“I want to congratulate the team and the technical staff for their efforts, which have helped us begin the competition on a winning note,” said Sufyani.

“The match was a difficult one, and I think both sides were determined to win. As a team, we played exceptionally well and did everything necessary to secure three points.”

Despite his elation, the striker has already shifted his focus to their next game, where they will face three-time champions Japan, who also eked out a hard-fought 4-3 win against Iraq earlier in the day.

“If our focus helped us win, then we must put this victory behind us and concentrate on facing Japan,” he said. “For us, a win against Japan would be decisive for our qualification to the knockout stage. We are confident in our capabilities and will continue working to progress as far as possible in the competition.”

A disappointing defeat, despite twice taking the lead, dampened morale in the China PR camp, but midfielder Liu Yisi is counting on team spirit to fuel a strong response against Iraq.

“Despite our best efforts, we did not get the desired result. We were outplayed both physically and mentally, and we’ll have to work together as a team to figure out where we went wrong,” said Yisi, whose left-footed free-kick gave China PR a brief 3-2 lead late in the game.

“We need to try harder when we face Iraq, but more importantly, we must continue inspiring each other as a team,” he added.

Iraq v China PR
Venue: Jomtien Beach Arena (Pattaya)

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

Venue: Jomtien Beach Arena (Pattaya)

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