Iran, China clash again
Thailand's upstarts dream of soccer final
Posted: Tuesday December 15, 1998 12:42 PM
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North Korea's Jo Jong Ran (right) and Taiwan's Yang Ya Ching fight for possession AP |
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Red cards will take their toll in the Asian Games soccer semifinals Wednesday as China faces Iran in their second grudge match in five days and host Thailand takes on a Kuwaiti side that has forgotten how to score.
China will be at a major disadvantage against Iran after the soccer disciplinary committee decided Tuesday to suspend coach Bobby Houghton for one international match and striker Hao Haidong for two after disputes with officials in the quarterfinal.
Thailand will also be hobbled by the absence of two players who were sent off in the quarterfinals, but manager Thawatchai Sajakul told a news conference that Thailand's triumph over South Korea was a "miracle" that could be repeated.
"The team is on a tour out of town to pray at the temples in Ayutthaya," a historic capital, Thawatchai said. "They're trying to relax as much as they can."
Thawatchai appealed for Thailand's rowdy fans -- who started hurling bottles toward the pitch Monday when the Koreans equalized in the final minutes of regulation time -- to be on their best behavior.
Bayern Munich star Ali Daei is on the verge of seizing the top spot in the competition's goal-scoring charts, with his second-half hat trick Monday in Iran's 4-0 victory over Turkmenistan giving him a total of eight.
Two Kuwaitis who also have amassed eight goals, Jasem al-Huwaidi and Farj Laheeb, failed to score in their last two matches. Suddenly on fire, the Thais could run over the Gulf side if the once deadly strikers can't again find some energy and the goal.
East Asian power China, which brought a largely young squad to the games, is still looking to avenge a pair of defeats against Iran that kept the Chinese out of the World Cup in France. But in last week's preliminary play, Daei led a 2-1 victory over China.
Houghton has said that most of his players hadn't been called up until recently and have no inherent defeatist complex against Iran.
But he won't be part of Wednesday's game and neither will Hao, who put away a goal Monday against Uzbekistan but was sent off after disputing a yellow card. Houghton was kicked out for challenging the ruling. Their absence could fatally weaken China.
The Chinese will rely on the scoring talents of Li Jinyu, who put in the other two goals in the 3-0 shutout for a games total of six, but are again likely to suffer against the bigger, bruising Iranians in mid-field.
The Iranian side, packed with World Cup veterans, has clearly emerged as the favorite for gold. After a sluggish first round, Daei has found his stride and formed a deadly attack force with Karim Bagheri.
If Iran was always a favorite, Thailand never was. But the Thais are now staring at a spot in the finals. The fire and grit displayed by the Thais -- beating the highly favored Koreans 2-1 in extra time with just nine men -- could overcome Kuwait.
Thailand will miss its top scorer, Woorawoot Srimaka, and defender Surachai Jirasirachote, who were both sent off Monday.
But the Kuwaitis looked so tired against Qatar -- allowing the weaker side to take them to a penalty shootout -- that the Thais, with a stadium full of supporters, are favored to beat them.
English coach Peter Withe has given the Thais confidence since taking over last month. Last weekend, he scoured Bangkok markets to find tapes of two songs he considers inspirational -- "Eye of the Tiger" and "We Are the Champions."
Withe played the first to pump up his players at halftime Monday. After they won, he mused whether the old Queen standby was predicting a gold medal for his side.
"Maybe."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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