“This is a great result to start our journey with, and we will do our best to continue making good progress in the competition,” said Hossein.

Iran, despite having won the competition thrice, have never defended the title but despite the opening triumph, Hosseini is not looking beyond the next match.

“We are taking every game as it comes and not thinking about anything else. That has always been our game plan,” said the 45-year-old.

“We always strive to maintain focus on our goals, and right now, our target is to win the next game and nothing beyond it. But first, we will take the next day to ensure the players have recovered well so that their performance is at its peak against Afghanistan.” 

Indonesia head coach Ida Bagus Nyoman Mahayasa admitted there was an obvious gulf in quality and said the priority would be to regroup before they face the United Arab Emirates on Sunday.

“There is no denying that Iran were the superior side. They’ve won the competition several times and have the experience of playing in the World Cup,” said Mahayasa. “It is now my job to review our mistakes and minimise them going forward.”

Facing a UAE side coming off a dominant victory will be an uphill task for the Southeast Asians as they look to turn the tide in their favour and the 58-year-old has taken it upon himself to ensure the team remains motivated.

“As their coach, the onus is on me to provide the morale boost they need. Moreover, we have identified recurring defensive mistakes, and it will be our priority to ensure we don’t repeat them in our next two games.”

Venue: Jomtien Beach Arena (Pattaya)

Kick-off: Sunday, 15:30 (UTC+7)

Venue: Jomtien Beach Arena (Pattaya)

Kick-off: Sunday, 18:30 (UTC+7)