Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Goa: A proud Qahtan Chitheer lauded his Iraq side after they reached the semi-finals of the AFC U-16 Championship for just the fourth time after they defeated 2012 winners Uzbekistan 2-0 on Monday.
Mohammed Dawood put the Iraqis in front on seven minutes and despite spurning a host of opportunities, including hitting the woodwork three times early in the second half, Dawood's second 12 minutes from time booked a last four meeting with Japan.
Their fourth straight undefeated game will no doubt be the sweetest as it brings with it the final available Asian spot at the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017, as Iraq join the Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan and DPR Korea in next year's FIFA tournament.
"I am so happy and satisfied with my players for achieving this result. We are very proud to reach this level of the tournament," said coach Chitheer.
"It was a good match, we played very well. Uzbekistan is a good, strong team but we played strongly and controlled the ball in all areas of the field.