crushed war-torn Yemen 5-0 in their opener.
Queiroz said: "The next few matches are always important. Now, we will really look forward to that match with Iraq."
In Group C, South Korea and China ensured their places in the last 16 on Friday after beating Kyrgyzstan 1-0 and the Philippines 3-0 respectively.
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Football: Iran and Iraq qualify for last 16 with easy wins ABU DHABI • Carlos Queiroz has warned that Iran can only get better, after Sardar Azmoun struck twice in the 2-0 win over Vietnam yesterday to ensure they qualified for the last 16 of the Asian Cup.
Iraq National Football Team
Iran-Iraq War. The first ban was imposed in 1980 after an Olympic qualifying play-off between Iraq and Kuwait in Baghdad, where the match referee was attacked by enraged home fans and members of the Iraqi team after the Malaysian official's decision to award a match changing penalty to the Kuwaitis that led to Iraq losing 3-2.
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Football: Iran and Iraq qualify for last 16 with easy wins
Iraq's Olympic side draw 0-0 with Iran at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran to ensure that they topped Group C of the AFC U-23 Championship qualifiers. Abdul-Ghani Shahad's team will be aiming to finish in the top three of that tournament in order to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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Football in Iraq was lost under Uday Hussein. Under his oppressive regime, football that is usually a conduit for relief became strangled. Without offering players the dream to leave the country and constantly threatening players after losses with torture and death, Iraqis were given little incentive to dream and to play for the national football squad.
Iran national football team - Wikipedia
Iran and Iraq are neighboring countries, sharing a long history. In the contemporary era, especially during the reign of Saddam Hussein, the two countries had bad relations and fought the Iran-Iraq War for 8 years. In 2001, for the first time in decades, an Iran-Iraq match was not held at a neutral venue.
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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on January 13, 2019, with the headline 'Iran and Iraq qualify for last 16 with easy wins'. Print Edition | Subscribe Topics:
Football: Iran and Iraq qualify for last 16 with easy wins
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