AFC U23 Asian Cup
Despite that, Najhi praised his players for their fighting spirit and maturity in the hard-fought contest which ended 1-1 after extra-time, with defending champions Japan winning the penalty shoot-out 4-2.
#AFCU23 | Quarter-finals: Japan 1 (4)-(2) 1 Jordan
“The difference came down to the small details. It was a difficult match as we knew what Japan were capable of and they deserved the victory,” said Najhi. “My players, however, showed tremendous spirit and applied the game plan well.
“We could have finished the match in our favour had we taken advantage of some of the chances. It was a match full of positive moments, and there were many periods of strength during which we could have decided the outcome.”
“We could have finished the match in our favour had we taken advantage of some of the chances. It was a match full of positive moments, and there were many periods of strength during which we could have decided the outcome.”
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Jordan dominated the first half and took the lead through captain Ali Azaizeh, with Japan clawing their way back in the second half through Shusuke Furuya’s deflected effort, with the West Asian side ultimately paying the price for not converting more of their 10 shots into another goal.
“We thank the young players for the great effort they put in throughout the match and tournament. We have a group of young players who have developed strong characters."
“We thank the young players for the great effort they put in throughout the match and tournament. We have a group of young players who have developed strong characters."
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“We have at least six or seven players capable of starting senior national team matches, along with other young players on the bench who are eligible to continue in the U23 category,” said Najhi, who had one of the youngest squads in the competition.
“This confirms that we are on the right path, with valuable support from experienced players who helped create strong cohesion within the team. We are the third youngest team in the tournament after Japan and Uzbekistan, which is something to be proud of.”
“This confirms that we are on the right path, with valuable support from experienced players who helped create strong cohesion within the team. We are the third youngest team in the tournament after Japan and Uzbekistan, which is something to be proud of.”
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