Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Muscat: Coach Hakeem Shakir declared that his Iraq team’s 100% record in the AFC U-22 Championship means nothing ahead of Sunday’s final against Saudi Arabia at Seeb Sports Complex.
The Lions of Mesopotamia won every game in the group stages and then went on to defeat first Japan and then Korea Republic, two of the pre-tournament favourites, in the knockout stages to reach the climax of these championships.
And even though Iraq’s irresistible march to the final began with a 3-1 victory against upcoming opponents Saudi Arabia in the group stages, Shakir is adamant that his players will not believe their own hype or be lured into overconfidence ahead of the competition’s finale against Khalid Al Koroni’s “massively improved” team.
“We are putting aside all the good results, performances and any record we’ve built up so far, we have to forget all that, we’re only thinking of the final tomorrow,” said coach Shakir.
“I have watched Saudi Arabia improve massively as this tournament has progressed; they’re a totally different side to the one we faced in the first match. We should acknowledge and respect that both teams are the best in the tournament.
“Everything and anything is possible in the final, both teams have very talented players and either side could win. Before the tournament we planned to make it to at least this stage, which we have done, and I know my players will do their best to win the championship.”
Under Shakir’s guidance Iraq have reached the finals of the 2012 AFC U-19 Championship, the 2012 WAFF Championship, and the 2013 Gulf Cup of Nations, as well as famously reaching the semi-finals of the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey, but the 51-year-old is still yet to take the next step and win a title with his side.
Whether this state of affairs endures could well depend on the form of Marwan Al Ajeeli whose four goal haul in the AFC tournament puts him just one behind current top-scorer Kaveh Razaei of Iran.
However, although the forward found the net at will in the group stages, Al Ajeeli has struggled to replicate his form in the knockout rounds, going scoreless against both Japan and Korea Republic.
The man from Al Zawra'a will have this final chance against Saudi Arabia to stake a claim on the competition’s golden boot award and, in doing so, bring his country and his coach a taste of championship glory.