WAFF Final: Iran 1 Syria 0

Amman (6.1.00)

We have 'Mushkeelah Kabira'" explains Syria's Yugoslav manager Bozidar Vukotic, using the Arabic for 'a big problem'.

The dilemma in question is how his beleaguered squad of amateurs, which already missing more than half of the best players, is going to beat Iran in the final of the inaugural West Asian Football Federation Championship, the King Hussein Cup, in Amman, Jordan on Friday.

"For me Iran are the best team here. They are a strong team, professional. What can we do? We must play and we must hope. If we play like we did in the group match then we have a chance to win. In that match we had three or four 100% chances but we didn't have any luck. Normally we would have scored."

If Vukotic sounds certain in his diagnosis it's because he has had every chance to analyse his opponents; this will be the fourth meeting between the two sides in two months. They faced each other twice in the Asian Cup qualifying competition in April with Iran winning 1-0 in Syria and drawing 1-1 in Tehran to finish top of the group.

Iran's World Cup coach Jalal Talebi brought an experimental squad comprised largely of Olympic squad members to get an idea which of them were worthy of promotion to the full national team for Lebanon 2000. The result according to his Syrian counterpart is even more impressive than the seniors.

"Iran have a completely different side from the one in the Asian Cup qualifying tournament, but they seem to have two teams of almost the same quality," declares Vukotic. "In my opinion this team is better. In Asian Cup qualifying their only tactic was to play to Ali Daei, now they play as a team. In Aleppo, Syria we closed down Daei and they scored from their only chance. We had six or seven chances but lost 1-0. The same thing happened in the group match here."

Talebi is less confident, warning that there is no telling how some of his youngsters will react to their first taste of the big occasion.

"Having inexperienced players in a final you get one of two things," he says. "Either they play their best game ever or they lose themselves completely. I would be happy with something in between.

"For me I have told them already they are champions. I haven't given them any pressure, I haven't insisted on anything. I want them to be comfortable. I have gained a lot of knowledge about the players that we brought, so we've already achieved what we were looking for. Being in the final with an under-23 team and playing and beating the host country in the semi-finals is a big achievement. It's already a success."

Having come to Jordan without their four foreign based professional Syria have been further weakened by the suspension of Al Wahda midfielder Loa'y Taleb after receiving his second yellow card of the tournament in the semi-final against Iraq. Striker Mohannad Al-Boushy of Ittihad Club is also likely to miss the final after being taken from the King Abdullah stadium by ambulance on Wednesday after suffering a badly broken nose. Add to that the fact that Al Jaish midfielder Ahmad Hazzan is 90% certain to miss the game because of an ankle injury suffered against Iran and it is easy to understand why Syria are not exactly talking up their chances.

"We have a problem because we have so many players missing," explains Syrian coach Mohammad Khair Daher, instantly proving himself to be a master of the understatement. "Many of our substitutes are junior players who have only been in the national squad for one month. The situation is very hard, but in football nothing is impossible. We must try and control the game and get a balance between defence and attack and we must take any chance we have to score."

Bozidar Vukotic - Selector and coach Syrian national team

We have "Mushkeelah Kabira" (Arabic for a big problem). For me Iran are the best team here. They are a strong team, professional. What can we do? We must play and we must hope. If we play like we did in the group match then we have a chance to win. In that match we had three or four 100% chances but we didn't have any luck. Normally we would have scored.

Every time we've played Iran we have suffered with at least two or three injuries. This is our inexperience of playing against professionals. We play with heart, but you can't compare amateurs with professionals.

Iran have a completely different side from the one in the Asian Cup qualifying tournament, but they seem to have two teams of almost the same quality. In my opinion this team is better. In Asian Cup qualifying their only tactic was to play to Ali Daei, now they play as a team.

In Aleppo we closed down Daei and they scored from their only chance. We had six or seven chances but lost 1-0. The same thing happened in the group match here.

If we are to win, I think we must score first, because if they do we'll be in trouble. They know how to keep a lead and how to counter attack. People say they play defensively but they don't. They're just very clever. They can control their half of the field and restrict you to only one or two chances.

They have some very good individuals: Ali Karimi, Hamed Kavianpour, Ali Samareh and Saiar Hamedani who is very good at attacking from midfield.

Mohammad Khair Daher - Syrian National Team coach

The Iranian team is the best team in the whole tournament. They have a high level tactically, technically and physically. They're well prepared and they have professional players who have their finger on the button, they're like conductors. And they're experienced.

We have a problem because we have so many players missing. Many of our substitutes are junior players who have only been in the national squad for one month. The situation is very hard, but in football nothing is impossible.

We must try and control the game and get a balance between defence and attack and we must take any chance we have to score.

Jalal Talebi - coach IR Iran national team

I believe mentally the players are tired. We've had a long hard league season and the players played the last game on Sunday then they had to travel from all over Iran and stay in the airport overnight so we could come here on the Monday.

We haven't had much of a chance to work with the players and many of them had never met each other before. It was not good for the team to meet each other for the first time just 48 hours before the first match.

My main concern was to let these players play because we have players in the full national squad who are getting old and others based outside Iran who we can't get together for proper preparation. By trying our younger players at least we would have a full national team in hand.

Having inexperienced players in a final you get one of two things. Either they play their best game ever or they lose themselves completely. I would be happy with something in between.

For me I have told them already they are champions. I haven't given them any pressure, I haven't insisted on anything. I want them to be comfortable.

I have gained a lot of knowledge about the players that we brought, so we've already achieved what we were looking for. Being in the final with an under-23 team and playing and beating the host country in the semi-finals is a big achievement. It's already a success.

