LONDON: Saudi Arabia coach Daniel Teglia has told his players to replicate the grit and determination they showed against Jordan and victory will be theirs when they face Iraq on Saturday.
The U-23 side fought back from two goals down in their first Group C game of the AFC Championship to snatch a 2-2 draw, thanks to a brace of goals in the dying minutes of the clash.
And Teglia is confident that the young Green Falcons can ensure victory against Iraq in China if they show the same spirit as they did on Wednesday.
“Our group is a tough group,” he said. “The teams work well, they have an outstanding collective and physically they are so strong.
“We will try to play football our way, to maintain the ball on the ground and to infiltrate the space. I saw Iraq’s game against Malaysia and they’re a strong team and only the team who will impose his playing style on the game will win.
“As always in the first match, it leaves a stamp of identity on the tournament and we showed that the Saudi team have great heart and identity, that we’ll never surrender and play with a lot of personality.”
Saudi Arabia take on an Iraqi side that started the campaign with a comfortable 4-1 win over Malaysia. The Iraqis go into the clash as slight favorites. But despite their emphatic victory on Wednesday coach Abdulghani Shahad is taking nothing for granted.
“In each match we will play our own system and the important thing is that we have three points and we have some players in this system who have grown together,” he said. “In general, we achieved the most important thing from the first game and now we are going to work out our tactics for the game against Saudi Arabia.
“We are thinking step-by-step and this group is not easy. It’s difficult and it’s open for all the teams.”
RULE CHANGE
Meanwhile, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) has decided to increase the number of foreign players in the Saudi Professional League to seven per team and up the number of players on the bench to nine.
The new ruling allows for each Saudi club to field six foreign players in their starting line-up and one foreigner on the subs bench.
Due to the change in the rules the SAFF also announced the postponement of the 18th round of the league starting from Mar. 5 to Mar. 17 to allow for clubs to register new foreign professionals.
Saudi Arabia U23 coach wants to see fight in AFC Iraq clash
Saudi Arabia U23 coach wants to see fight in AFC Iraq clash
PSG hit five to stun Chelsea in Champions League last 16
- “I am happy to have helped the team but I am more happy that we won against Chelsea because they are a good team,” Kvaratskhelia told
PARIS, France: A gift by Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen and two late goals by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia gave title holders Paris Saint-Germain a stunning 5-2 win over the English side in a thrilling Champions League last 16, first leg on Wednesday.
It looked as if Chelsea would return to London for next week’s second leg with a draw, and perhaps the upper hand in the tie, after they twice came from behind in the first hour at the Parc des Princes.
Bradley Barcola’s early opener for PSG was canceled out by Malo Gusto, and a fantastic Ousmane Dembele finish which put the hosts back ahead just prior to the interval was followed by Enzo Fernandez making it 2-2.
However, a careless Jorgensen pass out was intercepted, allowing Vitinha to score PSG’s third with a delightful lob on 74 minutes, and substitute Kvaratskhelia smashed in a superb fourth for the hosts four minutes from time.
As if that were not enough, Kvaratskhelia scored again in stoppage time, leaving the reigning European champions seemingly with one foot in the quarter-finals before the second leg at Stamford Bridge next Tuesday.
“I am happy to have helped the team but I am more happy that we won against Chelsea because they are a good team,” Kvaratskhelia told broadcaster Canal Plus as he dismissed suggestions PSG were not the same force as last season.
“I don’t agree because we are still PSG and I think today we showed everybody that we are capable of everything. We just have to continue like this.”
The tie may not quite be over, but this result also gives PSG a measure of revenge in the first meeting of the teams since Chelsea crushed an exhausted French side 3-0 in last July’s Club World Cup final.
Nine of Chelsea’s starting XI that day lined up at kick-off here, the exceptions being Jorgensen — preferred to Robert Sanchez — and defender Wesley Fofana.
They also have a different coach now, of course, with Liam Rosenior having succeeded Enzo Maresca in January.
This game saw him make his return to France, where he did a fine job over 18 months at Strasbourg, the club who belong to the same BlueCo. consortium which owns Chelsea.
His start in west London has been promising enough, but an exit from Europe will now be difficult to avoid, especially as PSG seemed to have their hunger back here after some patchy performances in recent weeks.
Luis Enrique’s team, who won three knockout ties against Premier League sides en route to European glory last year, have struggled to rediscover their form of last season with that marathon campaign taking its toll.
Goalkeeping errors
Ballon d’Or winner Dembele started for just the 15th time in PSG’s 41 matches so far this term. He had played 90 minutes just four times before Wednesday.
They are a mere point ahead of Lens at the top of Ligue 1, while they came into this game with just two wins in seven in Europe.
Yet they came flying out of the blocks, going ahead on 10 minutes as Joao Neves nodded the ball down for Barcola, who controlled before firing in off the underside of the crossbar.
The champions were in the mood as Jorgensen tipped a Dembele effort onto the post, but there is a feeling that their decision to sell Gianluigi Donnarumma may cost them.
Matfei Safonov has recently become the first-choice goalkeeper and he was at fault for Chelsea’s first equalizer on 28 minutes.
Fernandez found Gusto in splendid isolation on the Chelsea right and the French full-back scored with a shot which really should have been kept out by Safonov.
The Russian redeemed himself on 39 minutes by parrying a Cole Palmer shot, 14 seconds before Dembele made it 2-1.
He was released by Desire Doue, ran through on goal and feinted one way then the other before scoring with a shot that deflected in off Fofana.
His 12th of the season separated the teams at half-time, but again Chelsea equalized as the hour approached.
Pedro Neto flew down the left and cut the ball back for the unmarked Fernandez to fire in first-time.
Then Chelsea collapsed, as Barcola intercepted a Jorgensen pass and Vitinha finished in style, before Kvaratskhelia’s stunning solo effort and late finish from Achraf Hakimi’s assist made it a night to remember for the hosts.
