DOHA, Feb 9 — Giant-killers Jordan prefer to down play their chances ahead of their 2023 Asian Cup final against hosts Qatar at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail tomorrow night.
Having eliminated heavyweights like Iraq and South Korea, both former champions, en route to reaching the final, Jordan head coach Hussein Ammouta expects The Chivalrous to face tough times against a very good Qatar side.
He said this was proven as Qatar, also known as The Maroons, are on the verge of winning a second consecutive title, an achievement yet to be replicated since Japan last achieved it in the 2002 and 2004 editions.
“Qatar are the defending champions and will be playing on home ground. They are a very tough side to beat and we saw that in the 2019 final. Their success until today has been the result of the solid support from the association.
“They’ve invested a lot of money and been given full backing and have now become a team with a very big potential,” the coach, who is from Morocco, told a pre-match media conference here today.
Although he was full of praise for Qatar, Ammouta was quick to add that Jordan will continue to fight their way to make history by claiming their first Asian Cup title.
“We have come so far and want to end this journey on a high… we have a good squad and, although some players are down with minor injuries, they are all ready for action,” said Ammouta, who views tomorrow showdown as a match between “Arab families”.
Meanwhile, defender Salem Al Ajalin said his teammates have vowed to make their families and the people of Jordan proud of them.
“We know the game against Qatar will be tense and very close, but we will give it our best to make our supporters proud. They are the reason we have come this far,” said the 35-year-old.
As the defending champions and playing on home soil, Qatar have set their sights on lifting the Cup for the second consecutive time while first-time finalists Jordan are bent on making history by claiming their maiden title.
— Bernama
