Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Muscat: Coach Islam Al Diabat welcomed back Jordan captain Hamza Al Daradreh from suspension and said the striker’s return will be a huge boost to his side against Saudi Arabia in their AFC U-22 Championship semi-final on Thursday at Sultan Qaboos Stadium.
Despite dominating Sunday’s quarter-final against the United Arab Emirates, Al Diabat’s 2013 WAFF finalists sorely missed the skipper’s finishing instincts as their forwards struggled to find the net, belatedly scoring the game’s only goal seven minutes from time via the boot of defender Ibrahim Daldoom.
Al Daradreh’s absence came following a decision by the tournament’s disciplinary committee to suspend the player following the group stage win over Myanmar, but he will now be available for selection in the semi-finals.
“Hamza is not just an ordinary player; he’s one of the best in Jordan and our leading scorer in this tournament. He has such a high level of ability that he can play and thrive against any team in the world,” said Al Diabat.
“We have very talented players in the team, especially in the frontline, who can change the game at any time. We have an undefeated record at this tournament, including during qualifying for this tournament, and in every game we’ve scored goals.
"We have played against two Gulf teams so far in this tournament in Oman and the UAE, we beat both of them, and I feel they all play in similar style. I have also watched two of Saudi Arabia’s matches and I know they have a very good and organised backline, so we are going to prepare well to win the match tomorrow.”
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, will be without their first choice goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais whose tournament has ended after he sustained an injury in the final minute of their 2-1 quarter-final victory against Australia.
Coach Khalid Al Koroni will also have to make do without suspended midfielder Zakaria Al Sudani as well as handling fitness concerns with Maan Khodary and Abdullah Al Ammar who limped off in Monday’s game.
“I can confirm that our goalkeeper has gone back to Saudi Arabia for medical checks and a possible operation. We will miss Mohammed, of course, but we have two other good goalkeepers with the squad and one of them will be selected to play tomorrow,” said coach Al Koroni.
“This means, however, that we are missing four players in tomorrow’s match. But we will always play to the best of our capabilities and will do what we can to make the final.
“We have played Iraq in the group stages and feel they are similar in style to Jordan, and we have seen and studied many videos of Jordan’s games. Yes, they have a strong attack, but we have also scored in each of our games. We are organised and we know how to stop them.”