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Persianleague
- Oct 07, 2002
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DPA - FOOTBALL hype at the Asian Games is on the rise with the quarter finals set for tomorrow.

The favorites all came through their group matches unscathed, although they did not all look as solid as they would have liked. 

The South Koreans, who are tipped for gold, were the most impressive. But Oman proved last week that getting the ball in the back of the net is not impossible when they lost 2-5 to South Korea in a dramatic match last week. 

But crowd support for the home team is at fever pitch – every match the “Red Devils” play has been sold out. 

South Korea will face Bahrain tomorrow. Bahrain was the best runners-up from the group stage and Group C was probably the toughest group. Only against Japan did Bahrain come unstuck with a 2-5 loss, a quick recovery from 0-4 down. 

Iran, three-time winners of the football gold at the Asian Games, and the defending champions, will be looking to striker Ali Daei to put the ball in the net. Midfielder Ali Badavi will be under pressure to supply the forwards with the ball. Badavi scored the 34-minute equalizer on Saturday against Qatar that won Iran’s place in the quarter-finals. 

Iran did not make it to the World Cup Finals after a narrow defeat by Ireland in the playoffs but no one is underestimating the side. The Iranians are capable of beating the best on a good day. 

But in Kuwait, they face a determined opposition. Conceding no goals during their Group F matches, the Kuwaitis could only be criticized for their performance against Hong Kong, one of the weaker sides in the tournament. 

Kuwait won 1-0 and will no doubt be seeking revenge for their loss to the defending champions in the final at the Bangkok Asiad four years ago. 

Japan’s performance has not matched their recent World Cup performance. Thanks to a foul on Satoshi Nakayama in the 39th minute and his subsequent penalty in the 39th minute of their Group D clash on Saturday, Japan scraped through 1-0. 

Throughout the group stage Japan have not looked anything like their recent World Cup form when they reached the last 16 despite winning all their group matches. A 2-0 win over Palestine was much less than the fans were hoping for. Only a three-goal burst midway through the first half of their match against Bahrain, gave any indication of their form last June. 

Japan will face China in the quarter-finals. China have to prove that they can play better than their performance at the World Cup suggested, when they were knocked out in the group stages. The oppositions in Group C were certainly not the same calibre Japan faced, but China looked solid in all three of their group matches, not conceding any goals. 

Thailand have looked inspired in this tournament. They came out tops against the United Arab Emirates, a side who were expected to reach the quarter-finals. The 3-1 result against the UAE was convincing and subsequent games against Yemen and Vietnam bore up that impression. 

But North Korea in the quarter-finals will be considerably tougher. The North Koreans came through as one of the two best runners-up, despite losing 0-2 to Kuwait. 

Fine saving by Kuwait’s Saleih al-Bureiki kept the North Koreans out, but a two-minute lapse in concentration can be costly in the quarters. Two minutes was all it took for Khalaf al-Mutairi and Bashar Abdullah to score. 

Another plus for the North Koreans is the absence of two of Thailand’s key players, striker Kiatisuk Senamuang and midfielder Narongchai Vachiraban. Both men have been suspended and will not play the quarter-finals.