With confidence, determination, and a lot of realism, the Jordan national team players spoke to Al Jazeera Net about their historic qualification for the semi-finals of the Asian Cup, confirming their ability to go further in the continental tournament held in Qatar until next Saturday.
The “Nashama” team achieved a historic milestone by reaching the semifinals after defeating the Tajikistan national team with a clean goal at the “Ahmed bin Ali” World Cup Stadium in the Qatari city of Al Rayyan. They will meet with the South Korean national team next Tuesday after their own victory over the Australian team with 2-1.
The players of “Nashama” expressed their ambitions to achieve more in this tournament, starting with the Moroccan coach, Hussein Amoutah, who is considered the key to this achievement, stating, “For the first time, we are in the semi-final, and we must harness all our potential to go far in the tournament and prepare for the next match regardless of the opponent’s identity.”
Moussa Al Tamari, the star of the national team and the French club Montpellier, told Al Jazeera Net, “Every game we win increases our confidence in reaching the final and this confidence is present among us.” Regarding the next opponent, Al Tamari said, “Any team we face will be a tough match, but God willing, we can do it.”
As for the midfielder of the national team and Al-Hussein club, Mahmoud Mardeek, he said, “After this victory, we aspire to reach the final of the tournament and win it,” acknowledging the difficulty of the task by emphasizing, “After the group stage, there is no easy opponent, and the knockout stages are played on small details.”
In response to a question from Al Jazeera Net about whether the Jordanian national team is capable of winning the title, Nasib said, “Why not? As long as we have reached this stage, God willing, we are capable.”
With the same spirit and confidence, Salem Al Ajaleen, the National Team Defender, revealed that the players and the coaching staff’s ambition has increased, and achieving the championship has become a strong goal, confirming that “Korea or Australia are giants of Asia, but the Jordanian national team has also proven to be one of the continent’s top teams, and whoever plays against us must take us seriously.”
Player Ibrahim Saadeh promised the Jordanian fans – who attended the “Nashama” matches in large numbers – to continue advancing in the tournament, stating, “As players, our ambition is great to reach more advanced stages. This generation of players wishes to make an achievement that all Jordanians dream of, and thank God, we have made it and we will do more.”
Similarly, player Beraa Marai said, “We are proud of what we have achieved, and our goal has become bigger. We will enter the competition in the semi-finals with strength, determination, and focus as we entered the previous matches, and our goal is to reach the final.”
Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan descended to the field and congratulated the players and coaching staff, and after the match, he celebrated and congratulated the players alongside Jordanian Football Association President Prince Ali bin Al Hussein.
Finally, Salah Ratib said, “We are among the top four in Asia, and we are taking one step after another. Our ambition is the title, we respect all the remaining teams, and we hope to deliver an honorable performance in the next match and reach the final.”
