AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup
China PR twice fought back to draw level before eventually sealing a 3-2 win thanks to Liu Yisi’s extra time winner with Mendes applauding the improvement shown by his charges compared to their opening game.
Only one more qualification spot is left in Group B after Japan booked their quarter-final berth with a 7-2 win against Saudi Arabia with China PR trailing the West Asians by a point.
#ACBeachSoccer | Group B : Iraq 2 - 3 China PR
“We knew both games against Saudi Arabia and Iraq would be tough games,” said Mendes.
“Even though we lost against Saudi, we played well and today, we tried to control the ball better than the first game. We could organise better today and players followed the strategy well.
“Japan, for me, is one of the best teams in Asia but in this sport, anything can happen so we will try our best for sure and hopefully we can make it to the quarter-finals.”
It was another painful defeat for Iraq, having gone down 4-3 to Japan on Thursday despite a spirited performance.
Forward Hussein Khudhair rued Iraq’s luck in both matches but at the same time, sees this tournament as a valuable experience for the squad.
"We did not deserve to lose after the outstanding performance we delivered throughout the match,” said Khudhair. “We lost due to some minor details and lacked the luck to maintain our lead twice.
"We were the better side even in the previous game against Japan. Yes, we gained a lot of experience from this journey, and our performance has been steadily improving.
“We aim to make up for the loss in the next match against Saudi Arabia and to present a performance that reflects the ambitions of our team."
Saudi Arabia v Iraq
Venue: Jomtien Beach Arena (Pattaya)
Kick-off: Monday, 15:30 (UTC+7)
Japan v China PR
Venue: Jomtien Beach Arena (Pattaya)
Kick-off: Monday, 18:30 (UTC+7)
Related News
- AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup
Best yet to come, says Japan’s Ozu
- AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup
Thailand’s Nanan basks in hat-trick glory
- AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup
Kuwait's Hajeyah targeting greater heights
- AFC Asian Qualifiers
#AsianQualifiers - MD7: 5 Takeaways
- AFC Asian Qualifiers
Endo urges fans to believe Japan can go all the way
Item 1 of 5