AFC Women's Asian Cup
A 3-0 win against Bhutan maintained Jordan’s perfect record and avoiding defeat against Islamic Republic of Iran on Saturday will confirm their ticket to the Finals, having missed out on the 2022 edition.
While Nascimento wasn’t entirely satisfied with the performance, the tactician said what matters is that Jordan are well on their way towards securing qualification.
“We had the perfect start, which should have given us confidence. But instead, the players rushed their decisions, and our choices weren’t the best. Had we been calmer, we could have scored more goals,” said Nascimento.
“Still, three games, three wins. Now comes the final challenge, the last fight.”
Bhutan’s hopes of qualifying for the Finals were dashed after the South Asian side fell to a second successive defeat, having opened their campaign with two wins.
“Although our players had prepared well, they still faced a tough challenge as Jordan have some outstanding players,” admitted head coach Kim Tae-in.
Iran’s hopes also suffered a setback following a 3-1 defeat to Lebanon, with the Central Asian side now having to defeat Jordan to book their ticket to the Finals and head coach Marzieh Jafari vowed that her side will bounce back.
“This defeat is entirely my responsibility. My players gave everything they had and fought to win, but this is football. Individual mistakes can change the course of a game,” said Jafari.
“The truth is we didn’t play well. We made too many mistakes in both defence and attack. After conceding the second goal, the players’ focus wavered, and we couldn’t capitalise on our chances. In football, if you don’t score, you’re bound to lose.
Despite the setback Jafari remained optimistic, taking defeat as a valuable lesson ahead of the decisive fixture against Jordan.
“This game is a wake-up call. We must play with greater seriousness and concentration against Jordan. Our focus now is on the players’ mental and physical recovery because we have a crucial match on Saturday. There’s only one way to reach the Asian Cup, and that’s by beating Jordan. Nothing is over. We will fight with everything we have for this victory.”
For Lebanon, the win was a morale-boosting first after two straight defeats, with head coach Wael Gharzeddine praising his team’s improved discipline and ability to seize their chances.
“The players gave their all because we simply had to win. Despite their lack of experience, they stayed calm, focused and executed the game plan well. We made fewer mistakes this time, capitalising on the opponents’ errors and the spaces we managed to create behind the Iranian defence,” said Gharzeddine.
“Luck was finally on our side, and we were able to turn our chances into goals, something we couldn’t do in previous matches.”
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