We've played Syria three times in the last two months and I know if we were Syria we would not be going out to lose again. They have nothing to lose. If we beat them, so what they lost again.

 Amman (6.2.00)

Before the final of the inaugural West Asian Championship,in the Jordanian capital Amman, Syria's Yugoslav manager Bozidar Vukotic had warned that his weakened side's only chance was to score first. They didn't, and as Vukotic predicted Iran had few problems holding on to the lead given to them by Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh in the 36th minute.

Sohrab's low free kick, which seemed to catch the Syrian keeper Mohammad Bairouty by surprise, was Iran's only reward for a first half in which they created all the clear-cut chances.

In the 21st minute Ali Karimi had shown exactly why he is likely to be the next Iranian to move to a European club as he jinked past three defenders before firing a right-footed shot which Bairouty gratefully pushed over the bar. And five minutes later Iran appeared unlucky not to have been awarded a penalty when Bashar Srour appeared to handle a delightful chipped pass by Behrouz Rahbarifar, which belied his role as a central defender.

At the other end Syria's lively attack occasionally exposed Iran's captain, the Sturm Graz defender Mehrdad Minavand but with the exception of Mohammad Khalef's low cross which Parviz Brouman did well to grab before Mohammad Yousef pounced, Iran's central defenders were rarely stretched.

In the second half Iran, whose side was made up largely of Olympic team players, were happy to take control and let the pace of the game drop. Committing few numbers in attack their chances were rarer although Rasoul Pak Khatabi should have done better in the 50th after tournament MVP Ali Karimi skipped past two tackles and squared to him. So should Javad Nekounam 10 minutes later as he ended Rasoul's cross-field run by shooting over.

The Syrians rarely threatened an equaliser, although substitute Maher Saed did hit the top of the cross bar with a speculative shot from an acute angle. Then in the dying seconds a golden chance slipped under the boot of Hassan Aloebrahim and Syria were condemned to their third 1-0 defeat in the four encounters between the two sides in the space of just two months.

Jalal Talebi - Iran coach

I feel great. It was a game that we deserved to win. You can't expect a good game in a final, but if any team was going to win it was ours.

I'm very proud of the players. We achieved what we were looking for and we won the first King Hussein Cup.

We knew they were going to play with the long ball so we played with a 4-4-2 formation. Our central defenders played wonderfully. It was their first experience with 4-4-2 and we hardly had any time to practice, but they listened and did what they had to do for the team.

We came here to learn about our young players and we are leaving with the cup.

Bozidar Vukotic - Syrian manager

Without four players we can't play against a team like Iran.,

We had chances especially at the beginning of the first half and also in the last minute.

We lost the game to a free kick and an individual error by the goalkeeper. In the whole tournament we've only conceded that goal and one from a penalty in five games, none from open play. This is good defending.

Our target was to reach the final. We got there and lost to a very good team, there is no shame. Our big success was reaching the final. Now we must try and work hard to reach the level of professional teams like Iran.

 Iran 1 Jordan 0

AMMAN (31.05.00)

One superb strike from Ali Karimi was enough to book Iran's place in the final of the inaugural WAFF Championship at the expense of the hosts Jordan.

In the 17th minute Karimi silenced the near capacity crowd in the King Abdulla Stadium in Amman. The gifted young Pirouzi wing back chested down a long cross field pass from Yadollah Akbari and instantly volleyed it inside the far post.

However it was an unconvincing performance from an Iranian team is made up largely of Olympic squad members. After Karimi's goal they sat back, defending too deeply, and handed all the initiative to Jordan.

The home side fashioned three good chances before half time; a Bassem Khatib header that was pushed round the post by Parviz Brouman, a hopeful Haitham Shboul drive that the keeper only just shovelled past the post and, from the ensuing corner, a chance at the far post wasted by Khatib.

But it was a tactical change during the interval that put Jordan completely in charge when Argentine coach Ricardo Carogatti withdrew defender Amjad Taher in favour of an extra attacker Jerius Tadrus. The addition of the talismanic Al Faisaly striker, who scored the winning goal in the 1997 Pan-Arab Games, forced Iran even further onto the back foot.

However for all their attacking, Jordan left Parviz far too inactive in the Iran goal. Tunisian-based striker Badran Shaqran shot wide after cutting in from the left flank in the 57th minute and Khatib headed over from a right-wing corner after 76 minutes.

It was only with six minutes left that Parvis finally looked in trouble as he misjudged a long diagonal ball to Badran. With the keeper stranded the Club Sfaxian striker guided a header across the face of goal but Jeries, under pressure from his marker, pushed the ball over the bar.

Jordan had one last opportunity in injury time when Ra'affat Ali Jaber cut in from the left, but his shot flew inches over the bar leaving Iran contemplating their fourth encounter with Syria in just two months in Friday's final.

Iran coach Jalal Talebi:

They didn't play the way they were supposed to play, but it is hard in a semi-final against the home nation. Most of my players are under the age of 23, we're here mainly to get experience, but we're very happy to be in the final.

The game was going OK until we scored. Because of our inexperience we lost our concentration and wanted to try and keep the same score for the rest of the match.

The players have responsibilities in any game and they forgot about their jobs. As a result we lost control of the game. We've only just finished a very strong league season in Iran after 10 months and had no time to prepare for this. I think we were tired, which is why we didn't push out.

Jordan played very well, I congratulate them.

Now we must play our fourth match in two months against Syria, but this is a different story. It's a final. We just hope it will be a sporting game.  

AMMAN (31.05.00