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AFC - Iran coach Hossein Shams
admitted he expects to face a much-improved Lebanon outfit when the two
sides clash in the quarter-finals of the AFC Futsal Championships at Hua
Mark Stadium on Thursday.
Iran have been in imperious form so far having swept all before them to top
Group D and scoring 34 goals against conceding just one.
Lebanon, by contrast, squeezed into the last eight as, despite a 5-1 defeat
to Uzbekistan in their final game, Malaysia's 4-3 victory over Korea
Republic meant Dory Zakhour's side finished second in Group C.
That in itself is an achievement given the unrest the country is currently
experiencing and the difficulty the Lebanon team endured just getting to
Bangkok.
And Shams, who has injury concerns over Mohammad Hashemzadeh, believes
Iran's opponents will prove a much more dangerous prospect now they have had
time to settle into the tournament.
"As far as Lebanon is concerned, you know they have big problems in their
country," he said.
"And this is not the real Lebanon you are seeing because we have played
against them several times in different tournaments and we think that after
two days rest, you may now see the real Lebanon.
"But of course we will also be changing our tactics and getting ready for
the game."
Lebanon displayed all their fighting spirit in their opening game when they
came back from 5-2 down with just 90 seconds left to draw 5-5 with Korea
Republic.
It proved a crucial point as a 6-4 victory over Malaysia preceded the defeat
to Uzbekistan before the Malaysians gave them a huge helping hand by edging
out the Koreans.
However, coach Zakhour could be without three players for the encounter with
skipper Rabih Abou Chaaya, Mahmoud Itani and Khaled Takaji, who have all
been on the mark so far in the competition, struggling with injury.
And while Zakhour concedes they face what may seem an insurmountable task
against the defending champions, he drew inspiration from Lebanon's 8-4
defeat to the same opponents in the group stages a year ago in Osaka and
promised they will at the very least battle to the end.
"Iran are the best team and they have won the championship many times," he
said.
"But I will try to get a result and we played very well against Iran in
Japan when we scored four goals.
"I will do my best but I have too many problems."
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